Thelma and Bob Krinsky, active grandparents with an autistic grandchild, are creators of GASAK (Grandparent Advocates Supporting Autistic Kids). They have created a series on varying topics about Autism for education and awareness. .

MARCH

TUESDAY

3:30 - 4:30 p.m. Channel 20 - Hauppauge

Everyone is also welcome at the next meeting of GASAK (Grandparent Advocates Supporting Autistic Kids) at North Shore Child and Family Guidance. Please call Elizabeth Goulding Tag for time and place (516-484-3174).

These are the programs which have been made so far in the series on autistic children.

Video Tape #1
1) Let Me Hear Your Voice (R.T. 32:48) - Thelma and Robert Krinsky. The Krinskys, who have been very active for many years in organizing and educating the autism community, tell of their personal involvement with an autistic grandchild, give some basic information about the nature of autism and what can be done about it, and discuss the activities of the organization they founded for grandparents, GASAK (Granparent Advocates Supporting Autistic Kids).

2) Reason for Hope (R.T. 30:48) - Dr. Bobby Newman, Director of Training and Resources for the Association in Manhatten for Autistic Children, Inc., discussed the state of knowledge today about autism, the training available, and the prospects for improvement of autistic children.

3) To Teach a Child (R.T. 59:17) - Joanne Gerenser, Executive Director of Eden II Programs, and Mary E. McDonald, Director of the Genesis School, discuss how schools based on ABA approach (Applied Behavior analysis) operate, including the thinking behind ABA and coordination with the home, and talk of the need for more learning facilities.

Video Tape #2
4) What It's Like for Parents (R.T. 60:12) - Five parents - Richard & Marian Boehm, Richard & Eileen DiSilvio, and Mark Krinsky - talk about their experiences raising an autistic child, including the effects on family life, discuss the possible causes of autism, and tell how the efforts to improve their children's condition have worked out.

5) Research - Part One: Starting from Scratch (R.T. 29:26), & Part Two: What We're Looking At (R.T. 29:20) Parents of an autistic child - Karen London, a lawyer, and Eric London, M.D., a psychiatrist - tell why and how they formed the organization National Alliance For Autism Research (NAAR) and what the organization has done so far, including the projects that are now under way, and discuss possible causes.

Video Tape #3
6) When Children Grow Older (R.T. 59:30) Two parents of older autistic children - Mary Flanagan and Isabel Schwartz - talk of the great differences in the diagnosis and treatment of autism now and in the days when their children were first revealed to be autistic, and tell of what happens when autistic children become autistic adults. They also speak of the work of the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society in helping parents, in which they have been closely involved.

7) Grandmother Stories (Part One, R.T. 29:16; Part Two, R.T. 29:04) Two grandparents of autistic children - Joan Seretan and Charlotte Melnitsky - talk of the role grandparents have when autism is discovered in a child, and (since their are no other cases in their families) also discuss the role of genetics in causing autism.

Video Tape #4
8) Mainstreaming (R.T. 59:00+) Suzanne Taffet-Romano, a consultant on teaching children with developmental disabilities, and Linda Forrester and the Reverend James Barnum, two parents with autistic children in public schools, talk about mainstreaming and inclusion and the conditions needed for each to be effective. They also discuss locating such schools and working to make them effective.

9) Dealing With Problem Behavior (R.T. 59:00+) Darlene Magito McLaughlin and Christopher Smith, directors of homes for autistic children and adults run by the Developmenal Disabilities Institute, discuss how to more precisley identify causes of problem behavioral problems and how to correct them, and also how to give autistic children greater ability to communicate their needs.

Video Tape #5
10) Joanne Gerenser, executive director of the Eden II Program, returns to discuss Dealing With Communication Problems. (R.T. 59:00+minutes)

11) Four Lawyers - Dominic DiPrisco, Victoria Kummer, Pamela Tucker, and Kim Sweet - discuss the rights of autistic children and what the law can do to protect them in Autism and The Law (R.T. 59:45 minutes)

Video Tape #6
12) The High-Functioning Child And Adult (R.T. 58:33) Linda Fulton and Pat Schissel, parents of children with autism, discuss building on the strengths of autistic children.

13) Siblings (R.T. 56:30) Seana Forrester, who has a younger autistic brother, and Tommy Boehm, who has an older one, discuss living with their brothers and relating to them, and talk about how their friends react.

Video Tape #7
14) Socialization (R.T. 59:42) Dr. Laurie Stephens, Developmental Psychologist and Clinical Instructor of Psychiatry at Stony Brook, explains the various forms that problemsof socialization may take with autistic children and discusses techniques used to overcome these problems.

15) Learning To Play (R.T. 25:00) Children in the after-school social and recreational program of the Sid Jacobson JCC are shown playing table-top games and participating in a music therapy session. Program director Margaret Fraser and head teacher Theresa O'Hea explain the principles behind the children's structured activities.

16) Doing Something About It (R.T. 34:00) Robert and Thelma Krinsky discuss an adult education program for parents of autistic children and the organization GASAK (Grandparent Advocates Supporting Autistic Kids), both of which they helped organize, and show scenes from the activities of both programs.

Video Tape #8
17) Advocacy: Navigating The System (R.T. 59:20) Alyse Middendorf, Director of Long Island Advocates, and Randy Glasser, Staff Attorney, discuss the work of their organization in helping parents of disabled children get services they need, especially acting as intermediaries between parent and school.

