Nonprofit Surfers Healing operates free day camps
COURTESY SHANEA ACEBAL
Alex Acebal, 8, rides the waves with Israel “Izzy” Paskowitz, founder of Surfers Healing, in San Diego last summer. Surfers Healing provides free surfing day camps for autistic children.
By Jeff Pope (contact)
Sat, Jun 20, 2009 (noon)
More info
For more information, contact Jennifer Tracy, camp coordinator, at (949) 370-1083 or go towww.surfershealing.org
The roar of the ocean surf lures thrill-seekers and adrenaline junkies to ride the waves. But many autistic children, like 8-year-old Alex Acebal of North Las Vegas, find the crashing waves a calming serenity to their normally jangled restlessness.
By the age of 3, Alex showed typical signs of autism such as failure to make eye contact, delay in learning to talk and throwing tantrums that went beyond the typical “terrible twos,” his mother, Shanea Acebal, said.
After being diagnosed with autism, Alex was enrolled in the school district’s autism program, but his parents were looking for other ways to break him out of his shell, his mother said.
Then she learned of Surfers Healing, a nonprofit foundation that runs free day camps for children with autism that allows them to ride a surfboard with a professional.
Israel “Izzy” and Danielle Paskowitz have run a for-profit surfing camp for 37 years. They started the Surfers Healing foundation and camp in 1999, after seeing the effect surfing had on their autistic son, Isaiah.
About 60 autistic children from the Las Vegas Valley are scheduled to attend the camp in San Diego on Aug. 5.
Many autistic children suffer from sensory overload. Simple sensations could overwhelm them, but for some reason, being on the water helped Isaiah to focus, Izzy Paskowitz said.
With Isaiah on the front of his surfboard, and his father steering from the back, the two spent the day surfing together.
“There’s something magical that happens that still, to this day, freaks me out,” he said. “It’s the surf of the ocean, but it’s really bigger than that.”
Now 18, Isaiah Paskowitz is surfing on his own and his behavior is stable enough to where he can be in public without having fits, his father said.
“I don’t think his behavior would be as consistent as it is now,” he said. “I know when he was in the water, that just helped him calm his nerves.”
Shanea Acebal saw a similar response in her son, Alex, though the first time at the camp was highly emotional for both mother and child.
“My son was screaming. He did not want to go into that ocean. He did not want to go with the surfer, and I was sobbing,” she said. “I was frightened for my son to see him crying.”
Alex’s mood did not change as he and the surfer paddled out over the waves to a spot beyond the breakers, where the water was placid.
They sat there for about 10 minutes and Alex showed he was no longer scared.
“We saw them paddling in and they were about to catch the wave. I saw my son’s face and he was smiling and he was excited. He was happy,” Shanea Acebal said. “When they came on the shore, he was calm, he was focused. Throughout the entire afternoon, he just sat still, which is very rare for a child with autism.”
More than 2,000 autistic children attend Surfers Healing camps on both coasts each year, Izzy Paskowitz said.
“Parents just have to let go and just let them try,” said Shanea Acebal, who helps the foundation organize Las Vegas families to attend. “There are parents who struggle on the beach and have a hard time seeing their child cry, but it’s worth it. If they try it once and they don’t like it, OK. But at least they tried it.”
Surfers Healing has teamed with Opportunity Village to raise money for the children with disabilities it serves locally and to provide autistic children the chance to attend the surfing camp.
The two charities are hosting a fundraiser from 3 to 9 p.m. on June 24 at Marie Callender’s, 600 E. Sahara Ave. Proceeds from a raffle will benefit Opportunity Village, and the restaurant will donate 15 percent of all sales to Surfers Healing.
This summer, Shanea and Alex Acebal will attend the camp for the sixth year.
Alex looks forward to surfing and on a recent family trip to Southern California, he was playing in the water and loving it, his mother said.
“He did ask, ‘Do we have a surfboard?’” she said. “He was in the water and he wasn’t scared.”
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Putting the Pieces of Autism Together, One Game of Fetch at a TimeRobin knew an assistance dog would help her son Braden, challenged with autism. She contacted several organizations that expected her to do a great deal of fundraising before receiving a dog.
