Autism Society—Greater Baton Rouge, Inc.

Hello!

We have exciting news! The Office of Motor Vehicles is currently in the testing phase of a specialty license plate for Autism Society Louisiana State Chapter, Inc.! This plate will be available in the near future for production and sale to the general public.

Prior to this, we have the opportunity to auction off the numbers of the first 100 license plates as a fundraiser for our nonprofit organization.

Please take careful note of the specifics of this exciting auction:

Beginning date/time: 9:00 A.M. Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Ending date/time: 12:00 A.M. Saturday, August 17, 2019

Auction link/ Vendor: Charity Auctions Today

https://www.charityauctionstoday.com/auctions/License-Plate-8649

This auction is specific to the numbersof the first 100 license plates. Once the auction has closed, information on the winner of the bid for each number will be supplied to the OMV.

The bidding is for reserving a desired number and does notinclude the price of the specialty license plate itself. The price of specialty plates can vary slightly at local OMV offices.

Winning bidders will be notified regarding when to contact OMV to order their license plate. Please do not contact the OMV prior to receiving this information.

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Our next Movie Event will be Dark Phoenix! We are looking at an early afternoon showing the week of June 22nd with dinner afterwards. We still need to pick a time and a theater. More information coming soon.

Come join other moms at the Exhausted and Blessed group. Discuss the trials of having a child on the autism spectrum and get support from other moms. 

Istrouma Baptist Church will hold a Picnic for Children/Families with Special Needs

BREC's Highland Road Community Park
14024 Highland Rd., Baton Rouge, LA 70810
Saturday, March 30
11:00am

Join us for face-painting, crafts, kickball, ladder toss, and a bubble machine! Sack lunch will be provided. Gluten free options available. This event is FREE!

The Head of music education at LSU is excited about a new project they have going at LSU this coming Spring 2019 semester. It is called The Prism Project. It is a performing arts program for Baton Rouge-area students age 6-14 with special needs (“Cast Members”). The Prism Project provides Cast Members with opportunities to learn appropriate social and performing arts skills and directly engage with their peers.

Second, it is a training ground for LSU students who wish to work with children who have exceptionalities.

The original Prism Project was at Ball State University. (you can check out the Ball State Prism project here: https://www.prismprojectbsu.org)

At LSU, on Sunday afternoons in the Spring 2019 semester, we have space for about 12-15 children to come to LSU for two hour sessions to learn theatre and musical skills alongside their College-age Buddies. Will probably meet 3:30-5:30 pm each Sunday beginning in late January. A performance for friends, family, and public will be held in early April in the School of Music! There is no tuition for this, thanks to the generous support of LSU CMDA and our dean Todd Queen.

If you know families who might benefit from this program, please share this and the application for Cast members is here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScxz66VQgNUhS_pfPJDTDwKwEiISKFS2NhpaqXk4jp8NXdA0w/viewform?usp=sf_link

ACTION ALERT: Support Fiscal Year 2019 Autism Funding

Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) has created a "Dear Colleague" letter to the Chair and Ranking Member of the Appropriations Subcommittee urging them to provide full funding for programs authorized by the Autism CARES Act.  As you know, the President's Budget proposes to eliminate the HRSA workforce programs. Rep. Smith needs our help to get other members of Congress to sign on to this letter in support of Autism CARES Act funding. The deadline is tomorrow.

Please call your Representative TODAY (toll-free switchboard number 202-224-3121) and ask them to please sign on to Representative Smith's letter to appropriators requesting full funding of the Autism CARES Act programs.  They should contact Marisa Kovac in Rep. Smith's office ([email protected]; 202-225-3765)  to sign on to the letter.

Support FY 19 Autism Funding through LHHS

Sending Office: Honorable Christopher H. Smith
Sent By: [email protected]

Dear Colleague:

On behalf of the more than one million American families affected by autism spectrum disorders (ASDs), we urge you to join us in requesting fully funding the Department of Health and Human Services’ autism activities as authorized by the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act (or Autism CARES Act/PL 113-157), in the Fiscal Year 2019 Labor, Health, and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

As you may know, ASDs are a complex range of disorders marked by deficits in social behavior and communication, and a restricted range of activities. Autism symptoms may vary by person from mild to severe. Some individuals with autism have strong intellectual and language abilities, while others are cognitively impaired and require life-long care.

The percentage of children diagnosed with autism has grown in recent years – about 1 in 68 children have been identified with ASD according to estimates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making funding imperative.

To add your signature to this letter, please fill out this form. The deadline to sign is COB on March 14, 2018.

March 8, 2018

Chairman Tom Cole                                         Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro                             

House Committee on Appropriations              House Committee on Appropriations

Subcommittee on Labor, HHS,                        Subcommittee on Labor, HHS,             

Education and Related Agencies                      Education and Related Agencies

Washington DC, 20515                                    Washington DC, 20515

Dear Chairman Cole and Ranking Member DeLauro,

On behalf of the more than one million American families affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD, hereafter referred to as autism), we thank the Subcommittee for its leadership in designating autism funding in previous appropriations bills and we urge you to fully fund the fiscal year (FY) 2019 funding levels for the Department of Health and Human Services’ autism activities as authorized by the Autism Collaboration, Accountability, Research, Education, and Support Act (or Autism CARES Act/PL 113-157), in your fiscal year (FY) 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education and Related Agencies Appropriations bill.

