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August 2011 |
Message: What OAR Means to Me and All of Usby Greg Smith
I am pleased to have an opportunity to talk about OAR. OAR provides practical information to the autism community by funding research studies that offer new insights into the development of individuals with autism, with an emphasis on education, social life, and employment. OAR has provided a wealth of information on this disability to educate parents about what they are dealing with and where they can get help. OAR’s information programs provide guidance on the best therapies and treatments for those living with autism. Of all the ways that OAR provides help to families, my personal favorites are the free publications and Web sites. In most cases, this information has served to open the eyes of parents and prepare them for what lays ahead. Rather than feeling isolated and beyond anyone else’s understanding, they realize that there is hope and assistance. Through its Life Journey through Autism series of guidebooks and Web site, OAR is also a resource for teachers and caregivers, a resource that sheds light on a very difficult and confusing condition. In sum, OAR is there to help the community move forward in dealing with this developmental disorder. Special Support for Military Families While I was on active duty, my daughter was born prematurely. A lot of caring people provided immeasurable help as my wife and I grappled with the many questions that we faced with our daughter’s issues, which later included autism. As I look back on those times, I feel very blessed. So, my involvement with OAR provides me an opportunity to give back a little of what I had been given in the way of support. OAR is fully aware and engaged in support of military families impacted by autism. We know that autism brings these families hardships in addition to the challenges that accompany military service. These hardships are manifested in many ways, including deployments that leave spouses on their own to handle parenting and other family issues that arise on the home front. Because they must live wherever they are sent, many military families do not have the support of their extended families. In spite of these and other hardships, our military families keep getting up each day and doing the best they can to take care of their families. There is a strong “sense of duty” and focus. I am honored to have been a member of this honorable profession and the people who have served and those who are still serving, and I am proud of OAR for recognizing the needs of military families and doing something to help them by creating the Web site, Operation Autism [www.operationautismonline.org], and delivering more than 6,000 copies of Life Journey through Autism: A Guide for Military Families to the military community in the past year. The Value of Supporting OAR For 20 years, it was my honor to serve our country. It is my honor today to serve families with autism through OAR. Perspectives
On Target: Reflections from the OAR "Family"
“The intervention that was developed with our OAR funding, Unstuck and On Target!, will be published by October, 2011,” says Laura Gutermuth Anthony, PhD, as she explains what OAR means to her. “OAR provided us with our first pilot funding for the intervention, which improves executive functioning abilities at school and at home. Our collaborators and I strongly believe in using the participatory process to develop this new intervention (i.e., including persons with ASD, their parents and teachers as collaborators in the development), and OAR understood how important this was.” In addition to looking forward to publication for that intervention, Dr. Anthony, Lauren Kenworthy, PhD, and their colleagues from the Ivymount School are running a larger randomized controlled trial for elementary students in mainstream public schools, a project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the Gudelsky Family Foundation. Dr. Anthony is a principal investigator in the Children's Research Institute in the Center for Neuroscience Research at the Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC, and an assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, pediatrics, at George Washington University. Dr. Anthony appreciates the role OAR plays in the autism research community “because of its focus on funding programs and providing resources that have an immediate impact on the quality of life for individuals with autism. It has a strong commitment to evidence-based practices, making OAR a trusted resource in the autism community.” She’s known about OAR since soon after it began and has, ever since, been passing on “OAR resources to families I serve, attended and presented at OAR conferences, and had our Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) Fellows complete advocacy rotations with OAR. Additionally, we have had OAR professionals present to our faculty and trainees at Children’s National Medical Center.” Read more about Unstuck and On Target!: An Executive Function Curriculum to Improve Flexibility and Goal Directed Behavior for Children with ASD, Research Edition.
