Welcome!

The Albany Chapter of the Autism Society of America serves people living with Autism in the greater Capital District and their families.

Our mission is to promote lifelong access and opportunities for people on the autism spectrum and their families so they can be fully participating, included members of their communities. We do this through advocacy, public awareness, education, compassionate support and research related to autism. Our primary focus is on public awareness, education and compassionate support.

We currently hold 4 monthly support group meetings (one in Albany, one in Saratoga, a Dads Group and an Adult Aspie Social Group) Times and locations are posted on our website in the Upcoming Events Section to the right of this column. Helping children, adults, families, educate the providers and providing support all along this path, are all in the forefront as we move ahead together.

ALBANY AUTISM SOCIETY 6th ANNUAL GALA

A HUGE SUCCESS!!!

The Albany ASA sponsored it's 6th Annual Gala on Friday, April 25, 2008 at The Glen Sanders Mansion. The Theme was "Unlocking the Possibilities." Sister Mary Louise Kane and Mr. Steve Szalowski were honored as the recipients of the Albany ASA's Community Impact Award. Thank you Sister Louise and Steve for all that you have done for the autism community!

Thank you for your support!

A Special THANKS to our Corporate Sponsors for their generosity and support:

Exit 9 Wine & Liquor Warehouse

Kohls Department Store

Cool Insuring Agency, Inc.

First National Bank of Scotia

Hodgson, Russ, LLC

Meridian Capital Partners, Inc.

JR Rickert

Trustco Bank

ALBANY ASA'S 2008 RESOURCE FAIR

The Albany Chapter is happy to hold a Resource Fair on Saturday, May 31, 2008 from 10 am to 12:30 pm at the Center for Disability Services, 314 S. Manning Boulevard, Albany, NY 12208. We hope to host 20-30 local providers/vendors, who offer services and products that enhance the lives of individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Participants will offer materials, as well as be available to provide brief mini-presentations.

**The Center Pool will also be available to families during the time of the Resource Fair**

Please join us as we work to improve the awareness of our community resources! If you would like to participate in the Fair, please complete the form that is attached.

SUMMER CAMP LIST

Back by popular demand, the Albany ASA would like to provide its members with a list of Summer Camps for children with autism and other disabilities. (If you know of any camps that are not listed, please e-mail us at info@albanyautism.org and we will update our list.)

The Albany Chapter is also pleased to once again promote our 2008 Summer Camp/Community Enrichment Scholarship "Living the Dream" Program. Click here for the application and guidelines. All applications must be postmarked by May 1, 2008.

Camp Spectacular:

Glenville, NY - Runs from August 4 - 15, 2008 and is appropriate for children ages 10 - 15 with average to above average communication skills.

Clover Patch Summer Camp:

Glenville, NY - A summer camp for children and adults with developmental disabilities.

Camp Huntington:

Highland Falls, NY - Camp Huntington is a co-ed, residential program for children and young adults with special learning and developmental needs.

Camp Kaleidoscope:

Starksboro, VT - many themes and programs available.

Camp Ramapo:

Dutchess County, NY - Ramapo for Children’s specific focus is to provide adventure-based, experiential learning programs that promote positive character values, build social and learning competencies, and enhance self-esteem in children from preschool through late teens.

Easter Seals Camp Merry Heart:

Warren County, NJ - Offers weekend programs for siblings and families.

Saint Pius the X Camp for Exceptional Children:

Loudonville, NY - Runs from June 30 to July 3, 2008, excepting children from age 6 - 10 years old. This years theme is "Happy Feet." Each child is assigned a 1:1 counselor. The camp is offered at no fee to families. No website available, for additional information call Tracey Coffey at 283-0890.

The College of Saint Rose Summer Academy for Youth:

Albany, NY - Runs from June 30 to August 8, 2008 for youth in grade 6 - 10.

Wildwood Summer Camp:

The Summer Extension Program continues each student's annual Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The program takes place at several locations: Camp Wildwood, an 86-acre facility in Altamont; the Curry Road building; Latham Circle Mall; and two apartments. Students ages 3 to 21 who are not enrolled in Wildwood School may attend this program, provided there is space available. Referrals are made through each school district's CPSE or CSE.

Save the Date!

Sunday, September 21, 2008

for the Albany Chapter's 5th Annual Walk/Run for Autism

The Albany Chapter is pleased to announce that we have begun the planning of our Annual Walk for Autism and 5K Run in September 2008 and would love to have you participate. It will be held in Central Park in Schenectady again and the Walk Committee will begin meeting within the next month or two.

