The Echo Volume 10, Issue 7

The Echo March 2012 Heidi Choice Editor

Volume 10, Issue 7

~Monthly Parent Education Program~

Calendar of Events: 





On March 12, 2012,

Mar 1 & Apr 5, 9:00am, Newly Diagnosed Workshop at PFC Resource Ctr. Room 414

Debra Japzon Gillum, Ph.D., Cardinal Clinic LLC and

Mar 5/19, 6:00pm, Stedman Support Group, Stedman Recreation Ctr.

Will Present:

Colleen Quinn, Ph.D., Psy.D., TEACCH - Fayetteville “Autism Evaluations: The Basics That Every Parent Should Know”

March 12, 5:45 pm, HFA Support Group at Dorothy Spainhour Ctr.



Mar 12, 6:30 pm, Parent Education Meeting, Dorothy Spainhour Ctr.



Mar 13, 11:30 am, ALC Support Group at Mellow Mushroom



Mar 21, 9:30 am, ABC Support Group at PFC Resource Ctr., Room 414



Mar 22, 9:30 am, Preschool Support Group, PFC Resource Ctr., Room 414



Mar 27, 11:00 am, Board of Directors Meeting, PFC Resource Ctr.

Board of Directors: Anna Finch, President Warren Aronson, Vice President Gwen Scott, Treasurer Brandy Mello, Secretary Dr. Debra Gillum Cynthia Billops Chris Leacock Dr. Suzanna Fletcher Debra Brown

Staff: Director of Programs and Outreach: Heidi Choice

Program and Outreach Assistant: Alvita Blue

Join us and 

Understand the general types of assessments, and why they may be given during an autism evaluation.



Become aware of examiner qualifications to look for when pursuing an autism evaluation.



Understand the components of an evaluation, over and above formal testing.

Please note that a brief membership meeting will begin at 6:30pm. The presentation will follow.

Join us March 12, 2012, at 6:30 pm at the Dorothy Spainhour Center 223 Hull Road, Fayetteville

For your convenience, free respite care is available on site through Community Based Developmental Services. Please contact Cynthia Billops at 4885820 or 488-4584 to reserve your space at least 24 hours in advance. You may leave a message to reserve your space. Please be aware that you will not receive a return phone call.

~For Your Calendar~ 2012 ASNC Annual Conference March 30-31, 2012, Hilton University Place, Charlotte, NC For more information, please visit http://www.autismsociety-nc.org/

ASCC 5th Autism Awareness Vera Bradley Bingo Friday, April 20, 2012 St. Patrick’s Church, Village Drive, Fayetteville, NC

ASCC 6th Annual Autism Awareness Golf Tournament Saturday, June 16, 2012 King’s Grant Golf Course, Fayetteville, NC

The Echo Page 2

March 2012

~Camp Sunshine~

Camp Sunshine

Notifications of acceptance into camp or placement on the waiting list have been mailed either via traditional mail or email. Parents, please complete the Parent Intake Form and return it to our office no later than March 23, 2012. Please call our office as soon as possible to schedule your parent intake interview!

Applications for employment at Camp Sunshine must be received by our office no later than March 23, 2012.

Volunteers are needed to make Camp Sunshine a great success. Please contact our office at (910) 826-3004/3005 to find out how you can make a difference!

~Support Parents Needed~ Are you a parent of a child, adolescent, or adult diagnosed with autism? Would you be willing to lend emotional support to other parents based on your own experience, along with hope and encouragement? Please call our office at (910) 826-3004/3005 to find out more about the ASCC Support Parent program. Thank you for your consideration.

~Did You Know?~ Even as teens with autism use television, computers and other screen-based media more than their peers, new research suggests that they're shunning some of the Web's most popular offerings. In the largest study ever to look at the use of screen-based media in those with autism as compared to other disabilities, researchers at the University of Missouri and Washington University analyzed data on more than 1,000 special education students ages 13 to 16 collected through the federal government's National Longitudinal Transition Study-2. To read more, visit www.disabilityscoop.com. (NASET, Volume 8, Issue 5, February 2012)

~Rhythm and Rhyme Sensory Story Time~ The Cumberland County Public Library’s Hope Mills Branch will offer a Rhythm and Rhyme Sensory Story Time for exceptional children and their families on Saturday, March 17, 10:30 am — 11:00 am. For more information about this event, please call Vicki Sheeler at 425-8455, ext.

225.