Delight is not a word that comes up all that often when someone is describing a professional obligation, but that’s exactly the word Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D, uses to describe how she felt when she joined OAR’s Scientific Council five years ago. “I think OAR is fantastic, and I am so glad it exists! It serves so many functions -- for persons with autism, their family members, professionals, researchers, and advocates. It serves the entire community. Few organizations do so much at so many levels and for so many constituencies.” And she should know. She has been working as a behavior analyst serving people with autism for over 25 years. Currently a professor of education at Endicott College, where she directs the graduate programs in Applied Behavior Analysis and autism, she previously served as director of research and training and as clinical director of the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University for 16 years. “OAR funds have been used to fund some of the most clinically interesting research in autism in the past several years. Some of the most important work in our field was seeded by OAR, and some of those seeds have grown into enormous studies with tremendous implications,” she notes. “So many autism organizations have focused (importantly) on the bio-medical treatment of autism. OAR filled a unique niche of looking at real-world challenges faced by people with autism every day, and funded research to make a more immediate difference in how they live and learn.” She adds that OAR’s publications “translate the science into useable information that helps families and professionals to navigate the maze of autism,” and like all of OAR’s initiatives, as far as she is concerned, are developed and marketed with a great deal of energy and excitement that they will help families and others in the autism community. PROFILESurf’s Up: What A Day Riding the Waves Can Do It happens every summer. Families take their kids and head for the beach. Mom and Dad lounge under an umbrella while the kids play in the sand or splash in the waves. For families who have children with autism, though, a trip to the beach is often out of reach. Their child may not be able to handle the stimulation. Mom or Dad may not want their child to be gawked at. Or it may just be too much to try to do when a child has special needs.
It’s perfect in many ways, he points out, because when families attend a Surfers For Autism event, they are with other families who face the same challenges and issues they do. “No one stares. Everyone understands why your child is doing what he’s doing. The families get to share stories with each other, build lasting relationships, and enjoy themselves while they’re here,” he explains. Surfers For Autism President and Chief Operating Officer, Don Ryan, goes to the site of an event a few weeks before it happens and recruits not only volunteers and businesses to provide in-kind donations and services, he also scouts out resources for families with autism. Surfers For Autism provides an area where they can set up tables and provide information to the attending families. Beyond the Beach Party “We make sure that the kids go into the water feeling safe,” says Rossman, which is why the volunteers at that stage of the lesson are experienced at working with kids with autism. But, he adds, “we also let siblings volunteer to push the kids out into the water. So much attention is given to the child with autism, and sometimes siblings in families with a special needs child feel slightly overlooked, so being able to do this is unbelievably cool for a lot of the siblings who come to our events,” he notes. Surfers For Autism will take kids as young as four and see young adults with autism as old as 25 or 30 coming to events. “What we see is that the kids and young adults who participate gain a feeling of autonomy and independence. Maybe they are the first people in their families to surf or maybe they have never done anything on their own.” “You can see some kids standing up on the surfboards and looking around for a minute, as if they can’t believe mom, dad, or a therapist isn’t right next to them. And some kids come running up after, yelling, ‘I’m a surfer,’ and they haven’t talked for 24 months before that. We have heard that kids ask to go surfing after a day with us,” Rossman relates. Ryan finds his volunteers in his scouting trips, going to surf shops for experienced surfers and to other places to find a range of adults and young people to staff the event. Since it coordinated its first event in May 2008, the organization has sponsored 17 events, 10 in this surfing season, including its first event outside of Florida, in Tybee Island, Ga. Rossman estimates that between 3,000 and 3,500 kids and young adults and their families have taken part. Total Transformation Surfers For Autism isn’t just about surfing though. The organization has raised over $100,000 since its inception, and the funds go towards covering the cost of beach events. After the season, any funds left over are distributed to organizations that fund research and advocacy. The organization raises money through raffles and donations at each of its events and it also holds concerts, comedy club events, and other fundraisers during the off-season. The organization began at a surf club, where Ryan is a member, when a member talked about his brother with autism. Today, Surfers For Autism is staffed by Ryan, his wife, Kim, and Rossman, supported and led by a board, and kept going by several rafts of volunteers.
