Autism Society of Nebraska Puzzle Walk Meeting
February 8th, 2010
7pm-9pm
The Nebraska Medical Center- Durham Outpatient Center Room (DOC) 2628
4400 Emile St- Omaha, NE
Michaela’s Cell Phone: 402-658-5261                     (See Map here)

Directions:
Off interstate-Take the 42nd St Exit (Exit 451)
Turn Left onto 42nd St. (Going North)
Continue on 42nd St.
Emile St. Turn Left at lights
Drive until you see the big circle drive on your Right- says “Durham Outpatient Center”
park in the parking structure to the West

Go in main doors of Durham Outpatient Center
Take elevators or escalator in the main entrance to second floor- room 2628

A few weeks ago we asked our community to help us design the 2010 Autism Puzzle Walk T shirts.  Here are three designs that were submitted in the contest and we humbly thank everyone who took time to get creative.    Two of the designs below were submitted by persons on the spectrum and one was submitted by a sibling.  All of the submission were all wonderful and we applaud your creativity!  Thank you!!!!

But now we need our community to help us decide which design to put on the Autism Society’s 2010 Puzzle Walk T shirts!  Please follow the link below and cast your vote! 

DESIGN A:

DESIGN B:

DESIGN C:

Click here to vote for your choice for the

2010 Autism Puzzle Walk T shirts! 

(Vote closes on Sunday February 14th)

The Autism Society of America and AMC Entertainment have worked together to create sensory friendly films in an attempt to accommodate families with special needs.  This is not only for autism families but also for any families with special needs. 

The movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up, the sound turned down, and AMC’s “Silence is Golden^®” policy will not be enforced.   There will be no previews before the film so plan to arrive early as the movie will start at 10am!   AMC is also being very generous and letting our families bring in their own GFCF snacks. Regular concessions are also available to purchase.

Questions - contact Michaela Newman at (402)933-1216 or bnewms@cox.net 

The Tooth Fairy

(view trailer here)
Saturday, February 6
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person

Please help us spread the word.  Download a flyer here.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

(view trailer here)
Saturday, March 20th
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person 

Please help us spread the word.  Download a flyer here.

How to Train Your Dragon

(view trailer here)
Saturday, April 10th
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person

Please help us spread the word.

The Autism Society of America and AMC Entertainment have worked together to create sensory friendly films in an attempt to accommodate families with special needs.  This is not only for autism families but also for any families with special needs. 

The movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up, the sound turned down, and AMC’s “Silence is Golden^®” policy will not be enforced.   There will be no previews before the film so plan to arrive early as the movie will start at 10am!   AMC is also being very generous and letting our families bring in their own GFCF snacks. Regular concessions are also available to purchase.

Alvin and The Chipmunks 2 (view trailer here)
Saturday, January 9th
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person

Please help us spread the word.  Download a flyer here.

The Tooth Fairy (view trailer here)
Saturday, February 6
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person

Please help us spread the word.  Download a flyer here.

Questions - contact Michaela Newman at 402-933-1216 or bnewms@cox.net

The Omaha Support Group meets the first Monday of every month at Pump it Up.  Here is our flyer  that explains about how the evening works (usually).

A huge part of our success comes from the wonderful University of Nebraska-Omaha Student volunteers from the NSSLHA group(Speech and Hearing students).  Unfortunately, during our January 4th meeting these students will still be on their winter break.  This means that we will not have extra volunteers available to supervise the bounce rooms.

For this month only, we have to require that if you bring your children to jump it will be necessary for provide your own adult to supervise them.  Maybe Dad can supervise the children while Mom comes to support group?  Or perhaps Mom supervises while Dad comes to support group?   If you don’t have the extra adult to spare than you can still come and just bounce!  This is still an autism friendly event where you can come and have a great time!   Support happens in the play areas as well as the support group room!   Please note that we will still have a support group meeting in the separate room so please don’t hesitate to come either way!

