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What:Is Asperger's syndrome really less common in girls and women, or are females just better than males at masking autistic symptoms? Rudy Simone, a San Francisco singer, writer and stand-up comic, didn't learn that she was on the autism spectrum until her mid-40s. Simone has Asperger's syndrome - a high-functioning form of autism that leads to social problems but no intellectual disabilities - which, like all forms of autism, appear much more commonly in boys than in girls. Ten times more men are believed to reside on the spectrum than women. But some experts think the real prevalence of Asperger's in girls may be much higher than believed, because girls tend to be far better than boys at concealing its symptoms, masking social problems and hiding the repetitive behaviors often associated with autism. So, many women go undiagnosed until middle age, along the way given other labels and therapies that do not address their real issues. To help make up for the lack of resources available to girls with Asperger's and their families, Simone wrote Aspergirls: Empowering Females with Asperger's Syndrome. Healthland spoke with her recently. Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2011/12/27/mind-reading-a-qa-with-the-author-of-aspergirls/#ixzz1hl7AHuDt Ms. Simone will be speaking in Montana this spring. More details will be provided in mid-March. All of her appearances will free and open to the public. Where and When:Billings (CEC Conference) - April 25, 2012Helena - April 26, 2012 Missoula - April 27, 2012Kalispell - April 28, 2012Contact: Doug Doty, Coordinator Website: www.opi.mt.gov/autism/maep Phone: (406) 444-0907

Rudy Simone says, "Just 'cause you have Asperger's doesn't mean you know what that means until somebody tells you."And it took well-known Simone 40 years to have someone tell her she too suffered from Asperger's syndrome. A condition on the autism spectrum, Asperger's is more commonly found in males and often affects social interactions.

Wrong Planet is the web community designed for individuals (and parents of those) with Autism, Asperger's Syndrome, ADHD, PDDs, and other neurological differences. We provide a discussion forum, where members communicate with each other, an article section, with exclusive articles and how-to guides, a blogging feature, and a chatroom for real-time communication with other Aspies. Asperger's Syndrome, a pervasive development disorder, is a form of autism. People with Asperger's Syndrome usually have normal or above normal IQs. Asperger's can be described as an inability to understand how to interact socially.  

For most of his life, music critic Tim Page felt like an outsider. Restless and isolated, he was overstimulated and uneasy around others. Finally, when he was 45, Page was diagnosed with Asperger's, a syndrome that falls within the autism spectrum. As Page explains in the prologue of his new memoir, Parallel Play: Life As An Outsider, the diagnosis came as a relief: "Here, finally, was an objective explanation for some of my strengths and weaknesses," he writes.People with Asperger's often struggle to interact with groups and understand social norms. Page describes himself growing up as a "very lost little kid" who acted out in school by making faces at teachers and being aggressive with the other students. His ability to connect to others didn't improve with age.

You can download the registration form here!What:The social communication and social thinking needs of individuals on the Autism Spectrum are often the most challenging aspects of parenting, treating, and teaching this population. This workshop will address numerous intervention strategies highlighting methods and materials available from leading experts in the area of social language. The presenters will provide detailed information, video demonstrations, and materials that will enhance the attendee's abilities to help children with High Functioning Autism and Asperger's Syndrome improve social interaction, perspective taking, and other Theory of Mind issues.When:March 17, 20129:00 am - 1:00 pmWhere:College of TechnologyGreat Room - Health and Sciences Building3803 Central AvenueBillings, MT 59102Contact:Nancy or VickiPhone: (406) 256-7148Email: vlandre@bresnan.netThis event is sponsored by Region III CSPD

What: Support Group for Adults with Asperger's Syndrome. When: First meeting will be Tuesday, September 13th 2011 6:00 p.m. Mountain Where: Atonement Lutheran Church 2205 34th Street Missoula, MT

Who can attend? Anyone whose life has been affected by Asperger's Syndrome Where: The meetings for the 2011-2012 Asperger Support Group are held at the Billings Clinic. All meetings are held in the Mary Alice Fortin Center, which is adjacent to the hospital cafeteria. If interested in attending, call Paula: 406-248-6186 or Sandy: 406-373-5057 to confirm meeting dates and location. Schedule 2011-2012 Thursday, September 8, 2011 7:00-9:00 PM Mary Alice Fortin Center - Room E Thursday, November 10, 2011 7:00-9:00 PM Mary Alice Fortin Center - Room E Thursday, January 12, 2012 7:00-9:00 PM Mary Alice Fortin Center - Room E Thursday, March 8, 2012 7:00-9:00 PM Mary Alice Fortin Center - Room E Thursday, May 10, 2012 7:00-9:00 PM Mary Alice Fortin Center - Room E