OAR NewsOAR Goes on the Road for Autism New Jersey Conference
OAR will sponsor the research track, which will include presentations by OAR-funded researchers. Audrey Blakeley-Smith, PhD, will discuss her research on peer-mediated intervention for school-aged children. Laura Anthony, PhD, and Lauren Kenworthy, PhD, will describe their research using an intervention to improve flexibility, goal setting, and planning for students with autism at home and at school. Carol Schall, PhD, will address positive behavior supports as they apply to adults with autism in the workplace. In addition to these speakers, three members of OAR’s Scientific Council will also present. Scientific Council Chairman Peter Gerhardt, EdD, will speak about the use of evidence-based practices with adolescents and adults. Joanne Gerenser, PhD, CCC-SLP, will discuss the role of speech language pathologists in managing behavior in her presentation. Mary Jane Weiss, PhD, will be speaking about the ethics of Applied Behavior Analysis. “When we decided to take our educational outreach on the road, we looked for autism organizations with established, highly regarded conferences and values that matched OAR’s. Autism New Jersey was first on our list,” says OAR Executive Director Mike Maloney. “OAR and Autism New Jersey share and are vested in the same values and educational mission. From OAR’s perspective, this is a program commitment and an investment in established excellence more than a sponsorship.” Learn more about the Autism New Jersey 29th Annual Conference and register on the Autism New Jersey Web site.
OAR is excited to announce Maximizing Success: Using Task Sequence for Independence, the second seminar in the Maximizing Success series with Behavioral Directions, LLC, introduced in April. Jane Barbin, PhD, BCBA, and Jamie Bassos, MS, BCBA, will present information to parents and professionals that can be used immediately to increase independence in children with autism in school and at home. This workshop will cover how to break down task sequences (e.g., daily living skills, chores, leisure skills, morning/night routines, full day schedules) into component parts to establish skills and increase independence using chaining methods across the life span. Dr. Barbin and Bassos will review prompting and prompt fading and also incorporate an interactive exercise to reinforce the learning objectives. Attendees will leave with strategies they can use immediately. This seminar is appropriate for parents, educational staff, and professionals. Eligible participants can receive BACB Type 2 credits for attending this event. For a practical “how to” session related to independence, please join OAR and Behavioral Directions, LLC, on October 3 from 6:00-8:00 at the Fairlington Community Center in Arlington, Va. The cost is $15.00, which helps defray the expenses for the sandwiches and refreshments OAR provides. Visit OAR’s Web site for more information and to register.
“It is to military service members and federal employees what the United Way is to people who work in the private sector,” says Mike Maloney, OAR executive director. “They and employees in comparable state campaigns have generously supported autism research and OAR to the tune of $200,000 to $300,000 annually for the past five years.” With the United States involved in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 10 years, most Americans have an appreciation for the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform. Military personnel and the people who serve in our federal government perform vital tasks every day in the service of our country. Many serve in harm’s way in faraway places, while many more work to ensure those deployed have the food, supplies, and equipment they need to accomplish their mission. Here in the United States, countless federal workers in agencies ranging from the EPA and FDA to the CDC and NIH are working to make our country healthy and safe every day. Despite the demands of their missions or jobs, they go above and beyond to give even more each year through the CFC. Last year, members of the U.S. military services and federal employees around the world pledged $119,243 to OAR, but OAR’s workplace campaign success did not end with the CFC. Employees in several state and municipal charitable drives and others in private corporate workplace campaigns contributed more than $71,000, resulting in a total of $193,500 in CFC/workplace campaign pledges last year. OAR will receive these funds in monthly distributions over the next year and will use them immediately to support its ongoing research and information programs. “The donations we receive through the CFC significantly increase our capacity to deliver quality information and resources to the people who need them,” says Maloney. “For example, in just the past year, we have put more than 5,000 copies of Life Journey through Autism: A Guide for Military Families into the hands of parents, military medical professionals, and Exceptional Family Member Program staff.” OAR participates as a national charity as a member of the Health and Medical Research Charities of America federation. OAR has once again met all the qualifying standards for the CFC this year and will participate in the campaign this fall. To qualify for the CFC, a charity must apply