For over a year now, the Autism Society of America has partnered with AMC Theaters to create a sensory friendly envirnoment for families with special needs.  Families across the metro have turned out to watch movies ranging from the more mature Harry Potter to the newest Disney classic, The Princess and the Frog. 

To celebrate a great year and the continuation of a great program there will a free showing of the movie Elf for all families with children on the autism spectrum.  Please note that pre-registration is required!  Please RSVP here or call Michaela Newman at (402) 933-1216.

As part of this celebration there will also be a free popcorn and soda for each patron! 

This is a sensory friendly showing, so the lights will be turned up and the sound turned down to meet the audiences needs. The children are also free to move around if they need. Families are also allowed to bring in their own GFCF food items.   As always, there are no previews so plan to be in your seats promptly at 10am!

Enjoy the movie!

ELF
December 19, 2009 10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza

Dear Family and Friends of the Autism Community,

As many of you may know the Autism Society of Nebraska has had a successful Autism Puzzle Walk for the past 2 years.  We are in the process of putting together our 3rd Annual Autism Society of Nebraska Puzzle Walk with a tentative date of as May 1st  2010. This years walk will again be held at Chalco Hills Recreation Area in Omaha.

This event requires a tremendous amount of commitment and planning from volunteers within our community.  An orientation meeting for the Autism Puzzle Walk has been scheduled for Jan 11^th at 7:oo p.m at Senior Matias.

Assistance is needed is a variety of ways. We need leaders to coordinate food, raffle and registrations but we also need volunteers who are willing to donate a few hours of work. So, whether you are able to stuff envelops or have a background planning community events, we need you there on Monday, January 11^th!

We also need help securing corporate sponsors. Historically our best partnerships have been with those organizations where our families work. If you know of a possible sponsor please let us know. We will have large and small sponsorships available and would appreciate any help you are able to give to this important cause.

The mission of the Nebraska Chapter of the Autism Society of America is to support and advocate for individuals with autism spectrum disorders and their families. The funds raised from the walk will be used for family scholarship program, funding support groups, sponsoring activities for families touched by autism, annual ASD state conference speakers and the continuation of our newsgram, website and virtual support group.

We hope you consider helping us make a difference in the lives of individuals with autism here in Nebraska! Please email me if you are able to attend the Jan 11^h meeting at bnewms@cox.net or call 1-877-375-0120.

Remember the missing piece is YOU!

Sincerely,

Michaela Newman
Autism Society of America- Nebraska Chapter President

Many thanks to the Autism Society’s National partner PUMP IT UP! This concludes our first year with the Omaha Support Group hosting their meetings at PUMP IT UP and it has been a phenomenal year!  Our friends at PUMP IT UP have been amazing supporters and we thank them for everything they have done to help the Omaha Support group grow their support and community activities for the families in Omaha.

Monday was the 2009 Holiday Party and we had over 50 kids bouncing on the Pump It Up inflatables in between visits with Santa.  Some kids were eager to visit Santa’s lap and even had their lists memorized down to the very last detail.  Others were content to wave from a distance.   The best part about this holiday party was Santa understood and gave the kids as much time and space as they needed.

Be sure and check out our photo gallery for pictures from the 2009 Holiday Party in Omaha! 

We were very fortunate that our friends at UNO’s NSSLHA group (National Student Speach Language Hearing Association) had Santa’s personal cell number and were able arrange for Santa to join us.  This group of soon to be educational professionals have proven time and time again what great champions they are for our kids.  We would like to sincerely thank them for everything they do and will do for our families during their  years here at UNO and their professional years far beyond.

On behalf of the Autism Society as well as the Omaha Support Group, we thank all of the families who have joined us at our events as well.  Thank you everyone for a phenomenal 2009!

Holiday Party

Monday December 7th

6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. 

at

Pump It Up

The Omaha Autism support group will have a Holiday party the night of the December support group. The kids can bounce, do crafts, eats treats and best of all visit with Santa. There will not be a formal support group this night, just an opportunity for the kids to play and parents to visit. This event is free to families with children on the autism spectrum.

