The Bronx Chapter of the Autism Society of America is announcing a drive to increase its membership in the Bronx. To join the Bronx ASA, you must first become a member of the National ASA. Individual Membership costs $25.00 per year and there is no additional cost to join the Bronx Chapter. When you become an ASA member, you will receive a magazine called The Advocate six times a year. The Advocate contains a vast amount of information about issues pertaining to all aspects of intervention for autistic people - education, medical research, augmentative communication, socialization, advocacy, legislation and more. In addition, ASA will provide packets of material upon request about specific issues such as vitamin therapy, insurance, IDEA, and more. The National ASA also lobbies for funds for medical research and for legislation designed to protect the rights of autistic individuals. To obtain an application, please call 1-800-3AUTISM, ext. 151 or go to the website at http://www.autism-society.org/. If you would like further information, please contact either Xiomara Rojas at (718) 862-9790 or Barbara DiFiore at jaybarlaw@earthlink.net or (718)828-1855.

BRONX AUTISM AWARENESS DAY

Our second annual Bronx Autism Awareness Day will be held on March 31, 2001 at PS 176X at 850 Baychester Avenue in the COOP City Section of the Bronx. This event will be held in the cafeteria of the school from 11AM to 3PM. Last year, we had representatives from several agencies serving the autistic population on board to answer questions about school programs and services. We also had representatives from the Seaver Center for Autism Research and information on other local research programs that focus on autism. We were also happy to have on hand a representative from the Mayor's Office on Disabilities to present a Certificate of Achievement to recognize the achievements of the Bronx Chapter in raising awareness of the prevalence of autism in our community. Barnes & Noble also brought along books and materials on autism and many parents and educators took advantage of the opportunity to view and purchase a number of publications on a variety of autism related topics. Please spread the word to your schools, service providers and elected officials so that this year's event can be even bigger and better. We will also have on hand Autism Awareness Ribbons which are done in a beautiful puzzle pattern. We are asking people to wear them to provide a visual reminder of our children in the community. For more information and directions to Autism Awareness Day, please contact Barbara DiFiore at (718) 828-1855.