Group items tagged

#addressBook { width: 550px; font: normal 11px Verdana, Tahoma, Helvetica, sans-serif; } #addybook_title { padding-left: 100px; } #addybook_title span { display: block; padding-top: 10px; } #address_book_login_error { font-size: 16px; } #addressBook a { color: #0f6ffe; text-decoration: underline; } #addressBook_alphabet { margin-top: 4px; } #addressBook_alphabet span { color: #ccc; font-weight: bold; } #addressBook_alphabet a { text-decoration: none; font-weight: bold; } #addressBook #addressBook_name { border-left: 1px solid #dbd9d9; border-right: 1px solid #999; } #addressBook #addressBook_email { border-right: 1px solid #dbd9d9; } #addressBook .title { background: #dbd9d9; font-weight: bold; padding: 5px; } #addressBook .list { margin: 0 auto; border: 1px solid #c4c3c3; margin-top: 10px; height: 195px; width: 500px; overflow: auto; } #addressBook .list table { width: 100%; min-height: 195px; height: 0; } #addressBook ul { margin: 1em 0; } #addressBook li { height: 1.7em; padding-left: 10px; } #addressBook_email li{line-height: 1.7em;overflow: hidden;} #addressBook_name li{line-height: 1.7em;overflow: hidden;padding-left:20px;} #addressBook_name li.friend{background: transparent url(http://dingo.care2.com/ecards/v1/friends_frog.gif) no-repeat scroll 3px 3px;} #addressBook li.over { background-color: #daf6d1; cursor:pointer; } #addressBook li.selected { background-color: #e9e5c7;/*#fdf9db;*/ } #addressBook_add_button, .button_generic { font: normal 11px Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; display: block; color: #000; text-decoration: none !important; padding: 6px 0 9px 13px; background: transparent url(http://dingo.care2.com/ecards/v1/button_generic_left.png) no-repeat scroll 0 0; } #addressBook_add_button span, .button_generic span { color: #000; padding: 6px 13px 9px 0; background: transparent url(http://dingo.care2.com/ecards/v1/button_generic_right.png) no-repeat scroll top right; } * html #addressBook_add_button, * html .button_generic { display: inline-block; } .importer_buttons li { padding: 0 !important; } #plaxo_div { margin-top: 12px; border-top: 1px solid #ccc; padding-top: 12px; font: normal 12px Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; } #plaxo_div .powered_by { clear: both; background: transparent url(http://dingo.care2.com/ecards/v1/plaxo_powered.gif) no-repeat scroll top left; width: 132px; padding-top: 26px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin-left: 37px; margin-bottom: 15px; } #plaxo_div .import_button { display: block; background: transparent url(http://dingo.care2.com/ecards/v1/plaxo_import.png) no-repeat scroll top left; width: 173px; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; margin: 15px auto; } #addybook_box { position: absolute; width: 570px; height: 366px; z-index: 999999; } #addressBook_alphabet .active { cursor: pointer; color: #0f6ffe; } Address Book Loading... /* tell a friend styles */ .tellafriend_container { color: #666; background-color: #ececec; line-height: 16px; padding: 10px 0 10px 25px; } .tellafriend_container .taf_error{ color: red; } .tellafriend_container .naturalState{ border: 1px solid black; } .tellafriend_container .errorState{ border: 1px solid red; } .tellafriend_container_extended { padding: 10px 0; width: 535px; background-color: #ececec; color: #666; } .tellafriend_container .send_success, .tellafriend_container .send_error { font-weight: bold; } .tellafriend_container .send_success{ color: green; } .tellafriend_container .send_error{ color: red; } .tellafriend_container .smallerFont{ margin: 0; padding: 10px; background: #ececec; clear: both; } .tellafriend_container label { padding: 0px; margin: 10px 0 0; display: block; clear: both; } div.tellafriend_container textarea{ padding: 5px; } .tellafriend_container input.inputwidth { width: 350px; padding: 