~Twice is Nice Northwood MOPS Consignment Sale~ Twice is Nice Northwood Temple MOPS Consignment Sale will celebrate their 25th Sale this spring. In honor of April being National Autism Awareness Month, they are helping to raise funds for the Autism Society of Cumberland County! We are so excited about the outreach opportunity and grateful for their support! You can register with them now to sell your own items, or shop with them on March 16 and 17. Parents of children with special needs will be able to shop the Preview Sale on Friday, March 16, 7:00pm—9:00pm. The sale will be open to the public on Saturday, March 17, 7:30am – 3:00pm. While there, please remember to thank them for their support! For more information, please visit www.northwoodmops.com.

The Echo Page 3

March 2012

5th Autism Awareness

Vera Bradley Bingo Friday, April 20 , 2012, 6:00 p.m.

Doors open at 5:00 p.m.

St. Patrick’s Catholic Church 2844 Village Dr. Fayetteville, NC $20 and $25 packages will be offered at the door.

20 regular games, 1 bonus game, and 20 door prize drawings.

A fun-filled evening of Vera Bradley products.

Concessions will be available.

Children are welcome, but they must be paid participants.

Proceeds will benefit:

For more information: (910) 826-3004/3005 Not affiliated with Vera Bradley, Inc.

The Echo Page 4

March 2012

FIFTH AUTISM AWARENESS Vera Bradley Bingo Night Friday, April 20, 2012 at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, 2844 Village Drive, Fayetteville, NC 28304

Sponsorship Information: Name of Sponsor/Donor: ________________________________________ Contact Person: Address:

______________________________________________

Phone number: Email:

______________________________________________ ______________________________________________

_________________________________________________

Please fill in the area below, and let us know how you are going to participate: Sponsorship Levels: (All levels include your name/logo and level of sponsorship on all print media and on the event poster that will be displayed on the night of the event.)

Gold Level ($300 and higher)

$_______

Silver Level ($100 - $299)

$_______

Bronze Level ($25 - $99)

$_______

Other Tax Deductible Donation: (Fill in Amount)

$_______

Please submit sponsorship donations no later than April 6, 2012.

For more information, please call (910) 826-3004/3005.

Please make checks payable to: Autism Society of Cumberland County Mail to: ASCC 351 Wagoner Drive, Suite 410 Fayetteville, NC 28303

The Echo Page 5

March 2012

TEACCH Autism Program Comments on Proposed DSM-5 Diagnostic Criteria February 3, 2012 At TEACCH we have been getting many questions about the proposed diagnostic criteria for Autism Spectrum Disorders in the DSM-5. In short, the new diagnostic criteria will not change our TEACCH Autism Program services. We currently provide services to all individuals across the autism spectrum and across the lifespan and will continue to do so. The new criteria will change labels that we use, but not the people that we serve or the services that we provide.

Currently, the DSM-IV defines five Pervasive Developmental Disorders (Autism, Asperger Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, Rett’s Disorder, and PDD-Not Otherwise Specified). While professionals are reliable at saying whether someone has Pervasive Developmental Disorder or not, we are not reliable at determining which Pervasive Developmental Disorder someone has. Thus, two professionals might agree that a child has a Pervasive Developmental Disorder but one psychologist might say autism while another might say Asperger syndrome. This is confusing to families and often leads to many different evaluations in an attempt to find the right answer. Further some programs for adults, insurance companies, and schools have served individuals with one diagnosis but not another. The new diagnostic system acknowledges the fact that professionals can’t reliably differentiate between these different disorders.

Additionally, the new system gets rid of the confusing “Pervasive Developmental Disorder” title. The new system will simply use the term Autism Spectrum Disorder to identify anyone who would have received one of these diagnoses in the past. This has the potential to lead to less confused parents and professionals.

Indeed, professionals have been using the term autism spectrum disorder (ASD) for several years and the DSM is just now catching up to our current knowledge of the diagnosis.

There has been some concern that this new diagnostic system will result in individuals with a current diagnosis of Asperger syndrome not receiving a diagnosis in the future. However, the new diagnostic requirements are meant to include individuals across the entire autism spectrum – those with intellectual disability, those with average cognitive ability, and those who are above average. Instead of using separate diagnostic labels, everyone will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder and then symptom severity will be specified. This shouldn’t eliminate anyone who was previously diagnosed.

Also, the current DMS-IV diagnosis involves difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the presence of repetitive behaviors and interests. It has been hard to separate symptoms into social vs. communication categories. For example is poor eye contact a social difficulty or communication difficulty? So, the new system will have two categories – social communication difficulties and repetitive behaviors/interests. In addition to the repetitive behaviors that were included in the DSM-IV, the new criteria include unusual sensory interests and reactions. While DSM-IV requires 6 symptoms across three symptom areas (social, communication, repetitive behavior), DSM-5 will require 5 symptoms across 2 areas (social-communication, repetitive behaviors). We don’t anticipate that this will lead to a narrower definition – in fact, it is possible that those who were not previously diagnosed might now receive a diagnosis as fewer symptoms overall are required.

