Parents who are informed are able to make the best choices for their children.

This blog was created to be a source of information about events in the Western Washington State area for parents and educators of children with special needs and learning challenges.
If you have an event that is not listed here please e-mail us complete information.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Mothers of children wtih Autism MOCHA Seattle Meeting

Mothers of CHildren with Autism "MOCHA - Seattle"
Meeting Announcement



Date & Time: Saturday, July 24, 2010 from 10:00 am - 12:00pm

Place: UVillage area Tully's, 3042A 45th Street, Seattle, WA 98105,206-525-5110.

On the south side of UVillage right behind theBurgermaster and shares a parking lot with FedEx Kinko's. Come join us!

You are invited to a meeting of MOCHA (Mothers of Children with Autism).

MOCHA-Seattle. We meet in various locations around Greater Seattle andEastside (depending on the month) on the fourth Saturday of each month,usually from 10:00am to Noon (or so). All parents (and family members)of children on the spectrum or with related developmental issues arewelcome. Childcare is not available.

MOCHA is a great group, oriented toward upbeat talk about our lives, ourkids, and how to help our children develop and heal. We provide supportand exchange information. Membership is free, just come! We discusswhatever the members are interested in discussing at any given meeting.Many in the group do successful biomedical interventions toadvance/recover their children. Biomedical intervention is not arequirement, but open discussions and sharing of resources for those whowould like to learn more, occurs regularly.

Come join us at a meetingto learn more!If you are interested in receiving future meeting announcements, go to yahoogroups and subscribe to MOCHA-Seattle, our announcement list.

(The only messages from MOCHA-Seattle you will receive are meetingannouncements and reminders for MOCHA Seattle-it is not a discussionlist.)

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Youth Rodeo for Special Needs Families

Youth Rodeo for special needs families
July 31st, 10am-1pmFrontier Park
21718 Meridian St. E., Graham

The Pierce County Sheriff's Mounted Posse puts together a great youth rodeo for special needs families every summer. There are some wonderful activities, lots to see and do, and a free lunch is included! Please note that you will need to RSVP.



Pre-register by 7/29 to: 253-948-8928 or 253-227-3202

Dr. Kornberg Speaking on Detoxing at GF Meeting

Wednesday, August 18th - 6:30pm
Dr. Jack Kornberg
Speaking on Detoxing
Come Early and bring a friend



Detoxing is for everyone not just the GF folks!

Sampling of Zing Protein Bars
6 - flavors there has to be at least one everyone can tolerate

Peninsula Retirement Residence, 3445 - 50th St. Court NW, Gig Harbor

Free Camp for Physically Disabled Children

Free Camp for physically disabled children - 8 slots open!
August 18 - 21, 2010

They need 8 children to sign up so they can have camp this year! It's totally FREE. You don't need to pay to register.

http://www.campaccess.org/
Camp ACCESS Foundation was established in May of 2002 to provide a summer camp experience to physically disabled children. The camp's stated goal is to introduce our campers to the latest in adaptive recreation equipment (adaptive kayaking, adaptive sailing, hand-cycles, fishing, swimming and other skill building activities such as our "wheelchair obstacle course" designed after the wheelchair obstacle course used at the National Veteran Wheelchair Games). It is our belief that if we can help improve the skill level and confidence of youth with physical disabilities through recreation, then we also help improve their confidence with day to day living skills.

At Camp ACCESS we use Certified Recreational Therapists as Team Leaders. Our Team Coaches are young adult Paralyzed Veterans with demonstrated Athletic skills (medal winners at the National Wheelchair Games, Participants in the "Seattle to Portland" Bike marathon Disabled riders who have ridden their hand-cycles the 206 mile distance over 2 days). Over the 4 days of Camp ACCESS participants are encouraged to expand their personal limits, try new activities and develop new personal skills that will carry over into their day to day living skills. All our staff are volunteers from local communities. We also utilize local high school and college students who volunteer and go through a training program to work one on one with our campers.

The student volunteer's role is to partner with the camper and provide encouragement and assistance with simple care needs (sunscreen application, water, towels etc). These student volunteers also work with our equipment manager to move kayaks and sail boats to and from the water and help set up and maintain the wheelchair obstacle course. We find the student volunteers benefit greatly through their volunteer experience by gaining a better understanding of disabilities. This serves to normalize disabilities within the group and bring our disabled children into a more normalized summer activity environment.

This year camp will be held from Thursday 8/19/10 through Saturday 8/21/10 at Flowing Lake County Park.

Year after year we discuss what we could do to make camp better or to make it different than the previous years. The answer is always "not much." It's awesome just as it is. No one is tired of the experience because most of us only get this experience once a year.Another way we can tell that camp is working is the fact that campers return year after year. Some campers say it's the highlight of their summer! Many camper families have found that the best way to experience camp is to make it family vacation and camp at the Flowing Lake Campground.

To make your campsite reservation click here.This camp experience would not be possible without volunteers and we have great volunteers!! Our able-bodied peer volunteers return year after year and they recruit their friends. We're finding that they are returning even as they enter their college years. It's great to have trusted, experienced volunteers.We're also very fortunate to have the expertise of licensed professionals who develop and implement our curriculum and experienced disabled athletes who lead the activities.

Camp ACCESS provides a great experience with various indoor and outdoor sports such as kayaking, inner-tubing, court sports, fishing, soccer, volleyball, hand-cycling, and air rifles. It also provides an enriching, social environment where you get to meet other kids and adults with disabilities who are living full, productive lives.

Friday, July 2, 2010

Parenting Gifted Children Workshop

Free workshop “ Parenting Gifted Children"

11 Key Parenting Issues for Gifted Children

Presented by Dr. James Webb

July 27, 2010.

Dr. James Webb, recognized as one of the 25 most influential psychologists in gifted education and creator of Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG), will give a free presentation on Tuesday, July 27 on the 11 issues that are common concerns for parents of gifted children from tots to teens:

1. Communication and relationships
2. Motivation and underachievement
3. Discipline, power struggles, self-management
4. Intensity, stress and perfectionism
5. Acquaintances, friends and peers
6. Siblings and only children
7. Values, traditions and uniqueness
8. Idealism, unhappiness, and depression
9. Complexities of modern parenting
10. Misdiagnosis
11. Finding a good educational fit

Information will be given about each, along with how four major factors range of ability, asynchronous development, over excitabilities, and thinking styles influence these issues.

Event Details:
Date: Tuesday, July 27, 2010
Time: 7 9 p.m.
Location: Redmond High School Performing Arts Center( 17272 N.E. 104th Avenue , Redmond )

This is a free event, no RSVP is required. The event is sponsored by Northwest Gifted Child Association and Social & Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG), and is hosted by Lake Washington School District and the Gifted Education Advisory Council (GEAC).For questions contact Pauline Bowie at (206) 715-5261 or Pauline@RaisingTheG ifted.com.

Source: LWSD News from the Schools

Thursday, July 1, 2010

4-H Special Needs Group Open House

What: An Open House barbeque for Special Needs 4-H group.
When: August 15th Saturday
What time:11:30-2pm
Where: At the Hoefers
15617 Alpinwood Pl SE
Olalla, WA
253-857-0555

Come see how excitng 4-H can be for your special needs children in the Gig Harbor - Port Orchard Area.