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Free Autism Series Workshops
The South Carolina Department of Education, Assistive Technology Specialists will be offering a series of workshops for teachers and parents of children on the autism spectrum.
They will present a series on visual supports in the areas of social skills and behavior, communication, literacy. This training is free.
Please register with Val Gioia at vgioia@ed.sc.gov
This training is targeted to parents of individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and the professionals who serve them including assistants, teachers, therapists and others. This workshop is designed to promote home/school collaboration to support the students across multiple environments.
Each workshop will be approximately two hours and class size is limited to 15 participants. The Workshops will be held at the South Carolina Autism Society 806 12th Street West Columbia, SC 29169
Continuing education credits will be offered to educators for each of the workshops. The dates and times of the Autism Series Workshops are as follows:
Title: Creating Visual Supports for Children with Autism Date: Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011 Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. Registration: vgioia@ed.sc.gov
Title: Communication Strategies Date: Tuesday, May 10th, 2010 Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. Registration: vgioia@ed.sc.gov
Title: Creating Digital Books Date: Tuesday, May 17th, 2010 Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m. Registration: vgioia@ed.sc.gov
 
Click here for information on summer camps at Glenforest School in West Columbia for those with unique learning needs as well as those who learn "traditionally".
Click here are the findings from the Parents Perspective Survey we sent out last month. I hope you are as happy as I am with the information. I am taking it up to the statehouse on Thursday. Thanks so much for all of you that participated.
Also, we were only capable of using a few comments per page. DDSN is interested in having the other comments. If anyone is NOT willing to give DDSN this information, please shoot me an email - margie@scautism.org. They will not have access to your name,email address, etc.
Margie
The Developmental Disabilities Council has been working for several months on a new State Plan. This is the first plan we are putting out for comment. Comments received will be taken in advice and discussed at our June meeting. The final plan will then be put out for another review period. click on Five Year State Plan 2012-2016 DRAFT
You can access the Proposed State Plan at http://www.scautism.org/pdf/Draft State Plan Goals.pdf or
This Saturday is Upstate Strides for Autism! Come out to Heritage Park in Simpsonville for this fun walk, resource fair, and family-fun event. For more information and to register online, visit https://scautism.org/strides. Tribune Times article, 4/6/2011: http://www.tribunetimes.com/article/20110406/TRIBUNETIMES/304060003/1145/TRIBUNETIMES01 Greenville News article, 4/6/2011: http://www.greenvilleonline.com/article/20110406/CITYPEOPLE/304060025/1062/Susan-Leiby Your Carolina appearance, 4/5/2011: http://www.yourcarolina.tv/ycvideo/entry/strides_for_autism_and_second_saturday_at_roper_mountain/
Strides for Autism We are just a few days away from Upstate Strides for Autism! I hope that you’ve successfully set up your team or registered online! We are looking forward to a great day with lots of fun activities for the whole family! The following are some of the most common questions coming in. Please let me know if there is any other way I can be of assistance. See you Saturday! What is the Strides website address? https://scautism.org/strides What time does it start? Onsite registration begins at 8 am and the event itself starts at 9 am. Where is Upstate Strides? Heritage Park in Simpsonville. The park is located just off Highway 14, south of downtown Simpsonville. Follow the signs to the Heritage Park Ampitheater to find the park. You can also click here for online directions. What if it rains? Strides for Autism is rain or shine! Thankfully the forecast is calling for “shine”! Are dogs allowed? Service animals are always welcome, but the City of Simpsonville has an ordinance that prohibits regular pets at Heritage Park. How long is the walk? The path around the park is approximately 1 mile. There are also a few cut-offs to make it shorter. You can walk as much or as little as you choose. “It is about awareness, not endurance.” Can I bring a stroller/wagon/wheelchair? Absolutely! The whole path is paved with cut curbs. How much does it cost? There is no cost to participate in the event. However, with a $25 individual donation, you will receive a walk t-shirt. With a $50 family donation, you will receive 4 walk t-shirts. What if I want more shirts? Additional shirts will be on sale for $10 each. Do all of my sponsors get t-shirts? T-shirts are available at the event only. We do not mail them. If you have a sponsor who meets the donation criteria listed above, you can pick up their shirt at the event. Will anything else be sold? The South Carolina Autism Society will have a variety of autism awareness merchandise available for sale. There will be a few other vendors selling items as well. Will you take credit cards? We accept cash, checks, Visa, and Mastercard. What about my sponsors who don’t want to donate online? Your sponsors can also pay by cash or check. Checks should be made out to South Carolina Autism Society. So that your Team receives credit, please note your team name in the memo field. Bring everything to the event on Saturday. What if something happens and I can’t come Saturday? You can mail your sponsorships to our Columbia office at 806 12th Street, West Columbia, SC 29169. What about donations that come in after the walk? You can send them to our Columbia office at 806 12th Street, West Columbia, SC 29169. Current Exhibitor list:
For additional questions, email Susan at SusanL@scautism.org. Have you registered forStrides for AutismUpstate Strides for Autism Saturday, April 9, 2011 Heritage Park in Simpsonville Honorary Chair Amy Parham of NBC’s The Biggest Loser … and parent of a child with autism.