3px; } .tellafriend_container textarea.inputwidth { width: 500px; } .tellafriend_container .inputborder { border: 1px solid #5E5E5E; } #addressBook_textarea { width: 500px; height: 75px; border: 1px solid #5E5E5E; color: #999999; } .addressbutton_section { padding: 15px; float: left; background-color: #D6D6D6; margin-top: 20px; position: relative; } .addressbutton_section img.taf_arrow{ position: absolute; left: 150px; top:-14px; } .addressbutton_inner { border: 1px solid #5E5E5E; background-color: white; color: black; padding: 10px; } .addressbutton_inner table.nologin{ width: 325px; } .addressbutton_inner a, .addressbutton_inner a:visited { color: #0000cc; text-decoration: none; } .addressbutton_inner a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } .addressbutton_inner img { border-width: 0px; } div.addressbook_care2btn { width: 139px; height: 24px; float: left; } div.addressbook_otherbtn { width: 192px; height: 24px; float: left; } .addressbutton_container { margin-top: 5px; } /* Care2 addressbook button */ div.addressbook_care2btn a, div.addressbook_care2btn a:visited { background-image:url(http://dingo.care2.com/c2/petitionsite/taf_button_sprite.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; text-decoration:none; display: block; width: 138px; height: 24px; } div.addressbook_care2btn a:hover { text-decoration:none; background-position: 0px -23px; } /* plaxo button */ div.addressbook_otherbtn a, div.addressbook_otherbtn a:visited { background-image:url(http://dingo.care2.com/c2/petitionsite/taf_button_sprite.png); background-repeat:no-repeat; text-decoration:none; display: block; width: 192px; height: 24px; background-position:-137px 0; } div.addressbook_otherbtn a:hover { text-decoration:none; background-position: -137px -23px; } /* plaxo button in Care2 Address book popup */ a.ib_other, a.ib_other:visited { background-image:url(http://dingo.care2.com/petitions/home/addressbook_otherbtn.gif); background-repeat:no-repeat; text-decoration:none; display: block; width: 192px; height: 24px; float: left; margin-top:10px; padding-top: 30px; height: 0; overflow: hidden; } a.ib_other:hover { text-decoration:none; background-position: -192px 0px; } /* tell a friend specific styles */ .tellafriendSection h3 a, .tellafriendSection h3 a:visited { color: #2B769C; text-decoration:none; } .tellafriendSection h3 a:hover { text-decoration: underline; } div.tellafriend_container ul.errorlist { list-style: outside; } div.tellafriend_container ul.errorlist li { color: #ff0000; margin: 5px; padding: 5px; } div.modal_box{ background-color: #FFFFFF; } div#tell-a-friend-form div.tafheader{ padding: 10px; background: #ececec; } /* send and cancel buttons */ a.tafpopupsubmit, a.tafpopupsubmit:visited { text-decoration:none; display:block; width: 94px; height: 27px; background-image:url(http://dingo.care2.com/petitions/home/tafpopupsend.gif); background-repeat:no-repeat; float: left; margin-right: 15px; } a.tafpopupsubmit:hover { text-decoration:none; background-position: -94px 0px; } a.tafpopupcancel, a.tafpopupcancel:visited { text-decoration:none; display:block; width: 95px; height: 27px; background-image:url(http://dingo.care2.com/petitions/home/tafpopupcancel.gif); background-repeat:no-repeat; float: left; } a.tafpopupcancel:hover { text-decoration:none; background-position: -95px 0px; } #addressBook_newGroup, #addressBook_newGroup table { font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; } #addybook_box, #addybook_box table { font-size: 10px; font-weight: normal; } .floatright { float:right; } .largefont { font-size: 13px; } .sharetitle { font-size: 18px; color: #F4713B; } .tafShareSection { width: 580px; margin-left: 25px; margin-top: 25px; font-size:12px; } .tafShareButtonSection { padding-left: 25px; width: 535px; padding-bottom: 10px; background-color: #ECECEC; } From Your Email To