"I had basically given up hope, then I learned that Canine Companions for Independence was training dogs for autistic children," says Robin.
Read how receiving free of charge (and free of fundraising requirements) Canine Companions assistance dog Camille has helped Braden put the pieces of autism together...
"I had basically given up hope, then I learned that Canine Companions for Independence was training dogs for autistic children," says Robin.
Read how receiving free of charge (and free of fundraising requirements) Canine Companions assistance dog Camille has helped Braden put the pieces of autism together...
The UNLV Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders is excited to announce the launch of our dynamic new website at www.asdcenter.org. The new site provides information on the CASD, our staff and activities, and some autism FAQs.
Additionally, you will find our Training Schedule for upcoming workshops and special events and be able to register online! The online registration feature will help streamline the registration process. You can register for all of our workshops on the new site and you will receive a confirmation email with the details of the workshop as soon as it is submitted.
The site also features many links to local and national resources for families and professionals on autism and Positive Behavior Supports.
We invite you to visit www.asdcenter.org today!
Shannon Crozier, Ph.D., BCBA
Associate Director
UNLV Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Department of Special Education
www.asdcenter.org
(702) 895-4162
Additionally, you will find our Training Schedule for upcoming workshops and special events and be able to register online! The online registration feature will help streamline the registration process. You can register for all of our workshops on the new site and you will receive a confirmation email with the details of the workshop as soon as it is submitted.
The site also features many links to local and national resources for families and professionals on autism and Positive Behavior Supports.
We invite you to visit www.asdcenter.org today!
Shannon Crozier, Ph.D., BCBA
Associate Director
UNLV Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders
Department of Special Education
www.asdcenter.org
(702) 895-4162
Parents Key In New Measure To Evaluate Language In Children With Autism
Science Daily (June 10, 2009) — A new parent questionnaire, developed at the University of Waterloo, will help health practitioners to more accurately gauge the acquisition of language skills in children with autism.
See also:
Health & Medicine
Children's Health
Infant's Health
Epilepsy Research
Mind & Brain
Child Development
Language Acquisition
Child Psychology
Reference
Autistic spectrum
Gluten-free, casein-free diet
Rett syndrome
Learning disability
The pioneering Language Use Inventory (LUI) is among a set of measures for evaluating spoken language development in children with autism spectrum disorders, recommended by an expert panel.
The experts' report, Defining Spoken Language Benchmarks and Selecting Measures of Expressive Language Development for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, appears in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. The report was commissioned by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
"This is very exciting news," said UW professor Daniela O'Neill, a developmental psychologist who created the LUI. "This report will be of tremendous help to researchers, clinicians and speech-language professionals involved in intervention with young children with autism and we are very proud to see the LUI included among the measures recommended for evaluating the efficacy of interventions that target spoken language."
The LUI is a standardized questionnaire that asks parents about their child's use of language in many different kinds of settings. Research from the Centers for Disease Control suggests the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders to be one in 150 children.
"The LUI looks at pragmatic language development which has do with how young children are able to use their language effectively and successfully in everyday interactions with other people in ways that are age-appropriate and typical," O'Neill explained. "For example, to ask for help, comment about noticeable things, tease, tell stories and give others information they might need. The pragmatics of language can be an area of great difficulty for children with autism."
Difficulty with learning language and communicating with others is often one of the first things that parents become concerned about. Parents have much valuable information to offer about their child's language use to professionals evaluating their child. "A parent has had the most experience watching their child try to use their language in a host of different settings and with many different people."
The LUI provides speech-language pathologists and researchers with a new tool to evaluate a young child's broad pragmatic use of language. As many as 14 per cent of preschool-age children in Canada and the U.S. may be at risk for language disorders.
The LUI is the product of more than eight years of research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The development of the inventory included a large-scale study in which more than 3,500 parents from across Canada completed the questionnaire describing their child's language ability.
"This study will help us understand unexplored ways of identifying language skills in children with autism," says Dr. Michael Kramer, Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. "Our support for the development of the Language Use Inventory helps keep us on the forefront of research on autism in young children. This research will also provide unprecedented insight into language acquisition in typically-developing Canadian children as well as those with communication disorders and other disabilities," said Dr. Kramer.