The Brain Balance Achievement Center, a franchise that opened in Mequon last summer, offers a program that it contends can help children overcome attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, dyslexia, Asperger's syndrome, Tourette syndrome, autism and other disorders. The 12-week program - costing $6,000, plus roughly $125 to $500 in nutritional supplements - purportedly does this by addressing an imbalance between the right and left sides of the brain that it calls "functional disconnection syndrome." The program is based on the contention that ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other disorders all result from this syndrome. "That functional disconnection syndrome basically states in the literature that the two sides of the brain are not communicating effectively together due to the fact that one side of the brain is actually maturing at a faster rate than the other side," said Jeremy Fritz, a chiropractor and co-owner of the franchise. The "literature" consists of one study of children with ADHD, co-authored by the program's founder, published in an obscure journal based in Tel Aviv, Israel. There are no studies in respected, peer-reviewed journals that contend ADHD, dyslexia, autism and other disorders stem from the development of one side of the brain faster than the other. "None of the neuro research would even come close to suggesting that," said Mina Dulcan, a professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine and the head of the child and adolescent psychiatry program at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago.

Click here to download the full flyer (PDF) What: Presentations focus on effective communication training for students with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, other autism spectrum disorders, nonverbal learning disabilities or other communication, learning or behavior challenges. Programs are designed to provide a framework for understanding the unique communication needs of targeted students.Presentations are packed with lots of examples of practical intervention strategies that have been used successfully to improve communication, behavior, and participation in school and home routines. When: August 16, 2010 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Where: Front Street Learning Center 815 Front Street Helena, MT 59601

Click here to download the full flyer (PDF) What: Presentations focus on effective communication training for students with autism, Asperger's Syndrome, other autism spectrum disorders, nonverbal learning disabilities or other communication, learning or behavior challenges. Programs are designed to provide a framework for understanding the unique communication needs of targeted students.Presentations are packed with lots of examples of practical intervention strategies that have been used successfully to improve communication, behavior, and participation in school and home routines. When: August 16-17, 2010 8:30 AM - 4:00 PM Where: Front Street Learning Center 815 Front Street Helena, MT 59601

Statistics on the unemployed have been dominating the news for months. And while the current portrait of the jobless might seem dire, consider this: According to new data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, less than 20 percent of the disabled population in the country has work.But Aspiritech, a nonprofit in the suburbs of Chicago, is trying to help improve the job outlook for people with Asperger's and high-functioning autism.

Asperger's syndrome is really just a form of autism and does not merit a separate diagnosis, according to a panel of researchers assembled by the American Psychiatric Association.

This month, Dorfman, now 22, will graduate from St. Joseph's University. He's a film major, a former NBC intern, and a paid mentor at the school's Kinney Center for Autism Education and Support.

He's also part of the newest wave of diversity to reach college campuses. As a generation of young adults - the first to be diagnosed with Asperger's as children - comes of age, it is demolishing stereotypes about its condition and prompting universities to respond to its needs.

MISSOULA ― Tony Attwood, a world-renowned autism and Asperger’s syndrome expert, will present “A Complete Look at the Autism Spectrum,” a daylong conference Monday, July 19, at The University of Montana.             The conference, sponsored by UM’s Neuro Networking Club, will be held from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in the University Center Ballroom. It will cover many aspects of the autism spectrum, such as relationships, emotional management and social skills.

Who can attend? Anyone whose life has been affected by AS The meetings for the 2010-2011 Asperger Support Group are held at the Billings Clinic. All meetings are held in the Mary Alice Fortin Center, which is adjacent to the hospital cafeteria.

We receive many questions from parents, teachers, and health care providers about special education services for children with autism. If you are a parent, you need to educate yourself about your child's disability, effective educational methods and medical treatments, and how to present your child's problems and needs to school staff so they want to help. On the Autism, PDD & Asperger Syndrome page, you will find FAQs, articles, legal resources, recommended books, free publications, and a short list of information and support groups.

When the "2013 Miss America Competition" airs on ABC this Saturday, Miss Montana Alexis Wineman will be the first autistic competitor in the pageant's history.Wineman was diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder and borderline Asperger's syndrome at age 11. She told Time in an interview that her foray into the world of beauty pageants started as a "last-minute way to pay for college." "Around high school graduation, I realized I was the fourth child in my family to go to college, and there was no money left for me," she said. "I asked my mom about different ways to get scholarships, and she mentioned the Miss Montana competition, thinking I’d never go for it. But I did, and I won."