Family Picnic

Anyone who is interested is invited to a family picnic on Sunday,  June 26, at Harlow Park in Marquette (on Washington St, just west of 7th St) at 12:30 pm.  I'll be bringing hot dogs (gluten free), buns, paper plates and napkins and ketchup.  If it rains, Barbara Rhyneer (Eamonn's mom) and her family have invited us to use her house (349 W. Bluff St.) as a back-up location.


I'll bring a sign-up to the next meeting if you'd like to contribute.  If you don't think you'll make the meeting, but plan on coming to the picnic, you can contact me via the comment link below.

Update:  Fruit salad added to menu

June meeting: Special Education Parents Advisory Committee

I attended last night's meeting.  The members were abuzz with the success of the current Lose the training Wheels Bike Camp.  As of last night, 15 of the 18 participants are riding and the program director is expecting two more to succeed today.  The participants will each earn a trophy this afternoon.  One of the mom's with a child in the program was at the meeting and she shared her son's excitement with us.

The elections for officers resulted with three officers agreeing to serve another year:  President, Karin Hansard; Treasurer, Vicki Smith; and Secretary, Allison Wuori.  The new Vice Chair will be Heidi Gould.

I volunteered to help with the fall newsletter.

Reports were given by MARESA special education coordinator, Luanne Peterson and MARESA board member Judy Parlato.

Luanne was back from the Asperger training in Escanaba which she said was well-attended and well-received.  Some things in the works at MARESA include the following:

• Crisis intervention training for bus drivers before classes start.  
• Training for para-pros will take place before classes resume in the fall.  
• The Speech Language Pathologists will be meeting this summer to review their guidelines.  
• MARESA is expanding their website.  
• Summer institute will include a program on PEC's (Picture Exchange Communication).  
• New Special Education Coordinators are being hired for Nice, Neguanee and MAPS. 

Next SEPAC meeting will be August 18, 7:00 at MARESA.

Seeing the World from a Different Angle--Autism Training in Sault Ste Marie

There will be a one-day autism training opportunity coming up soon in Saute Ste Marie on June 24 from 10-3:00.  It conflicts with the support group meeting, but as you know I will post the minutes if you'd really like to attend this. 
The flier I have says, "This training will provide participants with strategies that build upon the characteristc and strengths of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder and lead to improved independant and socialization skills.  This session will aslo address supports that increase successful learning opportunities in integrated environments." The program is sponsored by SPEAKS Education and the Eastern UP ISD.  The featured speaker is Kelly Dunlap who will be there from the START program at Grand Valley State. 
Lunch will be provided.  To register, call 906/293-8984 or email mwhite@speakseducation.org.

Drama and Dreams Playscape Summer Camp

Just heard about this opportunity for children ages 8-12 from an e-mail blast from Superior Aliance for Independant Living.  I called Nicky Nason from the Arts and Culture Center, and she confirmed that they have had chldren on the spectrum participate in the past who have had fun and been very successful in this program. 

This camp is being held 9am-1pm on August 22-25 (Monday-Thursday). Most camp activities will take place at the Peter White Public Library Community Room, and will culminate in a live performance for family and friends on the evening of Thursday, August 25. There will be an optional final session/award celebration for students the morning of Friday, August 26.

They are currently accepting student enrollments for Lake Superior Theatre's Drama & Dreams Playscape Summer Camp; a one-week theatre camp. Children with special needs are particularly encouraged to enroll. Space is limited! Due to the success of the camp for the past two years, people are already asking about it. Please sign up now to reserve your child's spot!
The camp is designed to help children, ages 8-14, work on socialization and communication skills as they learn about theatre, costume and set design, stage make-up, facial expression, voice projection, team building and leadership. Students will sing, tell stories, read poetry and develop a live performance in a fun, safe, creative environment.
Cost: $40/person. Each child will receive a t-shirt for the final performance that s/he can keep. Makeup, props, costuming and professional coaching will be provided. Need based scholarships are available.
Support provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the CUPPAD Regional Commission.
Note to parents: We cannot accommodate children who are not toilet-trained or who require the administration of medication during camp hours. However, parents are welcome to send an individual aid to camp with children requiring these additional services.
Do you think this is a great idea? Would you like to be involved? Here are a few ways you can help:
• Become our partner. Get your special needs community directly involved as part of the program. Talk to your group and explore ways to get them involved.
• Be a volunteer on stage and off. It truly does take a village to raise a show. And what a village we have!
• Tell everyone about this great opportunity! If you have a group that would like to learn more about this playscape and its opportunities just let us know!
Support provided by the Michigan Council for Arts and Cultural Affairs, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the CUPPAD Regional Commission.

