Event Summary for the Week of August 30, 2010

Thanks to all of you for sticking with AutMont through No-Post August. I'm back and excited to put a little more time into the site now that all three of my kids will be in school all day. Let me know if you have any ideas or suggestions for AutMont!

Check out the AutMont Calendar to see all of the activities for this week as well as those coming up!

Monday, August 30:

Good luck to all of our kids headed to school this week! I hope it goes well for all of them!

Webinar: The ABC's of Homework

Wednesday, September 1:

Special Needs Playtime at Great Kids Village

Thursday, September 2:

McTransitions Meeting with Karen Montgomery

Saturday, September 4:

Sensory Friendly Film: Nanny McPhee Returns

Up for Discussion on AutMont:

Full Scholarship Opportunity for The Auburn School (application deadline is this Wednesday)

Back to School: Autism Style

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Do you know of another event? Leave details in the comments!

Full Scholarship Opportunity for The Auburn School

The Auburn School is offering two Auburn Leaf Scholarships to new students enrolling at either its Herndon, Virginia or Silver Spring, MD, campuses for the 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 school years.

These scholarships are full scholarships for students to attend the school for their full time at Auburn (up to nine years).

The deadline for the 2010-2011 scholarship is September 1 (that is THIS WEDNESDAY). The deadline for the 2011-2012 school year is February 1, 2011.

For more information and access to application materials, please check out the Auburn School's website.

Webinar on the ABC's of Homework

Families Together will hold a webinar about the ABC's of Homework on August 30 from 1-4 p.m. ET.

Chris Curry, the executive director of Families Together, will present the webinar, which will offer practical and useful tips to help your child be successful with school work.

The fee for the webinar is $50 per site with no limit on how many people can watch per site. You can register online. For more information, call 509-335-2321.

McTransitions' First Fall Meeting

McTransitions will hold its first meeting of the fall on September 2 at 7:30 p.m. Karen Montgomery, Delegate for Maryland District 14, will attend.

Montgomery, who is running for senate for District 14, is on the Autism Commission in Maryland and is a parent of an adult son with disabilities. She will discuss what is going on in Maryland and what parents can do to help their adult children.

The meeting will take place at the ARC of Montgomery County (11600 Nebel Street) in Rockville.

Sensory Friendly Film: Nanny McPhee Returns

Enjoy a screening of Nanny McPhee Returns in a sensory friendly environment on September 4 at 10 a.m.

AMC Entertainment and the Autism Society have teamed up to provide a mellower setting for families affected by autism and other disabilities. The movie auditorium will have its lights brought up and the sound turned down, families can bring in their own GFCF snacks, and no previews or ads will be shown before the movies. Audience members are also welcome to get up and move or vocalize. (Unless the safety of the audience is questioned.)

Tickets cost between $4 and $6 depending on the theater. The AMC Rio Cinemas 18 in Gaithersburg (9811 Washingtonian Blvd.) is one of the theaters that participates.

In Lieu of an Event Summary

Well, is anyone else getting slammed by the end of summer? I sure am. AutMont will be taking a brief vacation this week, but be sure to check out the calendar for this week's events. I should be back and in full swing by next week.

If you're looking for something to read, I offer you these thoughts on the Blogging Autism panel I was fortunate enough to be able to speak on at last week's BlogHer convention in New York.

Enjoy your last couple of weeks before school starts!

Event Summary for the Week of August 9, 2010

Check out all of the amazing events on the AutMont Calendar for this week!

Wednesday, August 11:

Special Needs Playtime at Great Kids Village

Thursday, August 12:

AutMont Pick of the Week: Artist Event Benefitting Adults with Autism

Sunday, August 15:

Young Adults with Asperger's Social Club

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Do you know of another event? Leave details in the comments!

Event Summary for the Week of August 2, 2010

Check out all of the amazing events on the AutMont Calendar for this week!

Monday, August 2:

Self-Advocacy Conference

Fore Autism Golf Tournament

Parent Support Group for Children Across the Autism Spectrum

Tuesday, August 3:

Self-Advocacy Conference

Webinar: Eustacia Cutler

Wednesday, August 4:

AutMont Pick of the Week: Special Needs Playtime at Great Kids Village

Saturday, August 7:

Sensory Friendly Film: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Up for Discussion on AutMont:

Positive Beginnings Preschool Creates New Classroom for ASD Students

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Do you know of another event? Leave details in the comments!

Sensory Friendly Films: Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore

Enjoy a screening of Cats & Dogs: The Revenge of Kitty Galore in a sensory friendly environment on August 7 at 10 a.m.

