Just a few ideas!

SUMMER CAMPS AND SOCIAL IDEAS   Here are some ideas for socialization for our children.  Please remember to search your area for the same opportunities. Boys Scouts of America National Council- http://www.scouting.org  go to   4-H USA- http://www.4-h.org go to 4-H Exchanges Special Olympics- http://www.specialolympics.org/Special+Olympics+Public+Website/default.htm  go to FIND A LOCATION Girl Scouts- http://www.girlscouts.org go to  FIND A COUNCIL Youth Theatre's in your area Church Youth Group Swimming Classes- Check with your local YMCA Art Camps - check with local Art Association Summer Library Reading Programs Children's Museums Check out events Zoo Camp- Springfield, Illinois  Henson Robinson Zoo Call 217-753-6217 Computer Camp-  Springfield, Illinois- www.novasolutions.com or call 217-744-1500. Ceramic Classes- Summer Camps offered. Chatham, Illinois Painter's Paradise  217-697-4839 UCP- www.ucpll.org Summer Camps for Children who have any type of disability-Contact (217) 525-6522 Lincoln Memorial Garden and Nature Center- Summer Ecology Camp 217-529-1111  Contact Betsy Irwin ________________________________________________________________________________ MELTDOWNS AFTER SCHOOL   This is something that I learned the hard way when Michael was in grade school.  After school, I would do what most mothers do when their children walk in the door. I would ask Mike, with a big smile on my face,” How was your day at school"?  Everyday the same thing would happen.  Mike would start to tell me about his day, and before long he was starting to twitch, get anxious and have a complete meltdown.   Finally, I realized that every time I asked him about his day, he would re-live the entire day.  This would include all the sensory overload, conversations and difficulties that he had at school.  So, I decided to give something a try.  The next time Mike walked in the door, I said, "Put your book bag down and go chill out in your room.  I will bring you something to eat".  Believe it or not, this took care of most afterschool meltdowns.  ________________________________________________________________________________ PROBLEMS HANDLING MONEY      A lot of our young adults seem to have a problem handling money.  I just wanted to let you know that there are many prepaid visa cards offered through local banks so that your young adult can't over draft on their accounts. You can load money from your credit, debit, or saving account.  You can even set up a regular, automatic transfers to give an allowance. Some banks even accepts direct deposit from parents' and teens' employers. This is a great learning tool.  I obtained something very similar to this for Michael though our bank about 1 year ago.  It has worked great !!!!!!  _________________________________________________________________________   NEW DRIVERS   We also learned through our insurance company that they offer a free camera to have installed in all new drivers (16 year olds) cars for one year.  It is called Teen Safe Drivers.  This sounds like a nightmare for most teenagers, but this camera has worked great for a learning tool for Michael.  The camera takes a video when the driver does something wrong.  If they are speeding, hit a curb, take a corner to fast, swirved to miss something or come to close to the car infront of them, the camera takes a short video on what happened 10 seconds before and after the incident. If they are talking on the phone, messing with the radio, or just not paying attention, it shows up with a brief description.    The video goes directly to your home computer where you can pull it up in your spare time.  It does not go to the insurance company.  This is just for your information and how you want to handle it.  Mike and I sit down a couple times a week to view together and go over how he could of handled the situation better.  It even has a weekly report card that is sent to your email. _________________________________________________________________________   ANIMAL LOVERS   For everyone that has young adults with Asperger Syndrome that love and respect animals, volunteering at your local APL might be something that you might want to consider.  It is something that you and your young adult could do together, it looks good on a future job application, you can gain personal references, develop socialization skills, as well as help many animals get the love that they deserve.  You as a parent or caregiver need to decide if this would be something that would work for your family.   __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Thank you!  Diana Noble President of the Asperger Syndrome Support and Awareness of Central Illinois