Autism spectrum disorders are surrounded by a haze of misconceptions, many of which are harmful for autistic children and adults. It’s time to straighten a few things out, and to spread the word on this complex series of cognitive and intellectual disabilities with a little good old-fashioned debunking. 1. Autistic people have no empathy. This is a common belief about autism; people think that because autistics are sometimes blunt or have difficulty navigating social norms, they aren’t empathetic. In fact, just the opposite seems to be true. Rather than not feeling enough, many autistics feel very intensely, and are easily overwhelmed by the emotions of those around them. 2. Autistic people can’t communicate. Autism spectrum disorders take a variety of forms, and some people with autism are nonverbal, but that doesn’t mean they can’t communicate. Some use communication boards and other methods to communicate with the people around them, but it requires patience to establish and maintain communication with them. Historically, people with more severe forms of autism were often isolated in institutions, but more modern treatment of autism encourages the use of therapy and other techniques to interact with patients and find a communication mode they feel comfortable with. 3. Autistic people are violent. This particularly damaging assumption about autism was widely bandied around in the aftermath of the horrific Sandy Hook shooting. In fact, autistic people are no more likely to commit acts of violence than anyone else, and when they are violent, self-harm is a much more significant concern. Autism and other disabilities also put people at an increased risk of violence, which means autistics have far more to fear about the world around them. Some autistic people do act out or have what are known as “meltdowns,” usually as expressions of frustration with themselves or situations, but this doesn’t equate to violence against other people; an autistic might throw objects in frustration, for example, without any desire or intent to hit people with them. 4. Autistic people are savants. Everyone who’s seen Rainman thinks autistic people are savants, capable of extreme feats of memorization and other amazing skills. While it’s true that some savants are autistic, not everyone with an autism spectrum disorder has these capabilities; some in fact have significant learning disabilities that require accommodations in the classroom. 5. Autism is the result of “refrigerator mothers.” This awful myth about autism has been largely debunked, but it’s still worth a mention. Some people used to believe that autism was caused by bad parenting, with a specific focus on cold or isolated mothers. The result was a lot of misinformation about autism, and terrible pressure on mothers who were already learning about how to navigate the world with autistic children. In fact, autism has no clear cause. 6. Autistics can’t make friends. Along with the belief that autistic people lack empathy comes the assumption that they live isolated lives and have difficulty making friends. Just like everyone else, though, autistics are perfectly capable of establishing and maintaining not just friendships but other kinds of relationships with the people around them. Isolating autistic people in a misguided attempt to protect them can be very harmful, just as it would be for anyone else. 7. Stimming (repetitive behavior like flapping or rocking), is undesirable and should be stopped. Stimming is familiar to many people who are at least vaguely familiar with autism — sadly, it’s often used in mockeries of autistic people, by individuals who think that making flapping gestures or imitative noises is funny. For autistic people, stimming is one way to deal with chaotic environments or stress, and rather than being something that should be suppressed, it can actually be a healthy method of personal expression and sometimes communication as well. Autistics who are forced to modify or hide their stimming behaviors can develop even more stress, which can interfere with focus, completing tasks of daily living, and other activities. It’s important to be aware that the autism spectrum is vast, and that autism spectrum disorders can manifest in a huge variety of ways. Every autistic is different, and every one deserves respect and dignity. That includes not perpetuating harmful stereotypes, and correcting people who falsely repeat them.

This knowledge path directs readers to current, high-quality Spanish-language health resources for health professionals and families. The knowledge path has been developed by the MCH Library at Georgetown University and will be updated periodically.

About 30 percent of children with autism have symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but under current diagnostic guidelines they can only be diagnosed with one or the other1. That’s about to change.

We just received the super rad news that Komodo OpenLab has been accepted as a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2012! If you are a switch user who can also hack, this will be your chance to, not only get a Tecla Shield for free, but also to get a big pile of cash while helping us enhance Tecla so that you and your fellow switch users can get the most out of it.