18) Crisis Intervention (R.T. 59:50) Three members of Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) - Joy O'Shaughnessy and Gus Lagoumis, both Assistant Director of Family Support Services, and Darren Carlson, Crisis Program Manager, tell parents what emergency help their programs offer when children present immediate severe behavior problems, such as dangerous aggressiveness or refusing medical treatment or schooling, or when parent absence leaves children without care.

Video Tape #9
19) Understanding The Autism Spectrum (R.T. 58:45) Dr. Laurie Stephens, Director of Child Services at the University of Stony Brook's developmental Disabilities Institute, returns to explain the terminology used to describe the conditions and treatment plans of children with autism and related diagnoses, making sense of the "alphabet soup" that can baffle parents. She also explains the importance of being familiar with the terminology used in the field.

20) What We Know Now (R.T. 57:56) Dr. Carmel Foley, Chief of Psychiatry at Schneider Children's Hospital discusses the preparation of physicians to diagnose and treat autism, the team approach to treatment, and the state of our relevant medical knowledge. Dr. David Makowski, Senior Psychologist at the hospital, discusses the importance of working with children's strengths and ways of gaining acceptance be other children.

Video Tape #10
21) Treating Autistic Children: Pediatrics and Pediatric Dentistry (R.T. 58:24) Debra Esernio-Jenssen, M.D., Associate pediatrician at Schneider Children's Hospital, discusses signs of autism and the treatment of children with autism and other disabilities who have medical problems, and Mary George, D.M.D, Pediatric Dentist, discusses the treatment of these children when they have dental problems.

22) Early Intervention: A Brighter Future (R.T. 59:59) Michael Darcy, Associate Executive Director of Children's Services at DDI (Developmental Disabilities Institute), and Kathleen Feeley, Educational Supervisor of the Early Intervention Autism Program there, discuss the workings and results to date of the program. Mary Holzmann, Long Island Regional Coordinator of Parent To Parent and Education and Support Chairperson of the Nassau/Suffolk Autism Society, tells of the improvements in her child because of early intervention and discusses the Board of Health's new Clinical Practice Guidelines.

Video Tape #11
23) Update on Research (R.T. 59:31) Dr. Eric London of NAAR (National Alliance for Autism Research) returns to discuss with Robert Krinsky what projects researchers in autism are engaged in and why, and what the most recent findings indicate.

24) Young Children With Autism: So Much To Do, So Little Time (R.T. 59:28) Michael Darcy of Developmental Disabilities Institute (DDI) and head of the Young Autism Program there returns, with Jane Carlson, Ph.D., Coordinator of DDI's Autism Inclusion Project, to discuss DDI's programs with autistic children of preschool age and with school districts where children with autism are students.

Video Tape #12
25) Been There, Done That - Now What? (R.T. 60:22) Angela Cerina and Deborah Frey, parents of autistic children, give practical advice to other parents - and to physicians - about evaluating treatment approaches, dealing with medical problems and with doctors, and getting the information and services parents need.

26) Pediatricians Who Are Moms (R.T. 57:48) Pediatrician Patricia Elvir and Developmental Pediatrician Patricia Quinn discuss their experiences as parents of children with autism and with learning disabilities, respectively, and how these experiences have influenced their medical practices.

Video Tape # 13
27) Asperger's Syndrome And I (R.T. 58:42) April Malone, a teaching assistant, diagnosed recently as having Asperger's Syndrome, tells how this condition has affected her and what she has been able to do with her life despite the condition.

28) Starting A Foundation: Why And How (R.T. 58:58) Teresa Korten, Judi Velocci and Dr. Rosemarie Cartagine- three women who helped establish The Max Foundation to help children with autism.- tell how they went about it and what the foundation has been able to do.

Video Tape # 14
29) Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder: Throughout the Life Span (R.T. 59:40) Dr. Elliot Goldman and Dr. Manoj R. Shah, both of Schneider Children's Hospital, discuss the nature and treatment of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, including a new program at the hospital for adults with this condition.
30) Ventures Into Life (R.T. 59:34) Gail Clark, a speech and language pathologist, and Regina Varin-Mignano, a medical social worker, discuss the thinking behind a new multi-approach school for autistic children which they are planning, and the process of setting up such a school.

Video Tape # 15
31) The Long Journey To Effective Treatment (R.T. 59:00) Kathy Manion and Marissa Bennett of ASTA (Association for Science in Teaching Autism) talk of their reasons for founding the organizations and the prospects for developing more effective treatments.
32) My Three Sons (R.T. 59:32) Roy Probeyahn, the father of three adult boys with autism, and Parent Coordinator of the Long Island Citizens task Force on Aging Out, discusses the problems and pleasures when there are several children with autism in the family, and the struggle to get services after children reach the age of twenty-one.

Video Tape #16
33) The Autism Pandemic: A New Perspective (Part 1) Dr. E. Edward Yazbak, pediatrician and founder of TL Autism Research, presents evidence that the enormous increase in reported cases of autism in recent decades is due at least in part to the introduction of early MMR vaccination during the same period. He discusses what he believes should be done.
34) The Autism Pandemic: A new Perspective (Part 2) A continuous of the discussion with Dr. Yazbak, joined in this program by his wife Maureen Yazbak, a nurse-practitioner.

All programs are available at $20 per two-hour tape combining numbered tapes as indicated (including shipping and handling).

For information about the autism tapes, please call Lynda Fulton, Nassau-Suffolk Chapter of the Autism Society of America 1-631-271-1481.

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