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Raising Arizona Kids

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Thursday, May 23, 2013

Posts Tagged ‘autism’

Three ways to eat your way to a good deed

Chef W

Dine at Brazilian steakhouse Fogo de Chao on Wednesday, April 24 and 100 percent of the proceeds will support Junior Achievement of Arizona. The restaurant is located at 6300 N. Scottsdale Rd. in Scottsdale. Dinners will include a gourmet salad bar, beverages and dessert alongside the restaurant’s famous unlimited servings of 15 choice cuts of meat [...]

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SARRC: A brighter future for Valley teens and adults on the autism spectrum

At SARRC’s Vocational & Life Skills Academy, Garvey (left) breaks into a dance and Michael John looks at CDs while listening to music. Community Works® facilitator Jennifer Soley is at right.

Some of the teens are chatting. Others seem deep in their own reverie. Music CDs of various genres—rock, jazz, heavy metal, Christian—are scattered on a table in the middle of the room. One boy in a bright yellow shirt and Elvis Costello-style black glasses starts to dance around. A young woman is asking the kids [...]

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So much different, and so much the same

The first time we published an article about autism was in November 2001. Writer Lynn Trimble interviewed a number of Valley parents whose children have autism, including Denise Resnik, co-founder of what is now the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, or SARRC. Denise told us about her son Matthew, then 9, and the challenges [...]

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Sensory-friendly films for families affected by autism

Beautiful-Creatures-movie

You won’t hear an angry “SHH!” at these movies. AMC Theatres encourage kids to get up and dance, walk, shout or sing during sensory-friendly films offered in partnership with the Autism Society, a national, grassroots organization that works through education, advocacy, services, research and support to improve the lives of anyone affected by autism. The [...]

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Eagle Scout builds a maze for students with autism

Kachina Elementary School Peoria Unified

When Michael Ertz joined the Cub Scouts he promised his grandmother he would continue on to attain Eagle Scout rank, the highest possible rank in the Boy Scouts of America. On Dec 6, he did. As part of the service requirement, Ertz planned, developed and led a community project for the autism program at Kachina [...]

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Wandering ways: children with autism disorders

RAKASDwander

Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) impact families in countless ways. But one behavior associated with these disorders is especially troubling. New study findings confirm what parents have been reporting for years: that some children with ASD often place themselves in danger by wandering off, or “eloping.” The greater the severity of the disorder, say researchers, the [...]

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Horses, healing and hope

Camelot student enjoying a horse hug. Photo courtesy of Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship.

A film called “The Horse Boy,” widely viewed through the PBS Independent Lens series, documents the experiences of parents Rupert Isaacson and Kristin Neff as they wrestled to make sense of their son’s autism. Isaacson will be speaking in Scottsdale this fall as part of a fundraiser for Camelot Therapeutic Horsemanship, a non-profit organization teaching [...]

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SARRC’s new VP to run programs for teens and adults with autism

Christina Whalen

Christina Whalen, Ph.D., has been named vice president and director of the Vocational and Life Skills Academy at the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center, the organization announced Monday. “In my new position, I’ll be running programs for teens and adults,” Whalen says. “I will supervise existing programs as well as doing research for some [...]

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Swimming with autism

Photo by Daniel Friedman

Swimming is a beneficial sport for children with autism, which is why several Valley swim schools have added programs especially for kids with autism and/or other special needs. Swimming is an individual sport that offers “360 degrees of physical stimulation,” says Bob Hubbard, co-founder of Hubbard Family Swim School, which offers a STARFSCH special needs [...]

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Finding humor in autism

funny-side-of-autism-book

When single mom Lisa Masters of Phoenix set out to write a book about her family’s experience with autism, “it started to sound like I needed a pity party,” she says. “Which I don’t.” She quickly switched gears. The Funny Side of Autism (Inkwell Productions, 2010) is a collection of scenarios that show unique and [...]

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