The 2011 March Break Reimbursement Fund is available to Ontario families who either retain the services of a one-to-one support worker or pay for a March Break camp or program for their child/youth with ASD.

Maximum reimbursements of $400, per child or youth, (18 years or younger) will be made to help subsidize services purchased between March 14-18, 2011.

The deadline for all applications is January 17, 2011, no exceptions. Reimbursement will be made based on random selection.

The 2010 March Break Reimbursement Fund is available to Ontario families who either retain the services of a one-to-one support worker or pay for a March Break camp/program for their child/youth with ASD.

Call 519 250 9410 to register for this interactive workshop led by Heather Shanahan and Lise Weston. The evening will help parents who have children with autism by providing valuable ideas and resources for recruiting and training a respite provider or in home worker.  Parents will have the opportunity to create a profile of their child, discuss ideas with other parents and focus on what skills are needed to support their child.

If you live in Canada, the Northeastern United States, the Great Lakes area, or beyond, you will not want to miss this conference from Autism One, Autism Canada and the University of Toronto's Dalla Lama School of Public Health.  The 2 day main conference will be held Saturday, October 31 and Sunday, November 1, preceded by a 1 day training program for practitioners on Friday, October 30. This conference features two dozen of the most highly respected names in the field of autism.  Read the attached flyer for more information.

Please use this form to complete hours for Autism proof of service.

There has been much debate about the link between giving children vaccines and the onset of autism spectrum disorder.  Read this article to see the latest research indicating that this is a myth that should be discarded.

HEALTH CONCERNS: SOLVING TWO PUZZLES  (Reprint from the Globe and Mail, Jan. 27, 2009)

Dual diagnosis TRALEE PEARCE From Tuesday's Globe and Mail

For Tammy Kliewer, learning that her two-year-old son Tavish had autism felt like solving a major puzzle. He had been non-verbal and "very much in a world of his own" his whole young life.

Yet the diagnosis didn't explain his other behaviour: complete meltdowns, violently banging his head and biting his arms. "We could do nothing but restrain him when he went into a meltdown," said Ms. Kliewer from her home in Barrie, Ont.

It can be challenging to have someone else come into your home on a regular basis and care for your child. This free online resource was designed to assist you in searching out a respite worker that is a good fit with your family, and compiling information they need to best support your child and how you can help provide training.

Module Outline:

Respite Care: People with Autism
This course has been designed to provide training for people who are providing "hands on" respite care to individuals who have autism. In this self-paced online course you will learn about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and understand how people with ASD experience the world.

Price: $20.00

Course Outline:

AUTISM: THE MUSICAL counters todays bleak statistics with one womans optimistic pledge to lead a group of autistic children in defying diagnosed expectations by writing, rehearsing and performing their own full-length musical.

Following five Los Angeles children over the course of six months, director Tricia Regan captures the struggles and triumphs of their family lives and observes how this musical production gives these performers a comfort zone in which they can explore their creative sides.