Download a flyer here.

Hope to see you there, no RSVP needed.  Pump It Up is located at 960 S 72nd St in Omaha, NE.

Questions: Michaela Newman 402-933-1216

The Autism Society of America has partnered with AMC to bring a free showing of the movie “Elf’ for families with children on the autism spectrum. This is a sensory friendly showing, so the lights will be turned up and the sound turned down to meet the audiences needs. The children are also free to move around if they need. You can bring in your own GFCF food items or enjoy a free popcorn and pop. RSVP is required. Enjoy the movie!

Please RSVP here or call Michaela Newman at 933-1216.

Thanks to the generosity and patience of the Bellevue Fire Department many local individuals with autism are a little more comfortable with the issues of fire safety! 

We learned about the importance of wearing our seatbelts and even practiced fastening them.  Many of us experienced the smoke trailer and even got to practice how we might climb out our window in the case of an emergency.  Some met Conan the arson dog and pretty much everyone rode on a real fire engine!  We also learned about what kind of emergencies might happen and how to dial 911.  We practiced telling the 911 operator our names and addresses.  We also learned some basics about First Aid so we know what to expect if we ever need medical help.  But the true highlight for many participants was using real hoses like the firemen!

The Autism Society thanks the Bellevue Fire Dept for all of their supprt as well as our families who came out to support the event!

2nd Annual Fire Safety Day sponsored by the Bellevue Volunteer Fire Department

Let’s give a big cheer for the Bellevue Fire Department! They will be hosting their 2nd Annual Autism Fire Safety Day on October 25th.

Last year was an amazing event! The only major change this year is that instead of traveling through the stations in a group your family will be able to naviagate through the stations at your own speed and in your own time. The event runs from 2 to 5pm.

Come see a rollover car demo, friendly firefighter in full equipment, smoke trailer, learn about 911, bike safety, halloween safety tips and even some basics about first aid. Take a ride on a fire engine and visit with Conan the arson dog. (Conan is aware that some of us might be timid so he will just be hanging around for those who might want to meet him.)

Download a flyer here and help spread the word!

This event is free but please RSVP to Shawn at autismsociety@autismnebraska.org or (402)861-1947.

Check out some pictures from last year’s event.

Here is a local news story on last years event.

Pooley’s Pumpkin Patch Outing for families with Autism

Thank you to Carol Salber for all of her work putting together our event at Pooley’s Pumpkin Patch! And thank you to all of our wonderful families who joined us for a fantastic fall evening!

ASA and AMC Entertainment have expanded partnered up to create sensory friendly films in an attempt to accommodate families with special needs.  This is not only for autism families but also for any families with special needs.  The movie auditoriums will have their lights brought up, the sound turned down, and AMC’s “Silence is Golden^®” policy will not be enforced.  There will be no previews before the film so plan to arrive early as the movie will start at 10am!   AMC is being very generous and letting our families bring in their own GFCF snacks. Regular concessions will also be available to purchase.

We are pleased to announce that our next Sensory Film will be Planet 51.

When?  Saturday, November 21st
10:00 am
Omaha’s AMC Oakview 24 Theater
3555 S 140th Plaza
$5 per person

Questions - contact Michaela Newman at 402-933-1216 or bnewms@cox.net

Download a flier here:   

View the trailer here:

(This program is a pilot venture between the Autism Society of America and AMC Entertainment.  Unfortunately, at this time Nebraska only has one AMC Theater.  As the program takes off, it is our goal to help other communities across Nebraska and their local theater’s create similar programs.  If you are interested in finding out more about this program please contact ASN’s Michaela Newman at bnewms@cox.net)

Welcome to Nebraska folks!

We are sorry to report that the Omaha Support Group Autism Event at Pooley’s is cancelled for tonight.   However it has been rescheduled for Friday October 16th from 5pm - 9pm.   Please RSVP again to Carol Salber at 571-5690 or salb6@cox.net! 

Enjoy the snow and we hope to see you on Friday!