National Autism conference right here in Chicago

Often you have to travel far and spend a lot of money on transportation and lodging to attend a national conference, but this month the Autism One Conference is right down the road in Rosemont!

It's May 24-30 at the O'Hare Westin in Rosemont. A local mom says it will be a fantastic conference — everything imaginable related to autism is there.

Presentations on:
Biomedical research and treatments
All of the therapies — educational, behavioral, communication, etc.
Alternative medicine
Government, legal and personal issues and advocacy
Adolescent, adult and Asperger's issues
And more!

Families can find out more and register at www.autismone.org/content/world-changes-may

Scholarships may be available for conference attendance through the Are of Illinois consumer stipend or the StarNet Family Fellowship. Visit
www.thearcofil.org/ and www.thecenterweb.org/starnet/funding.html

If you have questions, contact Linda Betzold at Linda.Betzold@tacanow.org

Chicago families are lucky to have this conference in our backyard. It may be the best autism conference of the year anywhere in the U.S.

Parent group to be postponed

Woodstock District 200 will not move forward at this time with a Parent Advisory Council for parents of students in Special Education. I was hoping for an April or May first meeting, but the Special Education Department has decided (unilaterally, I might add) to delay until Fall. And you know what that means...

In March I proposed that the Special Education Department survey parents to learn if they were interested in a parent advisory council or a parent support group (or both). There was cooperation in designing the questionnaire for the survey. Survey forms were to be distributed to all parents of students in Special Education.

How many were distributed? There are approximately 1,000 students in Special Education in District 200. It is unknown how many survey forms actually reached parents, but only 61 surveys were returned.

Fifty-four (54) want one or both group; 7 were not interested. I saw the survey forms on a table at Clay Street Academy, and they were not handed out to the parents of one student, whose annual review I attended.

How about at other schools? I heard that teachers responded that parents weren't interested. Now I, for one, do not believe that. I do believe the person who told me that. I just don't believe the information she was apparently given. Parents are interested.

However, I can tell you what parents are not interested in. They are not interested in being "talked at." They are not interested in being lectured. They are not interested in being told that the teachers (the "experts") know more about their children than they do. Parents are not interested in meetings that drag on and on and do not allow interaction or participation.

There is a parent advisory council at a school in Huntley with 30-40 active parents. When they are expected to sit and listen to teachers and administrators talk "at" them, they get frustrated. Fortunately, there are enough of them (parents) to make a loud noise and try to wrest control back from the "organization."

Woodstock parents, if you want to get started now, let me know. Forward this article to all the parents of Woodstock special education students you know. We can go ahead and organize now and gain the benefit of a support group over the summer and prepare to establish a parent advisory council for the Fall.

Want to get started? Email gus@gusphilpott.com

Movie - The Horse Boy

Be sure to watch this movie about an autistic boy whose parents took him to Mongolia to see the shamans. Young Rowan Isaacson made a remarkable shift after the trip, and even before it was over.

This is a movie worth seeing. And visit www.horseboyfoundation.org, too.

School is almost out

Start your planning now for how your kids are going to enjoy the summer and go back to school without having lost any of the ground gained during this school year.

Plan some learning activities for the summer. Make them read. Better yet, make them want to read. And show them how good math skills will actually help them in life, not just be drudgery.

There are plenty of materials available. Need help finding them? Just ask.

Who you gonna call...

... when your kids are having tantrums, biting their friends (or siblings or you), constantly interrupting you, using bad words???

Recently I came across two websites that will be of interest to all parents of younger children. And, most likely, to parents of older children, too, when they are acting like they are years younger. And maybe even some others we know...

Author and trainer Gail Reichlin gives presentations all over the country and abroad relating to positive discipline and communication for all ages. Boy! Could we use her right here in McHenry County!

Visit www.pocketparent.com/ and also www.parentsresourcenetwork.org/ for information and ideas. And you can order your very own autographed copy of the Pocket Parent from her website. Or call Read Between the Lynes Bookstore right here in Woodstock; if Arlene doesn't carry it already, she'll be glad to order it for you.

Gail's workshop and training style is described as interactive, funny, supportive and very practical.

When the new Parent Advisory Councils are up and running, maybe we can fill the Woodstock Opera House one night for a District-wide or County-wide program.

Interested?