Impact Your LOCAL Autism Community
This Giving Tuesday!





November 20, 2015

CONNECT WITH US!
Check out all of our workshops, events and where we'll be exhibiting!
 
Charity registration for the Pittsburgh Marathon is open!  Looking for runners and walkers for the following events:

Saturday, April 30
  

5k

Kids of Steel 1 Mile

Sunday, 
May 1

Full Marathon
Half Marathon
Relay

For more information, check out our Fundraising Page  
or email Jennifer at [email protected]

A United Way Participating Agency
Code 9817
RIver

Contact Jennifer Salamon at [email protected]
for more information about advertising in this 
weekly e-blast

IEPS SHOULD ALIGN WITH GRADE LEVEL STANDARDS 
 

Beyond offering a free appropriate public education, individualized education programs for students with disabilities should meet grade-level requirements, federal education officials say.
In  guidance released Tuesday, the U.S. Department of Education said that all IEPs should conform to "the state's academic content standards for the grade in which the child is enrolled."

     READ THE ARTICLE HERE 
Upcoming Events:

Autism Connection of PA 
Education Room
35 Wilson Street
(GPS 35 Dewey Street)
Pittsburgh, PA 15223

Tuesday, December 8, 2015, 6:30 p.m. - 8:45 p.m.
Bullying. The Who, The What, and The Why
Presented by: Sharon Greene, M.A.
Continuing Education Credits Offered: Act 48, AOTA, Social Worker
______________________________

Saturday, December 12, 2015, 
 12:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Let's Talk About Poop
Presented by: Carolyn Glass, Jann Dolan, 
 Kristen Ariel Glass
Continuing Education Credits Offered: Act 48, AOTA, Social Worker

EXPERT TIPS FOR HOSTING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

With Thanksgiving approaching, let's take a look back at when  Executive Director Luciana Randall stopped by KDKA to talk about some tips for hosting children with Autism in your home.


Choose "ABOARD's Autism Connection of PA" 
to have 0.5% of your purchase donated

Autism Friendly Santa Visits

South Hills Village 
Sunday, 
December 6
8:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.


Ross Park Mall
Sunday, 
December 6
8:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m.
Westmoreland Mall
Sunday, 
December 13
9:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.


Registration is available HERE
*please scroll through to find your location and time*

Yes, You Can Dance! Special Needs Ballroom  Program

The Special Needs Ballroom Program offers Ballroom dance classes specially designed for adults and teens (16+) with cognitive disabilities. Each week, students are paired up and dance with Dance Mentors (trained volunteers) in order to learn all dance steps from the Waltz to the Merengue! 

Classes meet e very Sunday from November 15 - December 20th from 12:00 p.m.-1:00 p.m., at 2 locations: in the North Hills (DancExplosion Arts Center, 5505 Babcock Blvd. Pittsburgh, PA 15237) AND in the South Hills (Steel City Ballroom, 702 Washington Road, Mt. Lebanon, PA 15228). 

Cost is $45 for the six-week session of classes  (less than $7 per class) ! To learn more and to register, call Joanna at 412.999.3998 or register online  HERE

Strategies for an Anxiety-Free Holiday Season

Do the holidays cause you anxiety? Please attend one of these FREE presentations in the South Hills to gain strategies on managing and reducing anxiety this holiday season.

Monday, December 14, 7:00 p.m., Mt. Lebanon Library
Thursday, December 17, 7:00 p.m., Bethel Park Library

For details, email Paula Kauffman Oberly at [email protected] or 
call 412-354-0636
AUTISM IN THE NEWS

Autism cases in U.S. jump to 1 in 45: who gets the diagnosis, in 8 simple charts

Should we be pushing people with autism to work in tech?



RESEARCH DEVELOPMENTS


NIH-supported NeuroBioBank joins Autism BrainNet in brain donation initiative


Study provides biochemical links between genes linked to autism and the inhibition of nerve cells

PARTICIPANTS NEEDED
PERSPECTIVES PROGRAM
  • Ages 16-45 with ASD
  • 18-month intervention program
  • Eligible participants will receive one of two interventions; Cognitive Enhancement Therapy or Enriched Supportive Therapy,                at no cost
Contact: 
1-866-647-3436
PITTSBURGH EARLY AUTISM STUDY
  • Infants up to age 3 months with older sibling (both ASD and typically developing)
  • Pregnant women may also inquire
  • Visits take place in the home
Contact: Krista Pugliesi
412-624-9355



ADDITIONAL EVENTS & PROGRAMS

CLASS Kids/Vocational Ventures
Are you a parent or guardian in Allegheny County? Does your teen want to earn valuable skills and cash? Would you like your child age 3-13 to be included in an activity that best suits their interests? 
FOR MORE INFORMATION contact Char :
412-683-7100 ext. 2245 or

Young Adult Social Group

This program is a specialized support system for young adults from 18 to 25 years of age with a primary diagnosis of autism. It has been designed to facilitate and develop peer relationships and socialization skills. The group is held on Thursdays from 4:00 to 7:00pm at 425 Main St., Youngstown, PA 15696. For more information contact Helen Tautkus-Berry at (724) 446-7282 or [email protected].

Just Us Parents Support Group

Join us for our 3rd meeting of the school year!  Tuesday, December 15th at 7:00 p.m.  Panera Bread, 8800 Covenant Avenue, Pittsburgh 15237

We are also hosting a showing of "The Family Next Door", a documentary about a local family with 2 boys on the autism spectrum, on Friday, December 4th, 6:00 p.m. at Blue Canary Coffee House in Ambridge, PA. Hope to see you there!

Group Leader: Lisa Gordon
Phone: 412-443-0142
Awesome Autism Support Group

Support group for families with autism, ADHD, sensory processing and epilepsy in the Greenville/Hermitage Area

Join us every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. at Hillside Presbyterian Church, 2 North Street, Greenville, PA 16125.  Child care and snack available.

Group Leader: Julia Cassidy
Phone: 724-718-3951
Autism Urban Connections
Parent Support Group services Parents/Caregivers raising children with ASD and related disorders

Greater Hazelwood Family Center,  5006 Second Avenue,  Pittsburgh, PA 15207,  5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m.,  Monthly: 4th Thursday

Facilitator:  Jamie Upshaw,  412-853-0115,  [email protected]

PAUSE for Autism

Autism family support group for Bradford County 

Join us every 4th Sunday of the month from 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. at the YMCA, 9 College Avenue, Towanda, PA 18848.

Group Leader Name: Courtney Barnum

Phone: 607-761-8072

Email: [email protected]

 

Mainline Area Special Needs Support Group 

Cambria County, more information available HERE

Facilitator: Maria Moreland, [email protected], 814-935-7466

 

Thank you to our sponsors who allow us to provide this e-blast to our families for free! 

Autism Connection of PA does not endorse any products or services.