"The tremendous response we had from parents all across Canada has allowed us to provide norms for the LUI at every month from 18 to 47 months of age," O'Neill said. "We were amazed by how eager so many parents were to take part. I think the issue of how children learn language is just as fascinating to parents as to researchers and also many parents can relate to the anxiety of wondering if perhaps a child is experiencing language difficulties or may be falling significantly behind their peers."
The LUI allows a comparison of a child's score with children of the same age -- similar to height and weight charts used by family doctors.
Family practitioners in the Kitchener-Waterloo are involved in preliminary studies looking at its use in doctor's offices. "Both doctors and parents are enthusiastic about the possibility of learning more about how a child's language is progressing relative to peers of the same age through a friendly and easy-to-use questionnaire, such as the LUI."Michael
Autism affects 1 in every 150 children.....Care before you have to...
Science Daily (June 10, 2009) — A new parent questionnaire, developed at the University of Waterloo, will help health practitioners to more accurately gauge the acquisition of language skills in children with autism.
See also:
Health & Medicine
Children's Health
Infant's Health
Epilepsy Research
Mind & Brain
Child Development
Language Acquisition
Child Psychology
Reference
Autistic spectrum
Gluten-free, casein-free diet
Rett syndrome
Learning disability
The pioneering Language Use Inventory (LUI) is among a set of measures for evaluating spoken language development in children with autism spectrum disorders, recommended by an expert panel.
The experts' report, Defining Spoken Language Benchmarks and Selecting Measures of Expressive Language Development for Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders, appears in the June 2009 issue of the Journal of Speech, Language and Hearing Research. The report was commissioned by the National Institute of Deafness and Other Communication Disorders.
"This is very exciting news," said UW professor Daniela O'Neill, a developmental psychologist who created the LUI. "This report will be of tremendous help to researchers, clinicians and speech-language professionals involved in intervention with young children with autism and we are very proud to see the LUI included among the measures recommended for evaluating the efficacy of interventions that target spoken language."
The LUI is a standardized questionnaire that asks parents about their child's use of language in many different kinds of settings. Research from the Centers for Disease Control suggests the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders to be one in 150 children.
"The LUI looks at pragmatic language development which has do with how young children are able to use their language effectively and successfully in everyday interactions with other people in ways that are age-appropriate and typical," O'Neill explained. "For example, to ask for help, comment about noticeable things, tease, tell stories and give others information they might need. The pragmatics of language can be an area of great difficulty for children with autism."
Difficulty with learning language and communicating with others is often one of the first things that parents become concerned about. Parents have much valuable information to offer about their child's language use to professionals evaluating their child. "A parent has had the most experience watching their child try to use their language in a host of different settings and with many different people."
The LUI provides speech-language pathologists and researchers with a new tool to evaluate a young child's broad pragmatic use of language. As many as 14 per cent of preschool-age children in Canada and the U.S. may be at risk for language disorders.
The LUI is the product of more than eight years of research funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The development of the inventory included a large-scale study in which more than 3,500 parents from across Canada completed the questionnaire describing their child's language ability.
"This study will help us understand unexplored ways of identifying language skills in children with autism," says Dr. Michael Kramer, Scientific Director at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. "Our support for the development of the Language Use Inventory helps keep us on the forefront of research on autism in young children. This research will also provide unprecedented insight into language acquisition in typically-developing Canadian children as well as those with communication disorders and other disabilities," said Dr. Kramer.
"The tremendous response we had from parents all across Canada has allowed us to provide norms for the LUI at every month from 18 to 47 months of age," O'Neill said. "We were amazed by how eager so many parents were to take part. I think the issue of how children learn language is just as fascinating to parents as to researchers and also many parents can relate to the anxiety of wondering if perhaps a child is experiencing language difficulties or may be falling significantly behind their peers."
The LUI allows a comparison of a child's score with children of the same age -- similar to height and weight charts used by family doctors.