and meet a series of standards each year. Principal among these is to have a ratio of expenses to revenues of less than 25 percent and to be eligible nationally to demonstrate viable program services in at least 15 states in the past three years. OAR met the 15-state requirement eight years ago and has a qualifying ratio of 15.6 percent for this year’s CFC campaign. “OAR has earned a reputation for being an excellent steward of the funds it receives,” says Maloney. “We are very proud of that.” In 2005, OAR received the Independent Charities Seal of Excellence, and in 2009, earned Charity Navigator’s 4-star rating, symbolic of an efficient, well-managed charity. As reported in last month’s issue of The OARacle, Great Nonprofits just recognized OAR as one of America’s Top-Rated Health Nonprofits. The Seal of Excellence is awarded to the members of Independent Charities of America (ICA) and Local Independent Charities of America that have, upon rigorous independent review, been able to certify, document, and demonstrate on an annual basis that they meet the highest standards of public accountability, program effectiveness, and cost effectiveness. Charity Navigator is the largest and most utilized, independent evaluator of charities in the U.S. Its 4-star rating signifies that the charity “exceeds industry standards and outperforms most charities in its Cause.” Only about 25 percent of charities they review receive 4 stars. For more information on OAR’s participation in the CFC or state and local charitable campaigns, please contact Mike Maloney at OAR.
OAR is looking for volunteers to review Life Journey through Autism: Navigating the Special Education System, the newest publication in its Life Journey through Autism series. “The external review by parents and professionals is an essential component of our process,” says Mike Maloney, OAR executive director. “The feedback and insights we receive greatly influence both the substance and style of our guides and have been key to the success and utility of these resources.” The guide is intended to better inform and empower parents of children with autism as they advocate for their children’s educational rights and needs. More specifically, this guide:
OAR invites interested parents and professionals to read this guide and give us feedback. If you are interested, please contact Allison Gilmour, director of programs and community outreach, at 703-243-9762 or e-mail her at agilmour@researchautism.org.
As the summer winds down, so does another OAR summer internship cycle. This year, OAR expanded the program to three interns, Jayne Blumenthal, Nichole Holladay, and Michelle Kuhn. “I’m not sure how I functioned without them,” notes Allison Gilmour, director of programs and community outreach. “Each one did a great job becoming part of the OAR team, and each contributed greatly during their time here.” In the past ten weeks, all three have completed impressive projects. Each had a major project or task to work individually as well as team tasks writing research summaries and identifying resources for military families impacted by autism. What’s Up with Nick? A Kid’s Introduction to Autism OAR Brochure Redesign Life Journey through Autism: Navigating the Special Education System Research Summaries Thanks to these summaries, anyone will now be able to easily understand the studies OAR has funded and understand how the findings and outcomes can be used in day-to- day life. Operation Autism Resources Kuhn, Holladay, and Blumenthal searched far and wide by phone and the Internet to identify providers who fit this criterion. They updated the Web site with this additional information, significantly enhancing the utility of the resource directory. With all of these accomplishments, this summer’s interns have left a lasting mark on OAR. Not only did they contribute greatly to the existing programs at OAR, they helped to create new resources for parents and educators. They brought enthusiasm and professionalism beyond their age to the OAR office. We’re sad to see them go, but excited to have had them on the OAR team and eager to see where life takes them as they finish college and move on to their professional careers. News from the Autism CommunityHealth and Human Services Agency Introduces Online Guide to Therapies As parents of children with autism know, the world is full of therapies and interventions claiming to be legitimate. Unfortunately, many of these products and services have no research proving their efficacy. Spending time and money on therapies that do not work is wasteful for parents and can hinder or hurt a child’s progress. Until recently, parents had to search for evidence-based interventions and therapies on their own. Now, at long last, the federal government has stepped in to offer a practical reference. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), recently developed the downloadable guide Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Review of the Research for Caregivers. This resource looks at commonly used therapies, identifies those therapies that are research based, and presents suggestions to caregivers. Written in easy to understand language and available as an audio download, this guide is particularly useful for parents of children just diagnosed with autism. Download the guide.