According to the latest released data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), estimates are that 1 in 68 children have been identified with autism. Autism occurs in all racial, ethnic and social groups. In many cases, it impairs a person’s ability to communicate and to relate to others, and remains a life-long challenge, not only for those who have been diagnosed, but for parents and other family members as well. The estimated total cost per year for children with autism in the United States is between $11.5 billion and $60.9 billion.

For FY 2019, we are specifically requesting at least the Autism CARES Act’s authorized level for the National Institutes of Health and the Interagency Coordinating Committee, $190 million; the authorization for CDC to conduct developmental disabilities surveillance and research activities; $22 million; and for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to carry out autism education, early detection, and intervention programs, $48 million.

This is a particularly exciting time for autism research. A recent report in the journal Nature Neuroscience involved the analysis of over 5,200 whole genomes from families affected by autism. That study found 18 newly identified autism genes that affect the operation of a small subset of biological pathways in the brain. All of these pathways affect how brain cells develop and communicate with each other, providing a clear set of potential targets for future medicines. Given the important progress in the field, it is vital that we sustain and improve our investment in autism research.

The House and Senate passed the Autism CARES Act unanimously. Accordingly, we ask for your strong support for funding in the FY2019 Labor-HHS-Education bill especially to enable vigorous efforts to pursue much needed advances in autism research.

Below is a message from the Louisiana Developmental Disabilities Council.

Proposed Changes to DD Waiver Services

October 12, 2017

After years of working together with stakeholders, the Office for Citizens with Developmental Disabilities (OCDD) released its proposed waiver amendments and rule revisions for the current developmental disability waivers (Children's Choice, Supports, Residential Options, and New Opportunities Waivers).  The proposed revisions were designed with the intent of helping to improve access to home and community-based waiver services and to better meet the needs of thousands of Louisianans waiting for a waiver slot.  More information about OCDD's proposed changes can be found in the September 2017 issue of the Louisiana Register starting on page 1838. 

Key Changes Being Proposed
Implementation of a tiered waiver system which will establish one Request for Services Registry (Registry) or Waiting List for all DD waivers.
Registry/Waiting List will be arranged by urgency of need and date of application for DD waiver services.
Age for Children's Choice Waiver will be increased through age 20.
The NOW, ROW, and Supports Waivers will become adult-only waivers for new participants. (Children currently in these waivers will be grandfathered in.)
Children (under the age of 21) on the Registry/Waiting List will be eligible for a Children's Choice Waiver. Children will be offered a Children's Choice waiver opportunity based on urgency of need, date of application, and available funding.
Individuals 18 - 21 years of age receiving Children's Choice who are not in school may transition to Supports Waiver based on their need.
Adults on the Registry/Waiting List will be eligible for the DD waiver that will best meet their needs. A New Opportunities Waiver will be allocated only when other DD waivers do not support the individual's needs. Adults will be offered a waiver opportunity based on urgency of need, date of application, and available funding.
Reserved capacity for emergency slots will be eliminated.

The following opportunities are available if you would like to provide public comment/feedback:
Public hearing will be held on October 26, 2017 at 9:30 a.m. in the Bienville Building (628 N. Fourth Street, Baton Rouge, LA) Room 118.
Submit written comments to Jen Steele at the Bureau of Health Services Financing (P.O. Box 91030, Baton Rouge, LA 70821)
Email comments to [email protected]

All written and email comments must be received by 4:30 p.m. on October 27, 2017.

Contact Us
LaDDC News is the electronic newsletter for the LA Developmental Disabilities Council. If there are any questions about the information above, contact the Council by replying to this email, or calling the toll free number listed below:

phone: 1-800-450-8108
email: [email protected]
website: www.laddc.org
facebook: www.facebook.com/LaDDCouncil
twitter: www.twitter.com/LaDDCouncil

Research study for parents of children with autism

I am a graduate student at Emerson College in Boston, MA. I am studying to become a speech-language pathologist, and hope to work with children with autism when I graduate.

Feel free to forward this invitation to anyone else you think might be interested. If you have any questions, please write us at [email protected] (Ariel Cascio) or [email protected] (Eric Racine). Thank you!

Eric Racine, PhD

Director of the Neuroethics Research Unit

Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)

110 avenue des Pins Ouest

Montréal, Québec, H2W 1R7

Ariel Cascio, PhD

Postdoctoral Researcher

Neuroethics Research Unit

Institut de recherches cliniques de Montréal (IRCM)

110 avenue des Pins Ouest

Montréal, Québec, H2W 1R7

Tel.: 514 9875723

Fax: (514) 9875763