WJ ALUM in SISTER ACT!

Understanding Medications

please share! Dr. DiFazio is the Director of Pediatric Neurosciences at Shady Grove Adventist Hospital and a Board Certified Pediatrician and Neurologist, with subspecialty qualification in Child Neurology. Dr. DiFazio is a former Army physician, and he spent most of his time in the military at Walter Reed Army Medical Center. While at Walter Reed, Dr. DiFazio served as the Director of the Comprehensive Spasticity Clinic as well as the Chief of the Child and Adolescent Neurology Service. He has lived in Montgomery County, MD for 12 years, and he is committed to bringing comprehensive neurologic care to his community. Washington DC "Top Doctor", 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011 Community Support Services, Inc.is pleased to present a special guest presentation on Understanding Medications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities Understanding Medications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities by Dr. Marc DiFazio Parents and caregivers - how many times have you wondered if you are giving your child the most appropriate medication? It's a challenging task as we try to balance: behavior concerns encourage language development avoid unnecessary weight gain, lethargy control seizures keep up with the latest developments Please come hear Dr. Marc DiFazio address these and other issues. When: Wednesday, May 30, 2012 7:00pm Where: Community Support Services 9075 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877 301.926.2300 Please contact Sue Hartung at thehartungs@comcast.net or call 301.869.7986 for more information. 9075 Comprint Court Gaithersburg, Maryland 20877

First Annual Cheetah-Thon!

Support the Montgomery Cheetahs! 1st Annual ‘Cheetah-thon’ to Raise Funds for Program Rockville, MD, May 12, 2012— Montgomery Cheetahs hockey players, their families, friends, and supporters will be on the ice Saturday, May 12, 2012 as part of the fundraising skate and cheer event known as the “Cheetah-thon.” The 1st Annual Cheetah-thon will be held from 5:00–7:00 p.m. at the Rockville Ice Arena, 50 Southlawn Court, Rockville, MD 20850. Montgomery Special Hockey is an adaptive ice hockey program for children and adults with developmental disabilities. In addition to physical hockey skills, the program emphasizes the development of desirable individual characteristics such as dependability, self-reliance, concentration, willingness to share and personal accountability. The game of hockey is used to develop within each player the characteristics that will help the player to be more successful both inside and outside a hockey environment. Support from this program comes from the community. Middle and High School aged mentors take to the ice each practice to offer one-on-one assistance to Cheetah athletes. The Montgomery Cheetahs hockey program began in 2006 in Rockville, MD to serve children that could not succeed in regular youth leagues. It grew quickly from 15 players their first season to more than 60 players who are currently in the program. Cheetah players have disabilities that span the entire range of the autism spectrum, Down’s Syndrome, and other neuro-muscular disabilities, and they range in age from 4 years to 22 years old. The Cheetahs practice weekly from September through May at Cabin John Ice Rink in Montgomery County, Maryland. Each fall the Cheetahs take part in the Frankenfest Hockey Tournament, hosted by their sister program, the New Jersey Daredevils. Then, each spring, the Cheetahs participate in the annual USA Hockey Disabled Festival. The Cheetahs are a member program of the American Special Hockey Association which represents more than 50 special hockey clubs across the United States. The Montgomery Cheetahs also provide non-disabled young men and women the opportunity to experience volunteerism and act as mentors to the athletes. The mentors assist the coaches during practices by helping to teach skating and hockey skills and providing positive feedback and encouragement. They build working relationships with the Cheetahs, they get to know and understand children with disabilities and forge bonds with them based on a common interest in hockey. The Cheetahs have over 90 active mentors who support the program and have logged in over 800 hours of their time so far this year. The “Cheetah-thon” is the first major fundraiser for the Montgomery Special Hockey Club. All proceeds raised will go toward the purchase of ice time and equipment for the growing program. The Cheetahs are a completely volunteer organization, and all of the money raised by the Cheetahs goes to programming. No one is paid and there are no salaries paid or other costs that do not promote the mission of the team. Expenses keep growing, and this year costs for ice alone exceeded $20,000. This event is open to skaters and non-skaters alike. Participants are encouraged to bring their friends and families to skate with the Cheetahs and their fans or to show support by making a gift to the organization. There will also be prizes for top fundraisers. In addition to sponsoring skaters, supporters can purchase refreshments and raffle tickets, and of course, cheer on the participants. For immediate release Contact: Sean Twombly 202-744-5780 501(c)(3) non-profit organization / Federal ID #20-5979889

The Good Life

As Scott finishes his last year of formal schooling, I think back to how our journey began in what used to be the small autism community. When Scott was little, around 3 years old, it seemed like we knew every other family with an autistic preschooler in Montgomery County. (Of course, that was back in the days when no one really liked to diagnose young children with the "A" word.)

"Cure" talk was big among parents in 1994, just like it is today. It was just the beginning of the "Cure Autism Now!" movement, the "Defeat Autism Now" movement, leading to Autism Speaks, Autism Awareness Month, Light it up Blue, Walk Now for Autism, etc etc. Those of us looking to help our children were faced with a series of methods, some promising "cure". I remember vividly going to a session with Dr. Lovaas at the Twinbrook Crowne Plaza, where he insisted that parents needed to do 40 hours/week in home programs, and it must be started before age 4, to receive any benefit from applied behavioral analysis training at all. Cures ranged from special diets, megavitamins, chelation therapy, auditory integration training, secretin, in-home Lovaas therapy, Son Rise therapy, and I can't remember what-all else. We didn't do any of it. We placed our hope and trust in a good solid education, and I think it paid off. Can't say he's "cured," though.


And of course, for there to be a "cure," there had to be a "cause." Thankfully, we moved away from the "refrigerator mother" theory. In short order we had the folks who claimed the MMR vaccine caused autism, then the people who blamed the thimerisol in other vaccines. Now, horror of horrors, there is a study out that blames women who were FAT during their pregnancies!

So, I've come to my own conclusion about what causes autism: IT'S JUST ONE OF THOSE THINGS. One of those random acts of fate. Unknowable by us non-scientists. If they ever figure it out, for sure, I'm sure they will let us know. In the meantime, how about we focus on the kids that are here now. Let's give them appropriate schooling, good health care, appropriate adult programming, employment, and housing options. But please, how about less talk on causes and cures and more focus on helping our children, adults, and families live a good, happy, productive and fulfilling life.