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Water Sports Day Camp
DREAM Adaptive Recreation is hosting their annual Water Sports Day Camp from 11am-6pm daily, Tuesday July 23rd through Thursday, July 25th at Echo Lake in Bigfork. Open to children and adults with disabilities, the Water Sports Day Camp features adaptive water skiing, tubing, wake boarding, boat rides and kayaking. Participants need no experience as staff and volunteers will help make this free event fun and memorable. A barbecue lunch will also be provided free of charge each day.
Training dates prior to the camp for volunteers include dry land and water training on Echo Lake on Monday, July 22nd beginning at 1pm. To volunteer or participate, please call DREAM Executive Director Cheri DuBeau at (406) 862-1817 for more details. A participant application can be downloaded on the DREAM website, www.DreamAdaptive.org.
Group for Teenage Boys
Teenage boys with Asperger Disorder, Pervasive Development Disorder or who otherwise have high functioning autism are encouraged to attend weekly social meetings in Kalispell. Facilitated by Cindy Grossman, the group is open to males 14-18 years of age or enrolled in high school. Some of the topics the group will explore are living with a social-cognitive disorder, employment, bullying, conflict resolution, dating & relationships, teen social skills and mental health issues. There is a maximum of 8 participants in the group and an interview is required with the teen and involved parents to evaluate motivation, willingness and appropriateness for the group. The group meets at the Eastside Brick building at 723 5th Avenue East in Kalispell. For more information, call Cindy Grossman at (406) 752-1237 or email grossmancindy@yahoo.com.
Sensory-Friendly Movie Night
The NW Montana Chapter is teaming up with the Glacier Pilot Club to host a Sensory-Friendly Movie Night at the CineMark Theaters (formerly Signature Theaters) in Kalispell. Details are still being worked out with the new owners of the theater, but plans include having a movie showing with the theater lights up, the volume lowered substantially and at least one intermission. Outside food will be allowed in for those with special diets and people on the spectrum will be encouraged to get up and move around as needed. We will provide details as they become available.
Congratulations, Miss Montana 2012!
Congratulations to Alexis Wineman, Miss Montana 2012. Her platform, "Normal is Just a Dryer Setting: Living with Autism" sums up her struggle with living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder. For more information about her great work educating people about autism, click here.
Spread the Word
When they were originally introduced, the terms “mental retardation” or “mentally retarded” were medical terms with a specifically clinical connotation; however, the pejorative forms, “retard” and “retarded” have been used widely in today’s society to degrade and insult people with intellectual disabilities. Additionally, when “retard” and “retarded” are used as synonyms for “dumb” or “stupid” by people without disabilities, it only reinforces painful stereotypes of people with intellectual disabilities being less valued members of humanity.
Click on the banner to sign a pledge to end the use of the R-word.
Joel's Gift of Hope
I parked at the Alzheimer’s center where my mother-in-law lived
and paused, saying the quickest of prayers. I glanced at my
11-year-old son, Joel, in the backseat. He was totally absorbed in
the photo album he had insisted on bringing along. Joel has autism,
and although I had reminded him that his grandmother couldn’t
remember things the way she used to and might not be as interested
in the photos as he was, I couldn’t be sure that he completely
understood what I was saying. I just hoped he wouldn’t be
disappointed by his grandma’s reaction.
Joel looked up. “See Grandma!” he exclaimed. Clutching the album, he
bounded out of the car and up to the building entrance and marched
in. I trudged along after him. We hadn’t even crossed the lobby when
my senses were assailed by the smell of disinfectants and cafeteria
food.
“Mmm, hamburgers,” Joel said, sniffing the air like we were at a
barbecue.
The Montana Autism Society of America is several volunteer groups united in one mission - to raise awareness of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), resource local autism programs, provide support for families affected by autism and unite people in the state of Montana.
