Key To Treating Autism
Autism occurs in approximately one in every 150 individuals. The member of diagnosed cases has increased dramatically in the past decade. Although there is no cure, early diagnosis and treatment have a significant impact on future progress.
“Studies at May Intitiute and other organizations show that children who start treatment at the earliest possible age require less intensive and restrictive services later,” explains Dennis Russo, Ph. D., ABPP, Chief Clinical Officer at May Institute. “It’s important for parents, pediatricians, preschool teachers, and other caretakers to understand the symptoms of developmental disabilities and to move quickly on diagnosis and treatment.”
The symptoms of autism include:
no babbling , pointing, or meaningful gestures by 1 year of age.
no one- word communications by 16 months.
no two word phrases by 2 years.
loss of language or social skills.
poor eye contact
inability to play appropriately with toys.
unusual attachment to one particular toy or object.
no smiling
apparent lack of response to sounds or voices and name being called.
Although the cause of autism has not been identified, current research links autism to biological or neurological differences in the brain.regardless of cause, autism is best treated by programs based on applied behavior analysis (ABA). As doctors make programs in diagnosis autism at an earlier age, more and more children are receiving this treatment at a young age when they are most receptive.
About May Institute
May Institute, a national organization, provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral health care services to individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and behavioral health care needs. The Institute also provides training and consultation services to professionals, organizations, and public school systems.
Over the past 50 years, May Institute has evolved into an award winning national network that serves over 25,000 individuals and their families annually at more than 200 service locations in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, and on the West Coast.
May Institute shares its corporate headquarters with the National Autism Center and the May Center for Child Development. Together, the staff members from these organizations more than 60 doctoral and master’s level professionals- represent one of the country’s largest concentrations of onsite clinicians with expertise in autism, developmental disabilities, and applied behavior analysis.
For more information on autism, visit our web site at www.mayinstitute.org or call 800-778-7601
New England Rose Society
Please come and join the members of the New England Rose Society on Sat., April 19. We are located at 241 Beaver Street in Waltham at the Umass Field Station. For all of you who are afraid to grow roses, this will be an excellent way to allay your fears! We’ll have members available with information on pruning, feeding and watering; weed, pest and disease control; how to plant a rose bush; compost and soil amendment; choosing the right rose; and garden planning and design. We may even come up with some other tidbits to help you out by the time the 19th rolls around.
So, throw away your fears of growing roses and drop by to see us. We’ll be happy to have you with us.
For further information, please call Cynthia Fraser at 978-369-3310, or e-mail saabsister91@yahoo.com.
Cleaning For a Reason Partners With The Maids
The Maids Home Services’ New England Marketing COOP Offers Cleaning Services to Help Cancer Patients Rest, Relax and Recuperate
The Cleaning For A Reason Foundation a Texas based, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing complimentary cleaning services to women undergoing cancer treatment – announces The Maids New England Marketing COOP (NEMC) has volunteered to donate cleaning services to cancer patients in eastern Massachusetts. The Maids NEMC will provide each patient with a rigorous housecleaning, once a month, inclusive of scrubbing, vacuuming, dusting and more. Each patient may receive up to four months of complimentary cleaning services.
“The Maids NEMC continually looks for ways to give back to the communities we serve and Cleaning For A Reason is a wonderful opportunity to directly impact the lives of so many community members in a positive way. Cancer treatment can dramatically alter a person’s quality of life. The Maids NEMC’s work with The Cleaning For A Reason Foundation allows people to convalesce in the comfort of their own home in a clean, familiar environment, restoring a bit of normalcy during an otherwise hectic time,” says Matt Donnelly, President of The Maids NEMC and Newton, MA.?based franchise owner.
The Maids NEMC understands that the immense physical and emotional impact of cancer treatment can be overwhelming to a person, making tasks such as cleaning one’s home an added stress. Many of The Maids NEMC members and staff have seen how cancer treatment has affected the quality of life of family members, community members and in some cases, themselves.
“It's inspiring to know that there are companies like The Maids NEMC who truly care about the communities they serve. You don’t need a medical background to brighten someone’s day and positively impact their life. The Maids NEMC prove this every time they leave the professionally cleaned home of a woman receiving treatment for cancer,” explains Debbie Sardone, Founder of The Cleaning For A Reason Foundation.
