AHA MOMENTS

Recently, Dr. Rebecca Mullican along with one of her clients, had the joy to share their stories with the Aha Moment presented by Mutual of Omaha. Dr. Mullican shared about opening Jackson Autism Center while her client, Sabrina, shared about her daughter with autism and finding Jackson Autism Center.

Dr. Mullican’s Aha Moment

Dr. Mullican’s AHA moment- the object Dr. Mullican is holding in her hand at the beginning is a flying pig. This flying pig is special to her because a few of her students’ parents gave it to her as an end of the year present to symbolize that she helped teach their child things that they didn’t think would happen “until pigs fly.” Guess what? Pigs fly every day at Jackson Autism Center!

This is Sabrina, whose daughter attends JAC. She is making progress every day and it’s so exciting to see what she will say or do next! Even on a hard day, she can push through to show her potential!

Tattoos for Autism

An interesting way you can help families and individuals with autism this month is by getting a tattoo…Yes you read this correctly! Ink 4 autism allows you to find a tattoo shop near you that will donate a portion of the cost of your tattoo towards Autism Speaks during the month of April. You can also check out their Facebook page to see the ink people got. Happy inking!

Top 15 Special Education Blogs

This list of the top 15 special education blogs was brought to my attention yesterday on Facebook and I thought it was worth sharing. I found one of my favorite blogs on the list- PrAACtical AAC and can’t wait to look at the others. Wrisghtslaw is also a great site for understanding special education laws and parent’s rights!

Learning about Rett syndrome in “The Big Easy”

I am preparing for and getting excited about the 7th World Rett syndrome family conference next week, June 22-24, 2012, in New Orleans, Louisiana! For those of you who are not familiar, Rett syndrome is a developmental disorder that is diagnosed in 1 in 10,000 girls. A child with Rett syndrome will have a period of typical development, followed by a period of slower development or regression. Some signs of Rett syndrome are loss of communication skills and functional use of hands. Signs of Rett syndrome may be easily confused with autism. If you would like to learn more about Rett syndrome, you can learn more at the International Rett Syndrome Foundation:
http://www.rettsyndrome.org/

This year’s conference is especially exciting because it is the first time the United States has hosted this conference. The World Rett syndrome family conference will not only focus on medical issues, but also educational issues such as communication and learning. The following link will take you to the website if you want to learn more about the conference:
http://worldcongress.rettsyndrome.org/

UPDATE…The 7th World Rett syndrome congress provided a variety of information for parents and professionals alike! I was surprised to learn that characteristics of Rett syndrome vary widely from girl to girl. Another thing I learned was that Rett syndrome is not exclusively diagnosed in girls anymore, depending on the gene that is affected. It was a busy weekend with lots to learn from focuses from sleep patterns to reading to communication and sibling experiences.

How One Child with Autism Found Her Voice Using a Speech Generating Device

A friend recently brought a success story to my attention about the use of technology with a child who was considered to have severe autism who is now able to express herself by typing. Carly had no way to communicate until the age of 10 when she began by typing three simple words: help teeth hurt. She has written a book about her experiences that came out on March 27, 2012.

Here is a link to an additional article:
http://www.ctv.ca/CTVNews/Health/20080217/favaro_carly_080217/