Family practitioners in the Kitchener-Waterloo are involved in preliminary studies looking at its use in doctor's offices. "Both doctors and parents are enthusiastic about the possibility of learning more about how a child's language is progressing relative to peers of the same age through a friendly and easy-to-use questionnaire, such as the LUI."Michael
Autism affects 1 in every 150 children.....Care before you have to...
Dear Autism Advocate,
We are ramping up our grassroots efforts for the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act and need your undivided attention and support on this issue!
You are receiving this email because you live in a state that has passed autism insurance reform at a state level. Congratulations on such an amazing achievement! However, our work is not yet done because some of our community's neighbors in your state have coverage and some still do not.
Through this piece of federal legislation, we have the opportunity to end autism insurance discrimination once and for all from coast to coast!
We need your help to do that by calling the following people each day this week!
Health insurance reform is the buzz phrase in Washington, DC right now. We need to generate thousands of calls to be sure that our children's needs for access to the treatments and therapies that will help them are being heard!
We are ramping up our grassroots efforts for the Autism Treatment Acceleration Act and need your undivided attention and support on this issue!
You are receiving this email because you live in a state that has passed autism insurance reform at a state level. Congratulations on such an amazing achievement! However, our work is not yet done because some of our community's neighbors in your state have coverage and some still do not.
Through this piece of federal legislation, we have the opportunity to end autism insurance discrimination once and for all from coast to coast!
We need your help to do that by calling the following people each day this week!
Health insurance reform is the buzz phrase in Washington, DC right now. We need to generate thousands of calls to be sure that our children's needs for access to the treatments and therapies that will help them are being heard!
WE DID IT !!!!!!!!!
Governor Gibbons signs AB 162 !
At approximately 9:30 am today, Governor Jim Gibbons signed into law AB 162, the Autism Insurance Reform Bill. It is a great day for all of our families living with autism in the State of Nevada.
A big thank you to all of the Legislators, and the Governor for making this happen! For believing in our cause, and for caring for our children. And a very special thank you to Assemblyman James Ohrenschall for standing with us all the way, and for having the guts to introduce this Bill when 6 months ago we were told “it has no chance”!! A huge thank you to the incredible people at Autism Speaks! We really couldn’t have done this without them. Their expertise, testimony, and incredible support through it all, made this day possible. And to you parents and families…..THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! Your ‘Big Beautiful Mouths” spoke, and they ALL listened!!
Hug your kids ! Have a celebration! And thank the Legislators and the Governor for their care and compassion for our kids.
WE LOVE YOU ALL !!
Ralph Toddre, Commissioner
1790 Vassar Street
Reno, Nevada 89502
775-322-4444
email: rtoddre@krnv.com
Mary Liveratti, Commissioner
Nevada Department of Health
and Human Services
Carson City, Nevada
775-684-4000
email: mliveratti@dhhs.nv.gov
Governor Gibbons signs AB 162 !
At approximately 9:30 am today, Governor Jim Gibbons signed into law AB 162, the Autism Insurance Reform Bill. It is a great day for all of our families living with autism in the State of Nevada.
A big thank you to all of the Legislators, and the Governor for making this happen! For believing in our cause, and for caring for our children. And a very special thank you to Assemblyman James Ohrenschall for standing with us all the way, and for having the guts to introduce this Bill when 6 months ago we were told “it has no chance”!! A huge thank you to the incredible people at Autism Speaks! We really couldn’t have done this without them. Their expertise, testimony, and incredible support through it all, made this day possible. And to you parents and families…..THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!!! Your ‘Big Beautiful Mouths” spoke, and they ALL listened!!
Hug your kids ! Have a celebration! And thank the Legislators and the Governor for their care and compassion for our kids.
WE LOVE YOU ALL !!
Ralph Toddre, Commissioner
1790 Vassar Street
Reno, Nevada 89502
775-322-4444
email: rtoddre@krnv.com
Mary Liveratti, Commissioner
Nevada Department of Health
and Human Services
Carson City, Nevada
775-684-4000
email: mliveratti@dhhs.nv.gov
Jan M. Crandy, Commissioner
3812 Ginger Creek
Las Vegas, Nevada 89108
702-595-2067
email: comservjan@cox.net
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