To apply for, or recommend someone for, The Maids NEMC’s free professional cleaning services for women undergoing cancer treatment please contact The Cleaning For A Reason Foundation at 877.337.3348 or visiting www.cleaningforareason.com.
The Maids NEMC was founded in 2002 by franchise owners of The Maids Home Services operating in the greater Boston area. The Maids NEMC was originally founded as a way to identify appropriate advertising opportunities, but has grown to serve as a peer group in which members share new ideas and best practices enabling the group’s entire membership to move their businesses to the next level. In addition, the Maids NEMC continually seeks new ways to make a positive impact on the communities they serve.
Founded in 2006, Cleaning For A Reason is the only foundation in the United States currently offering complimentary cleaning services to women undergoing treatment for cancer. The foundation recruits professional, residential housecleaning businesses such as The Maids NEMC, to deliver cleaning services on a local level in an attempt to improve the quality of life for the people they serve. The Cleaning For A Reason Foundation currently consists of 260 partners in 38 states and Canada.
English As a Seconds Language By Dial
The Dial( Directions in Adult Learning) Program specializes in english as a second language classes for adults at all levels of English language learning.
Level 1: is for adults with little or no English skills. It stresses basic English useful for everyday needs. Acquiring confidence in using newly learned English is of prime importance here.
Level 2: Helps those with some basic English skills to practice structuring sentences using simple verb tenses, basic, grammar, and new vocabulary. Listening skills, pronunciation, and question formation are some other topics addressed
Level 3: Aims for higher levels of speaking. Using previously learned grammar and verble structures, and vocabulary, pronunciation and phasing when speaking take on added importance here.
Level 4: works to integrate all aspects of English in order to achieve a more sophisticated level of speaking. Those in a business setting will benefit from practicing to speak on spontaneously on a variety of topics to provide the opportunity to isolate pronunciation and accent reduction needs. also addressed at this level will be complex grammar, verb structures, and new vocabulary used in both speaking and writing.
Classes begin Tues., April1 and will meet at the Acton/Boxboro High School every Tues., and Thurs., 7:00 - 9:00 p.m. for 12 weeks. Evaluation for class placement will take place on the first night of class in room #154W. You MUst Be Registered To Be Evaluated..
For more information about the DIAL Program and registration visit our web site at www.dialesl.com or call (978) 263-6538. To register by phone, call (978) 266-2525
Coaching The Transformational Zone
Personal and Business Coaches Gather to Exchange State of the Art Information
May 3, 2008— Annual Coaching Conference for Coaches, Prospective Coaches and Anyone Interested in Coaching.
Internationally known speakers will address coaches and conference attendees on a wide range of transformational topics, including: love, leadership and lust for life.
The Conference Center at Waltham Woods will be the site for the Annual Regional Conference of the International Coach Federation-New England Chapter, entitled “Coaching: the Transformational Zone”. The conference will feature Liz Walker as the opening keynote speaker, Dave Buck as the closing keynote speaker and ten other dynamic, ‘cutting edge’ speakers throughout the day, from 8:00a.m. to 5:45p.m.
Dave Buck is the closing keynote speaker and he will address the life-enhancing aspects of play--fun, creativity, and ‘out of the box’ idea generation. Dave will discuss the Nine Transformations of play and how coaches can utilize these to help clients shift the focus of their lives from work to play and from a focus of “willpower to world power”.
Coaches work in a variety of settings and they have numerous specialty niches. This conference is designed to provide coaches and prospective coaches with a breadth of information within their specialty areas. To this end, the conference has two tracks: one for Business, Executive, Corporate, and Leadership Coaches, and the second track for Personal, Life and Career Coaching.
The Business-Corporate Track will feature Lea Blair talking about “Facilitating Corporate Change”, Ginger Cockerham will conduct a Team Coaching Demonstration, and Miriam Hawley and Jeffrey McIntyre present “From Trance-formation to Transformation; The Seven Intelligences of Leadership”. Please check out the ICF-NE website to learn more about these presentations: www.icf-ne.org
The Personal, Life, and Career Coaching Track will feature Leslie Wilde’s presentation “Lust for Life: how desires of your body, heart, & soul can transform your life.”, Maya Balle with Stephen Carr, Sam House, and Steve Lishansky will provide a Coaching Demonstration entitled “A Male Perspective on Courageous Coaching: From Credentialing to Clients”, and Suzanne Falter – Barnes is presenting “CNN Called: How to Set Up Your Coaching Business So the Media Contacts You”.
