Do We Hear “Four?”

After years of people asking us to bring back QSAC’s charity golf tournament, we’ve decided that 2012 is the year! We are in the early stages of planning this year’s golf outing for this fall and would love to have you involved. If you’re interested in volunteering, serving on the planning committee, organizing a foursome, or sponsoring this year’s tournament, please contact Joseph Amodeo at (212) 244-5560, ext. 2016 or jamodeo@qsac.com.

QSAC Program Participants Celebrate Success

On the night of April 23, four of QSAC’s consumers - Parsram, Brian, Kyle, and Spiridon - were presented with awards from the Queens Council on Developmental Disabilities for successfully overcoming challenges and for making outstanding gains in the programs they attend. Lisa Veglia, Deputy Executive Director of QSAC said, “on behalf of everyone at QSAC and the Board of Directors, I congratulate our consumers for their hard work and inspiration. They remind all of us why QSAC’s mission is so important.”

Brandon Learns to Ride a Bike

Brandon pedals for the first time.

Most nineteen year old teenagers have the freedom to go to the park and enjoy riding a bike on a nice spring day. They do so without appreciating that they have the coordination and skills to ride without any difficulty. 

Brandon is a nineteen year old teenager who worked very hard to learn how to ride a bike. After a long period of time working on different skills to increase his coordination and balance, this Spring he and his community habilitation specialist (CHS) Robert, decided to put to test all those hours of hard work and go out and ride a bike. As a responsible bike rider, Brandon had his helmet ready and he walked to the sidewalk ready to start. His CHS, on a bike next to him, encouraged him to “give it a try.” 

To Brandon’s surprise starting wasn’t that easy. He pushed forward slowly trying to make the bike go straight but not without losing control and stopping. “You have to pedal to keep it going Brandon”said Robert. “Give it another try.” This time Brandon pedaled, and to his surprise he began to move forward. He now had to focus on his direction, and the swirling of the front of the bike began to stop and Brandon was now in control, riding straight, next to his CHS. Brandon became challenged by a new problem:stopping. The CHS told Brandon that they needed to stop, first by slowing down, and then putting one foot on the ground. As Brandon began to stop the front of the bike began to swirl. Finally Brandon touched the ground with his right foot and brought the bike to a complete stop. Again the CHS instructed him to do it over and they repeated this a couple of times, each time Brandon gained more confidence and became a better bicycle rider.

Submitted by Jose Rivera

Hundreds Gather to Learn More About Autism

QSAC’s annual autism conference was a huge success. On Thursday, April 19, more than 200 people gathered for a day-long agenda of workshops on a variety of topics.

Conference workshops included an introduction to autism, language and communication, increasing independence, feeding challenges and a special series on adolescent sexuality. QSAC’s Executive Director, Gary Maffei, MPA, said “QSAC’s annual conference offers parents of children with autism and professionals serving the community with workshops aimed at expanding our communal understanding of timely topics related to autism.”

The conference was made possible with support from the New York City Council as well as our generous sponsors – Astoria Federal Savings, MedClaims Liaison, and the New York State Developmental Disabilities Planning Council.

Autism and Infectious Behaviors

According to the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring, an active surveillance system network that estimates the prevalence of ASDs from 14 sites in the USA, the overall prevalence of ASDs during 2008 was 1 in 88 children. Their data suggest that the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder between 2000 to 2008 has been increasing (see table). This increase could be an indication that autism awareness and access to services have somewhat improved, but also attests to the need for more programs serving this population. 

Dr. Paul Patterson in his new book, Infectious Behavior: Brain-Immune Connections in Autism, Schizophrenia, and Depression (2011) tries to elucidate this trend in prevalence and decode some of the multiple hypotheses on the etiology of Autism Spectrum disorders. In addition to the behavior symptoms and genetic components in autism, Dr. Patterson studies the role of the neuro-immune system abnormalities and interactions, fetal testosterone levels and the maternal infection risk factor. The notion that maternal infection constitutes a risk factor of development of autism has been supported by Dr. Stell Chase, which reported the first incidence of autistic features in 1964. According to Dr. Patterson, the autistic features outcome may be more frequent if infections occur early in the first trimester. It has been reported in the literature that the timing of infections is critical for fetal brain development, which may lead to adverse postnatal behavioral outcomes (Pardo & Eberhart, 2007). 

Several studies have linked Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) with maternal viral, bacterial, and protozoan infections, which are hypothesized to evoke an immune response in the pregnant women that may predispose her offspring to autism. Another hypothesis is that elevated testosterone may impact fetal brain development that may lead to autistic traits and gender bias. This hypothesis supports the fact that prevalence is highest in males than females. There is much that we have yet to learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder, and it’s reassuring that the Combating Autism Reauthorization Act of 2011was extended to further our research on this important disorder.

Early Intervention Staff 'Illuminate the Unisphere' for Autism Awareness

QSAC'S Early Intervention Staff participated in the 1st Annual Autism Awareness event, "Illuminate the Unisphere in Pink and Blue for Autism Awareness Month." Despite the gloomy weather, many children with autism, their friends and family came to raise awareness and support for autism.

QSAC had arts and crafts activities, performed a puppet show on acceptance and led story-time.

All in all, it was a great event. With the new official estimate of autism prevalence among children in the United States increased to 1 in 88 many advocates are encouraging April to be re-named Autism Acceptance Month.