Training for Parents: Project ImPACT in Sault Ste Marie

I found a copy of the registration form online for the August 25-26 workshop at the Walker Cisler Center at Lake Superior State University in Sault Ste Maire.  The bad news is that it's not free.  The good news is that the workshop is designed specifially to train parents.  And if you are only attending so you can work with your own child, you only need to attend (and pay for) one day.  The second day of the workshop is for those who intend to go on and train other parents. 

I contacted the program developer to get a firmer grasp of who would benefit from this program.  The following is from her reply:  "The program is geared mostly for children whose language ranges from the preverbal stage (up to about 12 months language age) to the sentences stage (up to about  3 1/2 years language age).  It can be adapted for children with complex language who have difficulty with things like conversation, topic maintenance, speaking about past events, etc. with consultation with a good speech pathologist.  However, the information that will be presented at the training will focus more on the preverbal to sentences stages.  The program also focuses on improving play skills, including symbolic play, which many children with ASD who have good language skills continue to struggle with. Most of the children who have gone through the program have been 18 months to 6 years, although it has been used with older children who have significant language delays."

More information about Project ImPACT is available on their website:  http://psychology.msu.edu/AutismLab/Project%20Impact.html.

Upcoming SPAR Activities

Here are a few upcoming activities sponsored by Superior Alliance for Independent Living.  (The last one sounded like it might be of particular interest to those of you with older children.)

1.     Kayaking

July 5^th, August 15^th

Teal Lake Lodge @ Al Quaal Recreation Area, Ishpeming

Demo Session 12-2pm; Paddling session 2-4pm

Basic instruction provided by YMCA of MQT County and certified paddling instructors.

FREE

Adaptive equipment will be provided. Everyone is welcome, regardless of ability level…if you like the water and want to try kayaking, this is for you!

PRE-REGISTRATION REQUIRED

2.     Indoor Boccia Ball

June 23, 30; July 7, 14, 21

YMCA Gymnasium, 1420 Pine St., Marquette

1:00-2:30pm

FREE for Y members; $2 for non-members

Everyone is welcome! An inclusive event.

3.     “How To” Ace Job Interviews

June 29^th

SAIL Conference Room, 1200 Wright St., Marquette

1:30pm

FREE

Informal environment! Bring your questions! Snacks provided.

 

Try, try, again: New autism Bill introduced to Michigan Senate

If you follow the Autism Speaks legislation alerts, you may already be aware that two new bills have been introduced to the Michigan senate trying to once again require insurance to cover autism therapies.  If you follow the news, you've probably heard nothing about this.  After I was alerted by another local mom by e-mail, I did a quick search on Google News to learn more about this new bill:  nada!

I guess that means if this bill is going to have half a chance of getting off the ground, noise will need to be made.  The Bills are linked here:  Senate 415 and Senate 414 (they are nearly the same).  Tom Casperson is our local rep; here's his contact information.  If you're not from the Marquette area or interested in contacting more senators try this link.

May Special Education Parents Advisory Committee meeting

I attended the May SEPAC meeting, after missing most of the meetings held this winter.  It was held at Superior Central School, where meeting attendees were given a brief tour of their facilities, highlighting their special education resources. 

Their was further discussion of the Lose the Training Wheels Bike Camp to be held next week at the Superior Dome (see post below for sign-up information).  As of the meeting on May 19, there were six riders signed up.  Volunteers who can commit to working the whole week will be needed to spot and run with the riders. 

Luanne Peterson reported that preK screening was in full swing at that time.  Playgroup at MARESA was winding down and they were seeing cuts in Early-on funding.  She did think they would be able to maintain services for the next year, but she's concerned about larger class sizes.  Community support has been high.  

The next meeting will be held next Thursday,  June 16 at 7:00 in the MARESA building on Ohio St. in Marquette.  SEPAC officer elections will be held.

Sibshops at Marquette General Hospital

Marquette General is once again offering sibling workshops for the brothers and sisters of children with special needs.  Here's a message I recently received from the folks at Superior Alliance for Independent Living:

SIBSHOPS

A great opportunity for siblings of children with disabilities (ages 5-12)

Siblings have the opportunity to enjoy games, activities and fun… just for them.

Monday, June 20, 2011

Monday, September 12, 2011

Monday, January 23, 2012

Monday, March 19, 2012

June – Family Celebration - TBA

5:30-7:15pm

Family Birthing Center Classroom, 2^nd Floor, RCN building, North Wing

Registration Fee: $5

Snack provided.

Marquette General Women’s & Children’s Center

For more information or to register, call 225-3081