We just received the super rad news that Komodo OpenLab has been accepted as a mentoring organization in the Google Summer of Code (GSoC) 2012! If you are a switch user who can also hack, this will be your chance to, not only get a Tecla Shield for free, but also to get a big pile of cash while helping us enhance Tecla so that you and your fellow switch users can get the most out of it.

As inclusion classrooms proliferate nationwide and as schools and families become ever more accepting of, knowledgeable about and proficient in the use of assistive and other technology, familiarity is breeding a new approach but not necessarily sound approach to technology use by all parties, according to one prominent inclusion consultant and teacher, Paula Kluth.

Click here for Registration and more information! What and When: Adolescent and Young Adult Health Institutue Saturday, Feb. 11, 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Interested in learning more about how your maternal and child health program can better serve adolescents? How well do you understand adolescent development? We know that adolescence is a time of biological, psychological and social changes – but we often view adolescence as a monolithic stage of development and design adolescent health programs accordingly. However, the reality is that there are several stages of development within adolescence – each with its own unique biological, psychological and social changes. If you’re interested in learning more about the different stages, needs and risk factors of adolescence and considering how these differences can impact your program design and implementation, join us for a two-part, day-long Adolescent and Young Adult (AYA) Institute. Special Events Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Block Grant Training-Current Initiatives and Updates Saturday, Feb. 11, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m. This session will provide an update on Title V MCH Block Grant activities. Participants will have the opportunity to exchange ideas and hear about the latest enhancements to the Title V Information System (TVIS); changes to the FY 2013 Title V MCH Block Grant Application/FY 2011 Annual Report submission process; revisions to the MCH Block Grant Application/Annual Report Guidance; new Women’s Health Profiles available on TVIS; State Priorities from 2000 to 2010, as reported in the 5-year Needs Assessments; and an update on the Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting Program. Sunday, February 12, 2012 1:00-3:30 p.m. Networking Reception and John C. MacQueen Memorial Lecture (TBD) Be an Influencer: How You Can Create Change for Healthy Tomorrows Monday, February 13, 2012 Do you experience resistant and persistent personal, team, or organizational problems? Do you feel that you have the skills you need to motivate those you work with and exert your influence in your personal and professional lives? How can we improve MCH outcomes if we are not agents of change and influence in our organizations? Join us for a discussion of proven strategies you can use to uproot entrenched habits and create change initiatives for your team and your entire organization in this real-life, solution focused session. Want more after the session? Our presenter, Candace Bertotti, will convene a workshop for interested participants who want to know more about the Influencer model immediately following the general session. Where: Washington, D.C. Contact: AMCHP Help Desk Phone: (202) 775-0436

BrainLine is a national multimedia project offering information and resources about preventing, treating, and living with TBI. BrainLine includes a series of webcasts, an electronic newsletter, and an extensive outreach campaign in partnership with national organizations concerned about traumatic brain injury. BrainLine serves anyone whose life has been affected by TBI. That includes people with brain injury, their families, professionals in the field, and anyone else in a position to help prevent or ameliorate the toll of TBI.

Click here to download the PDF flier for complete information!What: Hello Everyone - Attached is the ever popular FREE OR FAIRLY CHEAP COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES newsletter that Early Head Start has compiled for January through mid-February.  If you didn't find this on the Forum's electronic Bulletin Board, here it is.  Thanks again to Early Head Start! When:January - Mid-February 2012Where:See attached flier for information on locations!Contact:Mary-Glynn Cromwell, Program Manager Phone: 251-9410, ext. 302Email: maryglynnc@ravalliheadstart.orgKaty Griffith, AmeriCorps Phone: 251-9410, ext. 319  Email: americorpsehs@ravalliheadstart.org