We think that the biggest controversy for the DSM-5 is the fact that many people have resonated with the term Asperger syndrome because it conveys the sense of high cognitive abilities, good language skills, and few symptoms. This term has helped a lot of people with less severe autism spectrum disorder to identify themselves and find others with similar experiences. While they will still qualify as having an autism s pectrum disorder, the loss of a separate identification for the more verbal individuals on the autism spectrum is likely to be viewed as a loss of identity for some people with a current diagnosis of Asperger syndrome.

We encourage individuals who currently have the diagnosis of Asperger syndrome to continue to engage in self-advocacy and understand that the term Autism Spectrum Disorder is not meant to change their self-identity.

We recognize that the proposed changes in the DSM diagnostic criteria have caused some anxiety and we want to assure you that the TEACCH Autism Program will continue to provide services for ALL individuals on the autism spectrum, their families, and their community support agencies.

Laura Grofer Klinger, Ph.D. Director, TEACCH Autism Program Associate Professor, Psychiatry University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill

The DSM-5 is still under review. Please look for more information about the proposed changes in future newsletters.

ASCC Support Groups: Support Groups provide an opportunity to share, learn, and connect.

Parents, caregivers, guardians, and professionals are welcome to participate in all of our support groups.

The HFA/Aspergers Support Group will meet on Monday, Mar 12, 5:45pm, at the Dorothy Spainhour Center. Focus: Families of children, adolscents, and adults diagnosed with HFA or Aspergers.

The Autism Breakfast Club (ABC) Support Group will meet Wednesday, Mar 21 at 9:30 am at the PFC Resource Center, Room 414. Focus: Families of children with ASD up to age 12. Childcare will be provided.

The Autism Lunch Club (ALC) Support Group will meet Tuesday, Mar 13 at 11:30 am at Mellow Mushroom. Focus: Families of adolescents and adults with ASD. The Preschool Support Group will meet on Thursday, Mar 22 at 9:30 am at the PFC Resource Center, Room 414.

Focus: Families of young children with ASD ages 1-5 years.

Childcare will be provided.

The Stedman Support Group will meet on Monday, Mar 5 and Mar 19 at 6:00 pm at the Stedman Recreation Center.

Focus: Families of children, adolescents, and adults with ASD. For more information, please call JoAnn Bass (910) 705-5360 or Stevan Whitehurst at (910)229-0265.

March 2012

Return Service Requested

351 Wagoner Drive, Suite 410 Fayetteville, NC 28303 Tel: 910-826-3004/3005 Fax: 910-868-5881 E-mail: autismcc@ccpfc.org Web: www.autismcc.org

Join us on Facebook

Winner of the Autism Society of North Carolina affiliate of the Year Award—1996, 2002, & 2003

“Supporting Individuals Within The Autism Spectrum”

The Autism Society of Cumberland County is an affiliate of the Autism Society of North Carolina.

Mission Statement:

~Donations~ Please remember the ASCC with your tax-deductible charitable contribution.

Make checks payable to:

The Autism Society of Cumberland County is committed to providing support and promoting opportunities which enhance the lives of individuals within the autism spectrum and their families.

Vision Statement: The Autism Society of Cumberland County strives to create a community where people within the autism spectrum and their families receive respect, services, and supports based on individual differences, needs, and preferences.

Autism Society of Cumberland County 351 Wagoner Drive, Suite 410 Fayetteville, NC 28303 Name: Address: Amount of Contribution:

Disclaimer: The Autism Society of Cumberland County does not take any position regarding studies of ASD, nor endorse any particular form of treatment, intervention, or therapy. This newsletter allows us to pass along current information in the field of ASD to our families and organization members.

Funded In Part By:

~Membership~ Autism Society of Cumberland County 351 Wagoner Drive, Suite 410 Fayetteville, NC 28303 Name: ________________________________ __ Parent/Caregiver

__ Professional

__ Sibling

__ Individual with ASD

Annual Membership Categories:

__ Local ASCC Membership only: $10.00 (Make your check payable to: Autism Society of Cumberland County

OR __ Combined State & Local Membership: $45.00

Address: _______________________________ _______________________________ Telephone: _____________________________ Email: _________________________________

(Make your check payable to: Autism Society of NC) __ Yes, I would like $10 to be returned to the ASCC for local membership fees.