As many of you know, I am a rather big NASCAR fan. I have been following NASCAR for over 15 years.
Favorite driver of all time? Dale Earnhart
Favorite driver now(last 10 years)? Bobby Labonte
Drivers that I follow? Elliot Sadler , Tony Sterwart, Ryan Newman, Jeff Gordon, Jamie McMurray
Why am I bring this up? Simple, to explain why Autism needs to be researched until a cure can be found.
Hermie Sadler has three daughters, Halie is autistic. Hermie knows first hand the challenges associated with having a autistic child.
Elliott Sadler is Halie's uncle and NASCAR Driver. “It’s not to tell you how to deal with it. It’s not to dwell on how bad it could be for us, but how good it can get.”1
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism impacts 1 in every 150 American children and almost 1 in 94 boys, making it more common than pediatric cancer, diabetes and AIDS – combined.
There is no known cause, no known cure. We do know that therapies are very helpful to those afflicted with autism. The problem is that the lifetime cost to care for an autistic child is between $3.5 million to $5 million, according to the Autism Society of America (ASA).
Autism is defined by the ASA as “a complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the normal functioning of the brain, impacting development in the areas of social interaction and communication skills.”
Honestly, it is SO much more than that. Autism not only affects the child, it affects the family and friends of the child.
We need research to find the causes, and yes, I believe that autism is a result of something. We need monetary assistance for families, be it by foundations or by insurance. We need HELP!
1 Yahoo sports
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Give Back to the Community
Friends!!!
If you happen to be in North Phoenix (Arizona) I do hope you can join us at the Horses Help
Spring Roundup and "Lifestyle Expo". Presented by Phoenix Pediatrics!
The event is being held at 2601 East Rose Garden, Phoenix. That's Cave Creek Road North of the Loop 101 on Rose Garden. Please come and join this fabulous event.
Give
The Autism Resource Foundation, an association with VitaMist Vitamins, is launching the Vitamist "Give Back to the Community" program. This revolutionary program is designed to assist non-profits and individuals to assist with financial income. For More info, visit the Give back to the Community website.
Oh, yeah, I am signed up! Register HERE!
Friday, April 24, 2009
SARRC
I would like to take a "blog" here and thank SARRC, Southwest Autism Resource and Research Center, for their newest facility.
In early 2009, SARRC opened its 10,000sft Opus West Vocational & Life Skills Academy (VLSA), where students with autism will learn important skills to help them live as independently as possible. The programs offered will provide youth and adults, ages 13 and older, with instruction and practicum opportunities related to the development of pre-vocational, vocational, life and leadership skills. We all hope that the academy will be a central hub to support the community, local businesses, parents and families.
As I understand it, the main purpose of the VLSA is assist young adults and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to determine how their individual interests and abilities can be applied in the work place. They will also learn the necessary life skills that enhance their ability to live and work more independently. This is a very important skill to many Autistic adults.
The Opus West Vocational & Life Skills Academy is located in Central Phoenix (2225 N. 16th St.).
For more inforamtion, please visit here or you can contact SARRC directly:
Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center
Campus for Exceptional Children
300 N. 18th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006-4103
Phone: (602) 340-8717
Fax: (602) 340-8720
E-mail: sarrc@autismcenter.org
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday (8am - 5pm)
From me to SARRC, Thank you.
/Rob
In early 2009, SARRC opened its 10,000sft Opus West Vocational & Life Skills Academy (VLSA), where students with autism will learn important skills to help them live as independently as possible. The programs offered will provide youth and adults, ages 13 and older, with instruction and practicum opportunities related to the development of pre-vocational, vocational, life and leadership skills. We all hope that the academy will be a central hub to support the community, local businesses, parents and families.
As I understand it, the main purpose of the VLSA is assist young adults and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) to determine how their individual interests and abilities can be applied in the work place. They will also learn the necessary life skills that enhance their ability to live and work more independently. This is a very important skill to many Autistic adults.
The Opus West Vocational & Life Skills Academy is located in Central Phoenix (2225 N. 16th St.).
For more inforamtion, please visit here or you can contact SARRC directly:
Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center
Campus for Exceptional Children
300 N. 18th Street
Phoenix, AZ 85006-4103
Phone: (602) 340-8717
Fax: (602) 340-8720
E-mail: sarrc@autismcenter.org
Hours of Operation: Monday - Friday (8am - 5pm)
From me to SARRC, Thank you.
/Rob
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Ignorance is....
I was reading an article today in the CBC.sa Edmonton Sun.
An 18 year old Autistic boy, Dane Spurrell, was arrested and JAILED by officers who mistook his Autistic behavior for intoxication.
He was walking home Saturday night from the video store along a road in Mount Pearl, suburb of St.John's, and was apprehended by police when he wouldn't "Get on the side walk" as there was not sidewalk to walk on. The police asked to smell his breath and he resisted because he felt he hadn't done anything wrong. The Police did not even give this young man the opportunity to explain OR call his mother.
Here's the part that really gets me!
His mother has filed a complaint with the RNC.
I am not a police officer or work in law enforcement.
I do respect most officers. I believe respect is earned, not demanded.
Can someone PLEASE explain to me how you can confuse public intoxication with Autism?
While your explaining that, how about why they, the arresting officers, would not let him explain or call his mother.
This young man is a high functioning Autistic adult. If it had been you or me, would we have been arrested? Adults living with autism have enough to deal with.
I'm not saying he was singled out, just that the officers involved need to be better trained or prepared or something.
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector Barry Constantine stated the police are investigating this incident. What is there to investigate? The Police officers made a mistake and need to own up to it.
An 18 year old Autistic boy, Dane Spurrell, was arrested and JAILED by officers who mistook his Autistic behavior for intoxication.