The ICF-NE Annual Conference is a lively forum that includes opportunities to learn from the above noted presenters as well as opportunities to network with colleagues, examine the businesses, books and items at the expo, and to transform each attendee’s knowledge base, mindset, and professional tool box.
The International Coach Federation-New England (ICF-NE) is a chapter of the International Coach Federation (ICF), a non-profit professional organization that provides coaching resources for its members and the public as well as establishing ethical guidelines and standards for the coaching profession.
The sponsors for “Coaching: The Transformational Zone” include the following organizations:
Objective Management Group, Inc.
Female Leadership Interest Council
New England Coaching
The Conference Center at Waltham Woods is located at 550 Winter St., Waltham Ma.
For more information about the ICF-NE annual conference, please contact ICF-NE by phone at 508-839-4625, by email at info@icfne.org, or visit their website at http://www.icfne.org.
April Verch, Fiddler/Step Dancer/ Songwriter at Volunteers Hall
On Sun., April 20th, the Harvard Friends of the Arts will present our next event at Volunteers Hall in the Harvard Public Library featuring Canadian April Verch and her band. April is a world- class fiddler, a champion Otwatta Valley step-dancer, an acclaimed composer, and a vocalist whose voice has been hailed as “absolutely captivating” by the Toronto Star.
Doors open at 1:30p.m.. April will give a ? hour step-dancing workshop. The concert starts at 3:00. Admission is free, but seating is limited, so we encourage people to call the library at 978-456-114 to reserve seats in advance. Donations are welcome.
When you see April perform, the first thing that strikes you is the pure energy that infuses her fiddle playing and step-dancing. When you listen to her though, what draws you in are more subtle things—her pure voice, the finely detailed elegance of her fiddle phrasing and the depth of a repertoire that ranges through material from bluegrass to Brazilian to Celtic, from a jaunty Canadian folksong to a poignant contemporary ballad.
In addition to her vigorous touring schedule, she is in great demand for her teaching skills at workshops, master classes and music camps. She has released seven recordings to date. Her 2001 Rounder Records release earned a JUNO nomination (the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy) for “Best Roots/Traditional Album”. Her most recent release (2008) features her touring band and includes the presence of familiar names like Tim Stafford, Larry Cordle, Ron Block, Melonie Cannon, and Sam Bush among the songwriters, harmony vocalists and instrumentalists.
For more information visit:
www.aprilvirch.com
www.harvardpubliclibrary.com
April 5, 2008
Mothers and More
Meeting of the Assabet Valley Chapter of Mothers and More on "Finding a Hobby" - After having children, finding time for ourselves can be a challenge. No matter how much we may want to have a hobby, being able to dedicate the time required to explore potential hobbies can be difficult. A Mothers and More member will lead this meeting on finding a hobby that is right for you and learning more about an existing hobby. Visitors welcome for information, refreshments, and an evening out. Tues., April 8 at 7:00 p.m. at Whitney Place, 5 Lyman Street in Westborough. Mothers and More is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of mothers through support, education, and advocacy. We address mothers' needs as individuals and members of society and promote the value of all the work mothers do. The Assabet Valley Chapter of Mothers and More has over 80 members including but not limited to the Berlin, Grafton, Hudson, Marlborough, Northborough, Shrewsbury, Southborough, and Worcester areas. The local chapter offers topical discussions, mom's nights out, playgroups, family activities, guest speakers, on-line discussions, book club, movie club, couples nights, and more. For more information, please call (508) 936-6882 or visit www.mothersandmoreassabetvalley.org
VNA Care Network & Hospice part of inaugural National Healthcare Decisions
Goal to ensure adults have opportunity to communicate and document their future healthcare decisions
VNA Care Network & Hospice, a nonprofit home health care, hospice and wellness agency serving Eastern and Central Massachusetts, is part of a national, grassroots effort to ensure all adults with decision-making capacity have the information and opportunity to communicate and document their future health care decisions. National Healthcare Decisions Day will be celebrated on April 16.
With the Patient Self-Determination Act of 1990, Congress affirmed the right of every citizen to set forth his or her future healthcare wishes in writing with an "advance directive." In Massachusetts, a free legal form known as a health care proxy allows you to designate a person to speak on your behalf should you be unable to make health care decisions for yourself.
Just complete the proxy, sign it in front of two witnesses, and give copies to your designee (the person you ask to make health care decisions) and health care providers. The form is only put into use if your doctor determines you are unable to make health care decisions. You can cancel the form anytime you wish. The form is available at no cost by calling VNA Care Network & Hospice at 800-728-1862.