Autism: A Unique Perspective

Carly Fleischmann has severe autism and is unable to speak a word. After years of expensive and intensive therapy, this 14-year-old has made an amazing breakthrough. Carly began using her computer to communicate to those around her and in doing so shared her unique experience of autism. Carly was able to state with clarity what it felt like to be in her body, why she made odd noises or why she hit herself. "It feels like my legs are on fire and a million ants are crawling up my arms," Carly said through the computer. She continued to state that hitting herself and banging her head helped her tune out the overwhelming sensory input she experienced on a daily basis.

Carly had another message for people who don't understand autism."Autism is hard because you want to act one way, but you can't always do that. It's sad that sometimes people don't know that sometimes I can't stop myself and they get mad at me. If I could tell people one thing about autism it would be that I don't want to be this way. But I am, so don't be mad. Be understanding."

Check out the following video of Carly for a unique perspective on autism that will surely change your perspective on this neurological disorder.

Infographic: 1 in 88 Children Diagnosed with Autism (1 in 54 Boys)

According to a new report released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the number of children with autism in the United States continues to increase. The latest data suggests that 1 in 88 American children (1 in 54 boys) has some form of autism spectrum disorder. This marks a 78% increase in diagnoses over the past decade.

In 2000, the diagnosis rate was estimated to be 1 in 150 children. Two years later, an average of 1 in 125 eight-year-olds was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. In 2006, the number rose to 1 in 110 children (1 in 70 boys).

Source: CNN

People First Waiver Briefings Announced

The 1115 Waiver Unit has announced, as part of their ongoing commitment to keeping the public engaged in the development of our many reform initiatives, that they will conduct another series of public briefings on the People First Waiver, a critical initiative to strengthen the quality of services throughout the system.

The briefings are scheduled for Buffalo, Hauppauge, Schenectady, Syracuse, Rochester, Brooklyn, and the Bronx. To date, more than 75 public presentations on the waiver have occurred. OPWDD recognizes that some are new to the waiver development, so in addition to the briefings, they will soon begin introductory presentations in all regions to help those stakeholders join the discussion.

To reserve a seat at one of the upcoming presentations, please visit the OPWDD web site. OPWDD will be recording the presentation and distributing it system wide to assist those unable to attend in person. Everyone is encouraged to visit the dedicated waiver homepage or the OPWDD YouTube page for regular updates about the waiver. Attendees may also register for an event with the corresponding regional OPWDD waiver liaison—contact information is online.

The briefing schedule is as follows:

April 3, 10 AM: Buffalo (181 Lincoln Avenue, Depew)

April 5, 1 PM: Hauppauge (415-A Oser Avenue)

April 5, 2 PM: Schenectady (500 Balltown Road)

April 11, 1 PM: Syracuse (5885 East Circle Drive, Cicero)

April 17, 1 PM: Rochester (The Strong – One Manhattan Square)

April 19, 1:30 PM: Brooklyn (Gymnasium – 888 Fountain Avenue)

April 19, 10 AM: Bronx (1301 Morris Park Avenue)

OPWDD’s Facebook page is also a great place for individuals, family members, employees, advocates, and other stakeholders to exchange thoughts and ideas. Please feel free to join the conversation. The OPWDD YouTube channel also has useful information relating to development of the 1115 waiver, and other reforms and initiatives.

Wall Street Joins QSAC to Combat Autism

Duncan Niederauer

The CEO of NYSE Euronext, a board member of Autism Speaks, a major pharmaceutical company, and companies representing the financial services sector will join together to increase autism awareness at our upcoming benefit being held under the 59th St Bridge.

QSAC will honor Alison and Duncan Niederauer and Pfizer, Inc. at its annual gala on Tuesday, June 12, 2012. The gala will be held at Guastavino’s (409 E 59th Street) beginning with a VIP reception at 6:30pm. The honorary co-chairs for this year’s gala are The Honorable Kirsten Gillibrand and The Honorable Charles E. Schumer.

Alison Niederauer

Duncan Niederauer is the CEO of NYSE Euronext and Alison Niederauer is a lawyer and member of the board of Autism Speaks. The Niederauers will be honored for their commitment and service to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families with QSAC’s Philanthropic Leadership Award.

QSAC will also honor Pfizer, Inc. with its Corporate Leadership Award. Pfizer will be recognized for its Autism Research Effort, which is working to identify new treatments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Dr. Nicholas Brandon, Head of Pfizer’s Psychiatry and Behavioral Disorders Research Group, will accept the award on behalf of the corporation.

The gala will also celebrate Gary Maffei’s twentieth anniversary as QSAC’s executive director.

“QSAC is thrilled to be honoring such a distinguished group of honorees at our gala this June. Each of the honorees has mobilized the greater community to help meet the needs of the autism community. By recognizing their contributions to society, we’re confident they will serve as an inspiration for the families we serve,” said Yvette Watts, President of QSAC’s Board of Directors.

Sponsorship opportunities and tickets are available for the event. To learn more, visit the gala’s website at: www.qsac.com/fittingtogether. Current sponsors include NYSE Euronext, Knight, Stuart Frankel & Co., Enterprise, USI Insurance, Astoria Federal Savings, DAS Trader, and Quontic Bank.