Information on Autism and its Characteristics from the TEACCH website: "Autism is one of the most common developmental disabilities in the world, affecting approximately 1 out of every 166 children. Its prevalence rate makes it the second most common developmental disability-even more common than Down Syndrome. By conservative estimate, more than 400,000 people in the U.S. today have some form of autism. In North Carolina, between 25,000 and 30,000 individuals have been diagnosed with the condition. It is a lifelong disability with no known cure at this time. The symptoms of autism tend to appear very early in life, usually within the first three years. In general, these include: Significant problems in language development
Significant problems with understanding and engaging in social interactions
Inconsistent sensory response patterns-for instance, periods when hearing appears to function normally and periods of apparent deafness
Uneven pattern of intellectual development
Significant, highly-focused restriction of interests and activities
The symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a variety of combinations and with a range of severity from mild to severe, so two children with the same diagnosis of autism can act very differently from one another and have very different skills, abilities and functioning levels." "If you've met one child with autism, you've met one child with autism."--Unknown Looking for support and other parents of Special Needs Children? 
Check out the Alamance County ASNC website. Sponsored by the Autism Society of North Carolina, we are a parent support group and center of information for parents and teachers, and a place for professionals to network. Click the link to get more information on times, dates, and locations meetings. GOT A DOG? You want to donate to autism research, but the dog needs a new collar, too? One-inch Martingale collars are available now for $15 plus $2.95 s&h, with $5 from each purchase going to the Autism Society of North Carolina. Martingales are also known as Greyhound/Sighthound collars, or Humane Choke Collars. They're more secure than a buckle collar, and much gentler than a standard choke chain! You can see an example of a martingale on the Soul Warmers page, modeled by Sam, the greyhound. Please E-mail Me with questions or to order! I accept PayPal. 
| For more information on this or any linked website, contact: The Special Needs Site Attn: Bethany Orr 503 Hill Lane Mebane, NC, 27302 For more information on the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) or to link to the Alamance County Chapter of ASNC, click HERE. This chapter meets the second Thursday of each month at Shiloh Presbyterian Church in Alamance, NC. Childcare is provided and we host a potluck dinner. Meetings are suspended in the summer months. Current Events in our lives... Kathryn is out for summer now, and her sister, Georgia, is in a part-time program. We've enrolled Kathryn at Kopper Top Riding Camp for two sessions this summer, and she will continue to work with her Developmental Therapist, Kathy Chrisco, through the LME and the Arc of North Carolina. We're still working on interactive play and we'll be working on self-directed play over the course of this summer. She plays well with her sister, but isn't quite as good at playing with other peers. In addition, she'll be working on writing letters and her name, as well as recognizing the first and last letters and words on a page. She has one more school year ('08-'09) in Yoder Pre-K with Sherry Ryan and then she will be going to South Mebane Elementary. We will be re-working her Individualized Education Plan (IEP) this fall because she's made so much progress and we may be starting the Kindergarten curriculum in her preschool. Our long term goal is to mainstream her and many of her teachers have stated that this is a good goal for her. Kathryn has made immense progress in many areas outside of school as well. She's communicating better, making good eye contact, and has infrequent echolalic speech. Occasionally, she'll fall back into her old habits, although it's much less frequently and most often when she's stressed. We're having more days that we can get through without a tantrum, and I'm finally able to take her out with her sister by myself. Finally, we'll be continuing group lessons at the North Carolina Therapeutic Riding Center! Kathryn adores horses and has a particular attachment to her pony, Little Brownie, whom she rides once a week. She rides like a natural and we plan to continue riding for as long as finances allow. You can find more information on the Riding Center HERE! |