If you are interested in helping on the Walk Committee, please contact Elaine Hickey, Walk Chair, at EAREAH2000@aol.com or contact the office at 355-2191 or e-mail info@albanyautism.org. There are so many different ways that we all can help, and this family friendly day is one way that we work together to help those in the community who care for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Also coming soon - will be our information on how to register on-line for this Walk, in addition to sponsorship opportunities, information table registration, donation information, etc.

Thank you once again to all our previous sponsors, walkers, friends and supporters. We hope you will become involved again this year.

REMEMBER, WE WANT TO SHARE.....

The Albany Chapter is happy to share all our photos from our events with you. It is an opportunity to see the programs that your generous donations help to provide. If you would like to see our photos and share in the fun, please go to Albums and click on the event you are interested in. If you have photos that you are interested in sharing, and have permission to post them, please send them to us at info@albanyautism.org.

Have you moved lately or have a new e-mail address? If so, please make sure you remember to let us know. You don't want to miss all the information and we want to keep in touch with you. Please either e-mail to info@albanyautism.org or call Cindy at 355-2191 with your update. Make sure you stay connected to the Albany ASA!

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In Memory of Bernard Rimland

To honor the late Bernard Rimland the Autism Research Institute (ARI) is selling puzzle pieces to fund research. Each puzzle piece costs one dollar, and can be purchased through the Albany ASA by calling 355-2191. The Puzzle Pieces will also be available in the ARI’s booth at every DAN!, Mini-DAN! and other major conferences. This project will continue until One Million Dollars are raised!

The goal of this project is to provide funding for research into possible environmental triggers of autism and to develop and validate effective treaments for individuals with autism.

http://www.autism.com/families/stories/huggins.htm

Educational Law Update

The Regulations of the Commissioner of Education have been amended to conform to IDEA 2004 and the final federal regulations to implement IDEA 2004.  The Commissioner's regulations, which were approved as an emergency action by the Board of Regents at their June 2007 meeting, are effective July 1, 2007.

http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/idea/announce7107.htm 

National Anti-Bullying Week

The link below will lead you to some documents that may be helpful to share with your school and your child. By the nature of their disability our children are perfect targets.  For more information go to http://www.pacer.org/bullying/bpaw/index.asp  

Three New Video Presentations

The following video presentations are now available on the Autism Research Institute's homepage:  Dr. James Adams' recent talk titled 'Results of a DMSA Treatment Study.' This lecture was presented recently at the Defeat Autism Now! Conference in Garden Grove, California (Oct. 2007). For those who remember, ABC's Primetime Live aired a story about this research project last year while the study was ongoing.

ASA President Lee Grossman's talk at the Defeat Autism Now! Conference in Garden Grove, California (Oct. 2007) is the second video.  Lee is President of the Autism Society of America (ASA), and he discusses some of ASA's initiatives and ASA's association with the Autism Research Institute.

The third video is Dr. Andrew Wakefield's keynote address at the Autism Society of America's National Conference in Phoenix, Arizona (July, 2007).  Dr. Wakefield discusses the research on gastrointestinal problems associated with autism.

To view the videos go to www.autism.com.

Events Calendar

Everyone is welcome at our events. To find out about our next meetings and events of interest to the autism community, check the Events Calendar.

Albany ASA Library

Ways you Can Help

Now you can raise money for the AlbanyChapter just by searching the Internet atGoodSearch.com.

You use GoodSearch.com like any other search engine — the site is powered by Yahoo! — but each time you do, money is generated for us. Here's how it works:

1. Go to www.goodsearch.com
2. Type "The Albany Chapter of the Autism Society of America" into the "I support" box and click on "verify"
3. Search the Internet just like you would with any search engine
4. Since GoodSearch shares its advertising revenue with charities and schools, every time you search the Internet at GoodSearch, you’ll be earning money for our chapter

The second way is by shopping on-line through iGive.com.

You could give up to 26% or more of each everyday purchase you make at no extra cost to you.

It doesn't cost a cent to join and once you're a member, every time you shop the Mall at iGive.com we can get a percentage of each purchase you make.

Just think of it ---- free money for the Albany Chapter of The Autism Society, your choice of over 600 nationally known online merchants like Barnes & Noble, Eddie Bauer, Home Depot, GAP, Best Buy, Lands' End, PETsMART, and you can even use e-Bay too! Your privacy is guaranteed, plus money-saving deals and specials every day!

We hope you can't resist!

Join www.iGive.com/Albanyasa now.