For years orientation and mobility (O&M) researchers have studied the ways in which individuals with blindness and low vision get around, or navigate. Traditionally, says Dr. Lotfi Merabet, the assumption has been that blind people, especially early-blind children, have cognitive difficulties in representing spatial environments. These cognitive difficulties were presumed to result in impaired navigation skills. However, he notes, new research – involving the use of consumer-oriented audio technology, including gaming – is setting tradition on its ear.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Facts, diagnosis, treatment, questions and answers, data and statistics, research, screening tools, training and education resources, and free materials for consumers and health professionals. Includes materials in Spanish and Russian. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Diagnostic & Prevention Network Screening, diagnostic, surveillance, intervention, prevention, and training tools for health professionals, social service providers, and researchers. Includes diagnostic software, instructions on using a four-digit diagnostic code, and photographs to use in diagnosis. Medline Plus: Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Information for consumers including overviews, news, research tools, reference material, and links to additional information sources. National Organization on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS) An online information packet, electronic newsletters, public service announcements, a national and state-by-state resource directory, a list of NOFAS state affiliates, and tools for educators, including a school-based FASD education and prevention curriculum http://www.nofas.org/about/K-12Curriculum.htm> developed in partnership with CDC. PubMed Over 18 million citations and abstracts from MEDLINE and other life science journals for biomedical articles indexed by the National Library of Medicine back to the 1950s, with links to full text articles when available. Search tips: Enter the term “fetal alcohol syndrome” or the term “fetal alcohol spectrum” in the Search box. Click the Limits tab, and choose the box for Humans and the box for English (or other desired language). Limit the search by date to retrieve only more recent items. SAMHSA Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD) Center for Excellence Downloadable fact sheets and brochures, links to state resources and legislations, model programs, a publications database, and training courses. University of Wisconsin, Madison: Pregnancy and Alcohol Information on alcohol and pregnancy and fetal alcohol spectrum disorders, including fact sheets, self-help guides, research findings, and answers to frequently asked questions. Expert advice offered via e-mail or toll-free information line (800) 752-3157.

What does it mean to Presume Competence? People without disabilities know what it means; they experience it every day of their lives, but may seldom think about it... Parents buy a bicycle for their son or daughter, knowing the child doesn't yet know how to ride the two-wheeler. But they presume competence; they know the child will learn how to ride. (And some of us need our training wheels on longer than others!) Some five-year-olds start kindergarten already knowing how to read; others barely know their ABCs. But the teacher presumes all are competent and all will learn.

With the best of intentions, we spend enormous amounts of time and energy to "help" children and adults with disabilities. But what about the unintended consequences of our well-intentioned acts? When my son, Benjamin, was very young, I had the best of intentions when I made sure he had massive doses of developmental therapies. But this had an unintended negative impact: all the hours spent on therapy left little time for him to have any kind of normal childhood. This awareness led our family to do things differently.

August 2010 - Developing Family Stories: Moving the Backstory to the Forefront The child laughs easily. She can paint with brilliant colors. He can recite the statistics for every baseball team in every league for the past decade. She wants to help. He wants to make friends. But those aren’t the things that friends and relatives and teachers seem to notice. Instead, they focus on the delays, the sometimes inappropriate behavior, the extra work needed to deal with Jennifer or Jason’s disabilities, their differences. Pretty soon, Jennifer and Jason are seen as their disabilities. The labels assigned in order to qualify for services become their identity.

September 2010 - AT Assessments: The Right Device Is the Best Device

According to Leonard Trujillo Ph.D., an occupational therapist and AT assessment expert who chairs the occupational therapy department at East Carolina University and heads the university’s graduate OT assistive technology certification program, the best assistive technology device for a child is the device that enables a child to achieve at least some degree of independence.

October 2010 - Robotics and Autism: Is the Future Nao? Is now the time for Nao? Nao is a 22-inch humanoid robot (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2STTNYNF4lk) designed by Aldebaran, a French robotics manufacturer, that has been put to work by the psychology department at the University of Notre Dame. Nao’s purpose: to help researchers determine if the aid of a sophisticated robot can enhance the therapy experience for children with autism by bridging the gulf between the world of human social interaction that so often leaves them perplexed, anxious and frustrated and the world of science and technology that they prefer.