At the meeting, the IACC announced that wandering was added to the diagnostic code for an autism diagnosis. For many parents, this is welcome news, because it recognizes a very real aspect of autism and at the same time helps highlight the safety issues attendant to wandering. Notable among the professionals who presented their research was Paul Shattuck, PhD, an OAR-funded researcher from Washington University, St. Louis, who presented his findings in “ASD Outcomes in Adulthood.” Unfortunately, the data he presented on services after high school paints a grim picture, illuminating the need for increased adult services. Dr. Shattuck found that 80 percent of adults with autism live at home with their parents. Of adults with autism, 33 percent are not pursuing further education or a career. In another important presentation, Ari Ne’eman, president and co-founder of the Autistic Self Advocacy Network and a member of the IACC, highlighted the issue of bullying for people with autism. If bullying prevents a student with autism from accessing the general classroom, he pointed out, it can be interpreted as a violation of the student’s free and appropriate education (FAPE) in the least restricted environment (LRE) as required by law. In these cases, he said, bullying prevention and self-advocacy should be added to Individualized Education Programs (IEPs). Watch a recording of the entire IACC meeting. How-To10 Steps to Understanding and Writing a Functional Behavior Assessment
When students with autism exhibit undesirable behaviors or act out in ways that are not acceptable, most schools have processes for addressing situations that are serious on their face or have not resolved within the context of standard classroom practices. As part of such processes, teachers or others at the school may be asked to write a functional behavior assessment (FBA). FBAs are being included more and more in IEPs. If you haven’t written one before, the prospect of doing so can be a little intimidating. And, if you aren’t familiar with what an FBA is and what it is intended to do, you’ll have a difficult time contributing to the process effectively. Whether you are a teacher, supporting team member, or parent, these 10 steps can help: 1. A functional behavior assessment is just what the title says.
2. Define the undesirable behavior in clear and descriptive terms. 3. Start with data to determine the function. First, you can use the Functional Analysis Screening Tool (FAST). Google it. Copy the form, and give it to each person who works with the child. Then compile the results. It’s a quick and easy questionnaire that gives a lot of information about possible functions of the behavior. The second method for obtaining descriptive data is to complete an ABC (antecedent, behavior, consequence) chart. These are very easy to create or you can download a chart from the Internet. An ABC chart records the antecedent (what happens right before the behavior). It also states what the behavior looks like in detail (i.e. hitting and kicking instead of "tantrum”). The “C” in ABC stands for consequence -- what happens directly after the behavior. For example, if a child hits you and you yell at them, the consequence was yelling. If a person screams at recess and his or her classmates walk away from them, the consequence is other people leaving. By looking at and combining the data from these and other sources, one can categorize various antecedents and consequences in order to determine the possible function. For example, you might realize that every time the child is asked to do work, he rips paper. Or, if a child is having a tantrum, his mom stops doing her chores and comes to hug and comfort the child. Possibly, the child is using the tantrum to get that hug. 4. Determine the function of the behavior
5. Match the function with your intervention If a function of a behavior is to make the work go away, and the student gets sent to time out, then screaming worked. The student got out of my work just like she wanted to. If the consequence decided upon doesn’t match the function, then the behavior will not only most likely not decrease, but there is a chance that the undesirable behavior will actually increase. To address this, move on to Step 6. 6. Teach a replacement behavior If you stop the child from running out of the room without teaching a replacement behavior, the child might start going to the bathroom in his pants again. If you want him to ask to use the bathroom, it must be taught. Maybe the child can verbally say “bathroom,” or use a sign to tell you bathroom or maybe a picture exchange. 