Choosing an Agent
The person you choose to speak for you is called the agent. Although not necessary, you can also appoint an alternate agent who would be called upon if your agent were unable or unwilling at the time. VNA Care Network & Hospice's home health care and hospice staff advises choosing someone you trust to make decisions based on your personal preferences and values. Your agent and alternate should agree to take on this role and be able to make decisions under stressful situations.
Completing the Proxy
When completing the health care proxy, it is important that you and the two required witnesses properly sign the form. Your agent and alternate agent can be anyone of your choosing, except an employee or administrator of a health care facility where you receive care unless that person is a relative by blood, marriage, or adoption. The witnesses cannot be the agent or the alternate agent. There is an optional place on the form to have the agent and alternate agent sign statements. Although it is not required, the health care professionals of VNA Care Network & Hospice recommend having them sign to assure they understand their role in your future health care.
Making Your Wishes Known
A key step in this process is having a conversation with your agent and alternate agent about your personal preferences for health care should you not be able to communicate them for yourself. Tell them you do not want them to feel the burden of making decisions without knowing what you wish.
VNA Care Network & Hospice's health care professionals recommend starting this process by reflecting on what is important to you about care at the end of your life. Do you have certain cultural or religious beliefs which might influence your wishes? How do you feel about life-prolonging treatments, such as resuscitation or mechanical ventilation, if the expectation was that you would never be able to interact meaningfully with your family and friends again? How important do you view pain and symptom control in the management of your illness even if the medications make you drowsy?
You might want to discuss your thoughts with others who might help you sort through your values and options. Your physician or clergy member may be especially helpful.
Then talk with your chosen agent and others who are close to you. VNA Care Network & Hospice's home health care and hospice providers recommend including family members in the conversation so everyone is clear about your choices. Don't assume they know your wishes.
Be clear about your wishes, giving examples of when you would want life-prolonging treatments started, when you would not want them started, and when you would want them withdrawn.
Personal Wishes Statement
Consider putting your wishes and choices into writing. Currently, there is no legally binding form for this in Massachusetts, but written statements can be used as a guide by your agent and your health care providers in making decisions for you if you are unable.
VNA Care Network & Hospice offers their own patients and the community a form called a personal wishes statement. It includes a list of various life sustaining treatments that you may or may not want your health care agent to pursue on your behalf as well as space to write additional considerations.
In all cases, be sure to communicate with everyone who might be involved in decisions for you, especially your agent(s) listed in the health care proxy and your physician.
Resources
VNA Care Network & Hospice provides free health care proxies and personal wishes statements by mail. Information and health care proxy forms are also available in Spanish and Vietnamese. Call VNA Care Network & Hospice at 800-728-1862.
VNA Care Network & Hospice has provided health care in patients' homes for more than 100 years. Services include nursing, rehabilitation therapy, home care aide support, social work, nutrition, disease management, and private duty care. Hospice for the terminally ill is available in patients homes and at three hospice residences, Chilton House in Cambridge, the Rose Monahan Hospice Home in Worcester, and the Tippett Home in Needham. For information about services, call 800-728-1862 or visit www.vnacarenetwork.org.
344th Military Police Send-Off at Holiday Inn Boxborough
Soldiers give emotional good-bye to friends and family at Farewell Ceremony.
The 344 Military personnel met at the Holiday Inn Boxborough for a Farewell Ceremony on Saturday, March 29, 2008. With a standing ovation and tear-filled eyes they prepared to bid farewell, 90 members of the 344th Military Police company deploying to Iraq for one year, to train Iraqi police.
But the soldiers also have another task...keeping watch over loved ones from a distance.
Among the troops, too there was acknowledgement of the personal toll. Many of those going have already been deployed over the last several years. First Sergeant Brian Jackson served in Iraq from 2004 to 2005. Staff Sergeant Marc Gagnon completed a tour of duty in Guantanamo Bay Cuba. Lorie Collishaw has the unusual reality that her husband and daughter are deploying together. Approximately 500 people attended the farewell ceremony on Saturday afternoon that was held in the Holiday Inn Parade Room.
The Holiday Inn donated meeting space, audio visual equipment and various food & beverage items to help support the local military community. Dunkin’ Donuts and the local VFW also donated time and items to support the troops.
|
