The Autism Society will partner with Macy’s to invite customers to participate in Macy’s seventh annual “Shop for a Cause” charity shopping event on August 25, 2012. Macy’s Shop For A Cause is a unique one-day-only shopping event created to support charities’ fundraising efforts.

Macy’s has provided the Autism Society with shopping passes to sell for $5 each. The Autism Society will keep 100 percent of every ticket sold.

By purchasing a shopping pass to the event from the Autism Society, customers support individuals and families affected by autism while enjoying a day of spectacular discounts, entertainment, and special events. Pass holders will enjoy special discounts on most regular, sale and clearance purchases all day. (Some exclusions apply.) Get your coupon today!

No Macy’s in Nebraska…NO PROBLEM!  Do your shopping online!  www.macys.com

As two national organizations committed to working to empower the autism and Autistic communities today and into the future, the Autism Society of America and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network issue the following joint statement regarding the definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder within the DSM-5.

The autism spectrum is broad and diverse, including individuals with a wide range of functional needs, strengths and challenges. The DSM-5′s criteria for the new, unified autism spectrum disorder diagnosis must be able to reflect that diversity and range of experience.

Over the course of the last 60 years, the definition of autism has evolved and expanded to reflect growing scientific and societal understanding of the condition. That expansion has resulted in improved societal understanding of the experiences of individuals on the autism spectrum and their family members. It has also led to the development of innovative service-provision, treatment and support strategies whose continued existence is imperative to improving the life experiences of individuals and families. As the DSM-5′s final release approaches and the autism and Autistic communities prepare for a unified diagnosis of ASD encompassing the broad range of different autism experiences, it is important for us to keep a few basic priorities in mind.

(Read more…)

Due to excitement around the release of Yogi Bear, AMC has changed their sensory friendly selection for January.   The January sensory friendly film will be Yogi Bear rather than Gulliver’s Travels as was originally planned.

Future movies are:

February 12 Gnomeo & Juliet
March 12 Mars Needs Moms

The Autism Society of America has a series called, Living with Autism, which presents user-friendly information within four eye-catching pages. The series was developed to provide easy-to-understand, practical information related to the autism spectrum for a broad audience on a wide range of topics. The series will continually evolve, adding new pieces on a regular basis, and address topics across the spectrum and lifespan. Emphasis of all pieces in the series is on living successfully with autism, so articles will provide useful information, helpful tips and additional resources provided by those with expertise on the particular topic. The Living with Autism series is designed for individuals on the autism spectrum, their families, friends and concerned professionals.

Check them out!  Now that it is back to school time you might have some people around you who could benefit from a such a great resource describing our loved ones!

Check out the LIVING WITH AUTISM series HERE.

A dream came true this week for Sondra Williams, a member of the Autism Society’s Panel of People on the Spectrum of Autism. On Monday, the 20^th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, she stood with one of her heroes, President Barack Obama, and shook his hand – twice.

“I still think it’s like a dream that’s not really happening,” said Williams, a woman with autism who serves as an adviser to the Autism Society. “The only higher person than him is God – that’s the only higher person I haven’t met yet.”

Williams, who lives in Columbus, Ohio, is a married mother of four children, all of whom have been diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome, and a grandmother of two. She is a self-published author and recently took up dance lessons. One of the characteristics Williams respects about the President is the resilience he showed during the presidential campaign. “He didn’t let the water ripple under his feet; he just stood there strong,” she said. “To me, I think he really represents the people … he didn’t come from a lot of money and wealth.”

Read the full article from the Autism Society’s web site here.

And a big THANK YOU goes out to Nebraska Advocate Sharon da Vanport who also joined advocates at the White House to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the American’s With Disabilities Act!   Thank you to everyone who puts themselves out there to provide a voice for our community!

Are you making vacations plans this summer? Wondering how to make travel easier on an individual with autism?   Visit the Autism Society of America website HERE for some great summer travel tips from experts on how to make the most of your time away!

Check out this amazing little girl!  8-year-old Gina Incandela astonishes fans and producers alike with a beyond-her-years-voice.  She recently released her first single, “I Sing.”   A portion of the song sales (available on iTunes and Amazon MP3) will benefit the Autism Society of America. The Incandelas have also released a music video through YouTube, which has already garnered thousands of views in its first few weeks since being posted.

Gina’s new single can be accessed through the following iTunes link: http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/i-sing/id366511571.

Her music video of the single, “I Sing,” is available here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jg4Sd4Pq0AM.

Learn more about Gina at http://www.ginachildperformer.com/.

For the full article visit the Autism Society of America web site.

Every month, Pepsi awards grants through the Refresh Project for ideas that will have a positive impact– and you get to vote for the great ideas that mean the most to you.

In May, the Autism Society is eligible for a grant to expand our free nationwide support line (currently open 8 hours each weekday), to offer confidential, one-to-one contact with a live specialist 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

When a diagnosis is made, parents and family members often wonder what to do next. Even where valuable treatments and support services exist, families must negotiate a maze of agencies and providers in search of support appropriate to their individual needs—a process that consumes time and energy already in short supply for families affected by autism. Parents, individuals on the spectrum, and professionals often want to talk to a skilled professional about their situation, and many times cannot or do not know who to call.

The Autism Society already provides this line of support to many families and individuals, but with the help of this grant, we can expand our contact center to make trained professionals available at any hour of the day or night, and provide more training and support to Autism Society chapters to improve their local outreach efforts.

The grant is given to ideas that get the highest number of votes for each funding level in a one month period, so we need you to log on and vote every single day in the month of May. You can vote for 10 different ideas every day, so please use one of those votes to support our project. Your vote will have a huge impact on helping people get support from those who really understand. Go to www.refresheverything.com/autismsource today to show your support of this great idea!

PLEASE HELP US SPREAD THE WORD!  

Ask others to vote at www.refresheverything.com/autismsource throughout May

PLEASE VOTE EVERY DAY!

Spread the word. Helping the autism community can be as easy as updating your Facebook or Twitter status! On April 1, the Autism Society is asking supporters to change their status on Facebook and/or Twitter to “Autism affects 1 in 110.

Help spread the word: http://bit.ly/bUAVRf.”

For the first time ever, supporters can now simply text “AUTISM” to 50555 to donate $10 to the Autism Society. 100% of your donations will go to support the Autism Society’s mission of improving the lives of all affected by autism.

From the Autism Society Web site….New visual teaching tool from Model Me Kids

Model Me Kids^® recently introduced a new visual teaching tool for helping children learn to navigate challenging locations in the community: Model Me Going Places^™, an application for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The app contains photo slideshows of children modeling appropriate behavior in various community locations, such as the:

hairdresser
mall
doctor
playground
grocery store
restaurant

The app is based on locations included in the Model Me Going Places DVD, the latest addition to the Model Me Kids social skills training series for children with autism and Asperger Syndrome (expected release date for the DVD is March 2010).

Users can touch the forward and back buttons to move through the photos one by one, or simply press a slideshow button to advance photos automatically. A home button brings users back to the navigation menu where they can choose their next destination. The app also includes audio narration (English) and descriptive text for each photo.

Download the free app at the Apple store or to learn more, visit http://www.modelmekids.com.