7. Explain FBA procedures to all involved parties to keep consistency. 8. Expect an extinction burst. When Mom adopts a new strategy to change the child’s expectations, the child will keep trying the old behavior, and maybe even worse behaviors, to see if anything else will work to get what she wants. This extinction burst does not mean that the plan is not working. Stay consistent, and give the intervention time to produce the desired behavior. 9. Gather data. 10. Review data and adjust as necessary. It is a fluid document. An FBA provides teachers, administrators, parents, and others with information about why a person is exhibiting a behavior, and what can be done to teach other more productive behaviors. Writing an FBA can be a very challenging task and should be done by people with a background in behavior analysis as well as knowledge of the student and environment. Applying ResearchThe Power of the Positive: A Study Examines the Importance of Attitude A 2010 journal article highlighted a research study that supports the underlying importance of manner and attitude by medical professionals. The study, “A Strength-Based Approach to Parent Education for Children With Autism” by Amanda Mossman Steiner, PhD, from the Yale Child Study Center, reminds professionals how important their demeanor can be while working with families. Dr. Steiner studied three families of young children taking part in a parent education program. The parents received the same content instruction, but the instructor changed her approach to speaking about the child depending on the session. In the first approach, the instructor spoke positively about the child’s strengths. In the second, the instructor phrased comments about the child more negatively or focused on skill deficits. Study participants received both types of instruction. After receiving strength-based instruction, parents made more positive statements regarding their children, showed more physical affection, and had a happier general affect. When the instructor made more negative comments focusing on deficits, parents made more negative statements, showed less physical affections, and had a less happy general affect. While this study did not make any conclusions regarding children’s progress based on instructor approach, its implication is clear. Happier, more positive parents are more receptive to the advice of professionals and take a more positive approach to their children when dealt with in a factual but upbeat manner. Other studies have shown parents with a positive approach to children with disabilities are more involved and active with interventions. For professionals, the take away from the study is to remember that how they speak about children to parents can have significant consequences. Therapists and teachers often talk about positive behavior supports and using positive behavior during therapy or school, but this mindset also needs to extend to parent education and discussing children with their parents. Reference Steiner, Amanda Mossman. (2010). A Strength-Based Approach to Parent Education for Children With Autism. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions. 13(3). 178-190. News from the RUN FOR AUTISMDon’t Delay…Register Today to Join OAR for the MCM 10K
If you join OAR’s executive director, Mike Maloney, for this fun run, you’ll head from the National Mall across the Rochambeau Memorial Bridge into Virginia, then along the Potomac River past the Pentagon and Arlington Cemetery. Your final incline leads to an inspiring finish in front of the world famous Marine Corps War Memorial and a finishers' chute lined with uniformed Marines. Don’t just sign up by yourself. Get your family, friends, and coworkers in on the fun. OAR’s 10K runners will receive the new race singlet, fundraising support from the RUN FOR AUTISM staff, a complimentary invitation to the Runners’ Recognition Dinner the night before the race, race-day support and festivities at OAR’s tent in the Charity Village, and finally and most important, the unique OAR Finisher’s Medal. Don’t wait—registration is expected to close in August! Register today then join the OAR team at FirstGiving.com. RUN FOR AUTISM team members participating in the Marine Corps Marathon 10K have a $250 fundraising minimum. Contact Chelsea Steed at run@researchautism.org for more information.