Onsite registration at both events begins at 8:00 am, with the fun-walk beginning at 9 am. Note that this is a “walk-what-you-can” event. We will also have a Resource Fair, and lots of fun family activities! The Strides for Autism website is located at There are a few options you may want to consider. Start A Team: Create a team to recognize someone affected by autism. Whether you are an individual with autism, family member, provider, friend, or a member of the community who wants to get involved, this is the most popular option. Once your team is created, you can contact your friends, family, coworkers, etc. to sponsor your team for the walk(s). *Note – If you created a team in the past, you will need to create a new one this year. Join A Team: This is where you can sponsor another team that is participating in Strides for Autism. A great way to show your financial support, especially if you cannot make it out to the walks. This is also where those who want to support your team can go online and donate. Registration: If you want to come to a Strides for Autism event, but do not want to Start or Join a Team, this is the place for you. Best of luck to all teams and individuals as we take Strides for Autism! Remember, together we can solve the puzzle! Current sponsors include:
Today we recieved a packet from DDSN, outlining goals, funding, waiting lists, etc. If you are interested in reading it, click here.
During the month of April, ask your server at your Columbia-area Carolina Wings to "Round-Up for Autism"! Your bill will be rounded up to the next dollar, and the difference will be donated to the South Carolina Autism Society. For more information, click here.
The Governor of South Carolina, Nikki Haley, has proclaimed April 2011 as "Autism Awareness Month". She "encourages all South Carolinians to work together to ensure that individuals with autism spectrum disorder are accuratelyl diagnosed and appropriately treated throughout their lives." To read the full Proclamation, click here.
Spread the Word to end the Word
March 14, 2011 - Posted by Craig Stoxen, President & CEO in SCAS Forum
At Disability Advocacy Day on March 2, 2001, we heard many of the Self Advocates talk about removing the “R” from our vocabulary. And replacing it with Respect! Self advocates expressed how the “R” word has become derogatory and demeaning. They called for the State of South Carolina to follow the lead of other states and the federal government and pass a law that will replace the use of mental retardation with terminology like intellectual disabilities. The legislator heard the call, and there are now two bills in progress. The Bill number in the House is H3920 introduced by Rep Bingham and the one in the Senate is S695 introduced by Senator Knotts. This bill will replace mental retardation form state laws and replaces it with intellectual disabilities and replaces mentally retarded with person with intellectual disabilities. It also will require all state agencies to do the same in their policies, procedures and publications. But to ensure that their in no fiscal impact, agencies are only required to make these changes as they are making other changes. In this fiscally tough time, it was important to us that there not be any cost to making these changes. Please ask your state Senator to cosponsor and to vote for Bill S. 695, and your Representative to cosponsor and to vote for Bill H 3920. Here are some key points to make:
Its time that we as a state show respect! Spread the word to end the word.
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The South Carolina Autism Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, and a registered charity in the state of South Carolina. Almost 90% of total expenses go to program services.
Click here for more information.