AMC Entertainment and the Autism Society have teamed up to provide a mellower setting for families affected by autism and other disabilities. The movie auditorium will have its lights brought up and the sound turned down, families can bring in their own GFCF snacks, and no previews or ads will be shown before the movies. Audience members are also welcome to get up and move or vocalize. (Unless the safety of the audience is questioned.)

Tickets cost between $4 and $6 depending on the theater. The AMC Rio Cinemas 18 in Gaithersburg (9811 Washingtonian Blvd.) is one of the theaters that participates.

Webinar on Supporting Girls with ASD

The Autism Women's Network will present a webinar by Dr. Shana Nichols on Supporting Girls with ASD on August 19 from noon to 2 p.m. ET.

Dr. Nichols, Director of ASPIRE Center for Learning and Development and the author of Girls Growing Up on the Autism Spectrum, will be presenting this webinar about understanding and supporting girls with ASDs.

The webinar will cover an overview of sex differences, including developmental trajectories and prevalence rates; assessment and diagnosis; developing a treatment plan; unique issues facing girls with ASDs, including implications for interventions; recommended resources; and time for questions and answers.

You can register online for this webinar. If you register more than 10 days prior to the webinar, the cost is $68. After that, the cost is $88.

Self-Advocacy Skills Conference

The Maryland Coalition for Inclusive Education, the Division of Special Education/Early Intervention Services, and the Maryland State Department of Education will be holding a two-day Self-Advocacy Skills conference on August 2nd and 3rd, from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.

The conference, Changing Lives and Attitudes: Teaching Self-Advocacy Skills, is intended for special educators, transition coordinators, classroom teachers, school administrators, family members, and students with disabilities.

There will be breakout sessions as well as keynote speeches by Michael Wehmeyer, Keith Jones, and Ari Ne'eman. The conference is being held at BWTech Center (Incubator & Accelerator) at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (1450 S Rolling Road) in Baltimore.

For more information, contact Dr. Barb Gruber at 410-859-5400 or barb@mcie.org. Registration is $150 for both days.

Special Needs Playtime at Great Kids Village

Great Kids Village, an open play center in downtown Silver Spring, is starting a brand new Special Needs Playgroup every Wednesday starting at 11:30 a.m.

There are no age restrictions on the playgroup, although Great Kids Village is geared toward a younger set. One-day passes are available for $10 for the first child and $5 for siblings. Currently there is no charge for babies 8 months old and younger and people age 10 and older.

This will be an informal playgroup with no official end time and will be followed by a short Extreme Bubble Time at 1 p.m.

Great Kids Village has locations in both Silver Spring and Columbia. You can find their schedules online. Great Kids Village in Silver Spring is located at 8040 Georgia Avenue, in the former Mayorga Coffee space. For more information, call 301-309-2386.

Families Together August Webinars

Families Together will be offering two webinars focused on young children this August.

August 20, 1-4 p.m. ET—Using Music with Young Children: Chris Curry, a musician and music therapist, will discuss appropriate musical activities for young children. She will also talk about how to use music to improve auditory processing, teach social skills, practice motor skills, and improve classroom behavior. Register online for this $50 webinar.

August 23, 1-4 p.m. ET—Children Who Challenge Young Children Workshop: Chris Curry will present this tele/webinar focused on young children. The workshop gives professionals and parents strategies for creating environments that help children who are at risk due to behavior problems. Register online for this $50 webinar.

Gubernatorial Candidates Forum on Disability Issues

The Maryland Disabilities Forum has announced that the 2010 Gubernatorial Candidates Forum on Disability Issues will be held on October 11 from 2 to 4 p.m.

Leading 2010 gubernatorial candidates Governor Martin O'Malley and former Governor Bob Ehrlich have been invited to participate.

Candidates will be asked to address their platforms on disability issues and will take questions from the audience.

The event, which will take place at the BWI Marriott Hotel (1743 West Nursery Road, Baltimore), is free. Although not required, pre-registration for the event is preferable.

Positive Beginnings Preschool Creates Inclusive Classrooms

Silver Spring preschool Positive Beginnings is creating a new preschool class for children with ASD and language disorders.

The class will feature inclusion experiences with Positive Beginnings' already existing classes of non-disabled students and will be run by a special educator. The class will be no larger than 8 students and will meet Mondays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon.

For more information about this class, please contact Ms. Fields at 240-723-1371.

Artist Event Benefitting Adults With Autism

The Sixth Branch (a veteran-guided service organization) and Natalie Rallis will be presenting a night of support for The Center for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders on August 12 from 6 to 9 p.m.

The event will feature art by adults with autism, veterans, and local artists, including an auction. Wine, beer, appetizers, and entertainment will also be featured, along with awareness-raising materials and speakers.

The event will take place at Skyloft Gallery (3701 Bank Street) in Baltimore. Tickets are $50. You can buy your tickets online, or if you can't attend, you can make donations online as well.