OAR’s RUN FOR AUTISM staff team is looking forward to its fall races! With a stacked schedule complete with the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Half Marathon, the Chicago Marathon, and the Marine Corps Marathon and 10K, who wouldn’t be? Even if you aren’t a runner, you can be part of the team. We have the runners, the races, and the staff support, but we need help come the race weekends. If you want to enjoy the RUN FOR AUTISM experience, why not volunteer? Your options include some great get-away weekend destinations: Philadelphia, September 16-18: Grab a cheesesteak, shop in the Reading Market, and meet RUN Coordinator Sean Flynn at the Rock ‘n’ Roll Philadelphia Health and Fitness Expo on Friday, September 16, between 11 p.m. and 6 p.m. or Saturday, September 17, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Or, help us award the unique OAR finisher’s medals at the OAR tent in the Charity Village on Sunday, September 18, from 6 a.m. to 12 p.m. Chicago, October 7-9: Join us in Chicago for the Chicago Marathon Health & Fitness Expo and the Marathon. It’s an experience second to none. With over 175 exhibitors, it is sure to be a fun and fast-paced environment. That is why OAR is looking for volunteers to help us at the RUN FOR AUTISM exhibit booth on Friday, October 7, from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, October 8 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Chicago’s Charity Village on race day is second to none, and OAR’s race day finish line celebration ranks with the best. Join us on Sunday, October 9, for the fun and festivities as our runners return from their 26.2 mile run. We have volunteer requirements starting as early as 9 a.m. and running in shifts until 3 p.m. Washington, DC, October 27-30. Having problems figuring out what to be for Halloween? Why not dress up as an OAR volunteer and volunteer with the RUN FOR AUTISM staff at the Marine Corps Marathon the last weekend in October? OAR is looking for help at race expo at the D.C. Armory on Thursday, October 27, from 4-8 p.m.; Friday, October 28, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Saturday, October 30, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. On Sunday, join us at the OAR tent in Charity Village, just yards away from the finish line and the Marine Corps War Memorial beginning as early as 6 a.m. with shifts until 3:30 p.m. Volunteers will help OAR staff members represent the organization, field questions from Expo attendees, recruit future runners, and hand out literature. Shifts last two to three hours and times are flexible. OAR provides every volunteer with a free RUN FOR AUTISM t-shirt and offers community service letters for any volunteer’s school credit. If you are interested in helping the cause at one of these awesome races, please e-mail the RUN staff at run@researchautism.org. See you soon!
The Chevron Houston Marathon and Aramco Houston Half Marathon are being held January 15, 2012. For the seventh year in a row, OAR is an official charity in the Run for a Reason program. Race organizers are expecting their largest event in the marathon’s 40-year history with over 28,000 participants. In fact, both races have already sold out. The good news is that OAR has charity entries still available. Sign up today to run with the RUN FOR AUTISM team in either the Chevron Houston Marathon or Aramco Houston Half Marathon. All team members have access to complimentary hospitality and gear check on race day as well as fundraising and training support from the RUN FOR AUTISM staff as soon as they sign up. To Raise Money, Fund Research, and Change Lives as a member of OAR’s RUN FOR AUTISM – Houston team, e-mail Sean Flynn at sflynn@researchautism.org, visit OAR’s Web site, or call 703-243-9712.