He was walking home Saturday night from the video store along a road in Mount Pearl, suburb of St.John's, and was apprehended by police when he wouldn't "Get on the side walk" as there was not sidewalk to walk on. The police asked to smell his breath and he resisted because he felt he hadn't done anything wrong. The Police did not even give this young man the opportunity to explain OR call his mother.
Here's the part that really gets me!
"They were like, 'Get in the car.' They were grabbing me and tossing me around and shaking me, and eventually, they got me down on the ground," Dane said.
His mother has filed a complaint with the RNC.
I am not a police officer or work in law enforcement.
I do respect most officers. I believe respect is earned, not demanded.
Can someone PLEASE explain to me how you can confuse public intoxication with Autism?
While your explaining that, how about why they, the arresting officers, would not let him explain or call his mother.
This young man is a high functioning Autistic adult. If it had been you or me, would we have been arrested? Adults living with autism have enough to deal with.
I'm not saying he was singled out, just that the officers involved need to be better trained or prepared or something.
Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Inspector Barry Constantine stated the police are investigating this incident. What is there to investigate? The Police officers made a mistake and need to own up to it.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
RSS Feeds and ASP.Net
There is just SO much information out there, how do you keep track of it all???
I tell ya. I spent 2 days researching how to add RSS feeds to our site. If I used php, the options were everywhere. However, we use ASP.Net and that took a while to figure out the correct way of gathering the feeds.
It all started when I was looking into a feed about NASCAR news. A light went off and I thought "What a neat tool to add to the resource site." Well, I am happy to report and share the completed page and results.
As always, I will continue to update all with the site and new information we find.
Stay tuned!!
I tell ya. I spent 2 days researching how to add RSS feeds to our site. If I used php, the options were everywhere. However, we use ASP.Net and that took a while to figure out the correct way of gathering the feeds.
It all started when I was looking into a feed about NASCAR news. A light went off and I thought "What a neat tool to add to the resource site." Well, I am happy to report and share the completed page and results.
As always, I will continue to update all with the site and new information we find.
Stay tuned!!
Therapy Providers Site
One of the first things I worked on, beside the website it's self, was the Therapy Providers pages. I just knew there had to be an easier way to for families to find providers for their loved ones and I hoped it could be done with ASP.Net.
The site has been through many revisions and currently is about as nice as it has ever been.
The site is designed to allow the user to select the city, then the provider type they need. The types of providers we have include speech, occupational and physical.
We work very hard to keep the information updated and current but as I am sure many of you know, that is not always the case.
The main challenge on this site was the Master Page. Once I got it lined up correctly, the rest was cake.
I am very excited about the prospect of adding California and Nevada providers by the end of 2009.
The site has been through many revisions and currently is about as nice as it has ever been.
The site is designed to allow the user to select the city, then the provider type they need. The types of providers we have include speech, occupational and physical.
We work very hard to keep the information updated and current but as I am sure many of you know, that is not always the case.
The main challenge on this site was the Master Page. Once I got it lined up correctly, the rest was cake.
I am very excited about the prospect of adding California and Nevada providers by the end of 2009.
Autism Resource Foundation
The Autism Resource Foundation (ARF) was founded by Anthony Hale here in Phoenix, AZ in 2007. The foundation's goal is to provide resources and information to families and friends who have loved ones afflicted with Autism.
My name is Rob Waibel. I am the Chief Technology Officer and a close friend of Anthony. Anthony asked me to join ARF when he first got started and have been with him ever since. We know that in the face of adversity, people are able to accomplish things they never thought would be possible. We are all in this together and only together can we overcome the hold that autism has on our loved ones.
We believe that it all begins with the parents. Parents are and must be the driving force of our communities. The risks are too great and the issues too sacred to leave in the hands of those with outside interests.
We also believe that Autism is a treatable ailment. There are thousands of children that have improved dramatically and there many, many stories of recovery.
We hold these truths:
“Always Believe, Never Lose Faith and Keep Moving Forward.”
One of the projects I worked on is the Therapy Providers Program. It is a website that allows users to select the city where they live and lists the providers (approved by the state of AZ) for speech, occupational and physical therapies. As the ARF grows, I plan on expanding this to include all of North America.
This blog is a way for me to help and provide in site and I find it. There will be posts about our home site, www.AutismResourceFoundation.org, information we find, our Radio Show (Autism Talks every Sunday 5-6PM on KNFX 1100AM radio), as well thoughts about what is happening in the field of Autism Research.
My name is Rob Waibel. I am the Chief Technology Officer and a close friend of Anthony. Anthony asked me to join ARF when he first got started and have been with him ever since. We know that in the face of adversity, people are able to accomplish things they never thought would be possible. We are all in this together and only together can we overcome the hold that autism has on our loved ones.
We believe that it all begins with the parents. Parents are and must be the driving force of our communities. The risks are too great and the issues too sacred to leave in the hands of those with outside interests.
We also believe that Autism is a treatable ailment. There are thousands of children that have improved dramatically and there many, many stories of recovery.
We hold these truths:
- Belief breeds Inspiration
- Inspiration leads to Hope
- Hope drives Motivation
- Motivation creates a desire to seek Knowledge
- When Knowledge is applied, Change occurs
“Always Believe, Never Lose Faith and Keep Moving Forward.”
One of the projects I worked on is the Therapy Providers Program. It is a website that allows users to select the city where they live and lists the providers (approved by the state of AZ) for speech, occupational and physical therapies. As the ARF grows, I plan on expanding this to include all of North America.
This blog is a way for me to help and provide in site and I find it. There will be posts about our home site, www.AutismResourceFoundation.org, information we find, our Radio Show (Autism Talks every Sunday 5-6PM on KNFX 1100AM radio), as well thoughts about what is happening in the field of Autism Research.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)