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Autism in the News
Friday, November 20, 2009
Education

Service agencies help disabled students transition from school (Cape Girardeau, Mo.)

With a sign language translator just over her shoulder, Susan Hekmat went over the basics of a job interview. Read more.

Special-needs scholarship struggles for donations (Ariz.)
A new scholarship fund for Arizona special-needs and foster children to attend private schools is falling flat, forcing some parents to send their children to other schools or to home-school, and prompting some small private schools to close their doors. Read more.

School for autistic children in Lisle fears possible neighbor's plans for engine testing (Lisle, Ill.)
For autistic kids, finding a classroom may be a challenge. Long linear corridors may trigger the urge to bolt. And the hum of fluorescent lights distracts, keeping them from focusing on the task at hand. Read more.

Trial delayed for former Saginaw County special needs teaching assistant charged with sexual assault of student (Saginaw, Mich.)
A judge has postponed the trial of a former teaching assistant at the Millet Learning Center in Bridgeport Township charged with second-degree criminal sexual conduct with an incapacitated person. Read more.

Public Policy

Parents desperate for autism strategy (Canada)
Long wait times in P.E.I. for the diagnosis of autism, up to two years, are leaving parents in a "state of panic," said a protester at the legislature Thursday. Read more.

Resources

Basketball program scores points with special children, parents (Ormond Beach, Fla.)
John Hearn swerved, shot and scored. He pumped his fists high in the air and flashed a million-dollar smile. Teammates cheered. So did opponents and the few courtside spectators. While they wear different-colored jerseys, Challenger basketball isn't about winning games. Read more.

Disabilities program focuses on ability (Slippery Rock, Penn.)
After talking to volunteers who help with the adapted physical activity with disabled veterans' recreational program at SRU, it becomes apparent that people with disabilities encounter more limits due to the lack of adapted equipment and environment than lack of actual ability.
Read more.

Harbor changes name to reflect diversified services (Toledo, Ohio)
Harbor, formally Harbor Behavioral Healthcare, changed its name in March to encompass the array of services it provides. Read more.

Autism Society, AMC Entertainment to host Sensory Friendly Films this November (Wellesley, Mass.)
AMC Entertainment (AMC) and the Autism Society have teamed up to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis. Sensory Friendly Films® premiered across the country in August 2008, and will continue this month with a showing of “Planet 51” on Nov. 21. Read more.

Adult Services

The Record: Adults with autism (N.J.)
Autism has been getting more of the attention it deserves in the last few years, and the once-grim landscape for people with autism is changing. Recent developments include a task force appointed by the governor, mandatory health insurance coverage and courses on the disorder offered to parents and teachers. Read more.

People

In need of dental work, blind woman with autism receives outpouring of help (Missoula, Mont.)
Thanks to the generosity of many, Heather Stone, a 33-year-old who is blind and has autism, may be able to see a dentist sooner than expected. Read more.

Too thankful for despair (Chicago, Ill.)
Strip nearly everything from Patricia Jefferson's life. Take away her home, her possessions, her vision. Place her, blind and humbled, at a dining table in a West Side apartment with a fraying wicker basket as a centerpiece. Read more.

No early exit (Pasadena, Calif.)
A federal judge on Monday ruled former Caltech graduate student William Cottrell must serve out the remainder of the 100-month sentence he received for plotting a wave of eco-terrorist firebomb and spray-paint attacks that scorched more than 130 SUVs at dealerships across the San Gabriel Valley in August 2003. Read more.

Autism Speaks News

Schaaf Sliding for a Cause (Canada)
Knowing plenty of eyes will be on their sleds during the Olympic season, the U.S. bobsled and skeleton teams have come up with a way to capitalize. Read more.

Raising money for autism awareness (Las Vegas, Nev.)
Eight-year-old Ricque likes performing with her older sister Toni. Watching her, most can't tell that Ricque has autism. But after a rough start, years of therapy have aided in her recovery. Read more.

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