Sean Flynn’s new job allows him to combine his love for sports with his need to make a difference. That’s why, since July 11, he’s been happily settling in as OAR’s newest RUN FOR AUTISM coordinator. “I wanted to work in the field of endurance events and OAR offered that along with being able to work for a great cause,” he explains. Originally from West Palm Beach, Fla., he came to OAR from internships in Orlando. Most recently, he interned with the Central Florida Sports Commission where he worked directly with county event managers to assist in operations and management of sporting events throughout Central Florida. Before that he worked with the Amateur Athletic Union, assisting in all pre-production, production, and post-production needs for The 2010 AAU Boys Basketball National Championships and Fall Classic. After graduating from the University of Central Florida with a bachelor’s degree in sport and fitness, Flynn enjoyed learning the business side of sports in those internships. “I was a middle school history teacher for two years in West Palm Beach after graduation, but that was not my passion so I made a career change.” “I gained valuable experience during my internships in the management and logistics of athletic events as well as the business/financial side.” He hopes to put that experience to work at OAR, “building the RUN FOR AUTISM program into a major charity program in the running community.” He’s grateful, he says, for his new co-workers. “They have made this transition into a new career and a new city very easy.” PUTTING THE FUN IN FUNDRAISINGA Can-Do Spirit Propels Heather Easley Toward Chicago
Heather Easley is not a career marathon runner. She’s not a professional fundraiser. But she is determined, creative, and connected to a generous group of neighbors, friends, and family, in other words, everything she needs to be part of the RUN FOR AUTISM. In February, she signed up to run the Chicago Marathon for OAR this coming October. “I knew I would need to raise money so a friend who has done this before told me I should look on the Internet.” Companies donate in-kind products and services for individuals who are fundraising. Easley dove in and signed up at a number of sites and then promptly forgot all about it. Up, Up and Away Hmm, she thought, these would make great raffle prizes. But she didn’t want to raffle off just the tickets so she sat down with her husband and made a list of businesses in the town where they live, Springfield, Ill. Easley set off to ask each one for donations. “Most places were happy to give me something. A few said I had to write to company headquarters or talk to someone else.” She ended up with a variety of donated items for the raffle, including homemade items donated by friends and family. She and her supporters began selling raffle tickets to everyone they knew. As she considered her trove of raffle items, Easley decided that throwing a party would be a perfect way to end the raffle and raise even more money. She posted the party date, July 30, and location on various community calendars and the free community newspaper and anywhere else she could think of that was free. She lined up a local bar to have the party in, another donation thanks to a family connection. She asked her local grocery store, Walmart, and Target for gift cards and used those for food and party supplies. A local TV station had her on the morning news to promote the party. That evening, about 25 people showed up and many of them bought raffle tickets. Others, says Easley happily, just gave her a contribution. At the end of the evening, she had raised $800, putting out exactly $0.40 of her own money, in addition to time and effort. And she wouldn’t have spent that much but she forgot to calculate tax on a meat tray for the party. Her total fundraising goal is $2,000 and she’s raised $974 so far. A Girl Named Abby Easley started running because she wanted to get back in shape, setting a goal two years ago to run a marathon by the time she was 30. “I figured two years would give me time to get in good enough shape for the marathon.” Soon after Abby was diagnosed, Easley found the Chicago Marathon. “I knew then that I would run for an organization that is connected to autism. I saw OAR on the list and when I read about it, it seemed perfect.” Easley believes that there is nothing special about her decision to run a marathon or her fundraising efforts. “If I can do it, you can do it.” She didn’t know anything about running a marathon, wasn’t connected to OAR, and didn’t really know what her fundraising plan was going to be. “But once I decided to run a marathon, I made a plan and it’s gotten me this far. When I’m 70, I’ll be able to say I ran the Chicago Marathon.” You can find out more about Easley or donate to her RUN FOR AUTISM on her FirstGiving page. |
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“It’s a total transformation for many of our volunteers as they see the impact this has on families,” observes Rossman. “You know how self-absorbed a lot of teenagers can be? When they come to help us, it just turns them around. One of our volunteers canceled her Sweet 16 party to be at one of our events.”
The Combined Federal Campaign (CFC), the federal government’s annual charitable campaign and one of OAR’s greatest sources of support, kicks off in September. 
On Tuesday July 19, the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee (IACC) convened in Bethesda, Md., for a full committee meeting. The IACC brings together autism professionals, parents, and self-advocates in this forum semi-annually to develop recommendations regarding autism for the federal government. This committee plays a role in determining where federal dollars are spent in autism research.
Stars and energy bars, water bottles and river views, Marines and memorials, fun and fundraising…Those are just a few reasons to join OAR for the Marine Corps Marathon 10K on October 30. 
The U.S. Olympic Committee will hold the 2012 U.S. Olympic Marathon Team Trials in Houston on Saturday, January 14, 2012. Join OAR’s RUN FOR AUTISM – Houston team, and you could be running the same streets as the best endurance runners in America the next day. 
