On December 18, 2007, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution that declared April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day in perpetuity. We now celebrate the third World Autism Awareness Day  with the goal of educating and informing people about Autism. Across the globe there are many events taking place, including concerts, walks, and workshops. There are even virtual activities, such as "Walk with Wubbzy on the Web". Last year's Wubbzy Walk raised over $40,000 to raise awareness and fund Autism research. For more information on this event or to view the video, go to  http://www.walknowforautism.org/faf/home/default.asp?ievent=303682 or  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3aIdrhuctE. 

Here are some local events that are coming up in April related to Autism Spectrum Disorders:

FEAT CNY (the Central New York chapter of Families for Effective Autism Treatment) is sponsoring Autism Fun Day 2009 on April 5th. The event, which is free to the public, will be held at Blessed Sacrament School, 3129 James Street, Syracuse, NY,  from 1-4 pm. Events include bounce houses, face painting, magicians, video area and an Awards Ceremony. The Autism Shop will be carrying the 2009 FEAT CNY t-shirt. RSVP's can be made by calling the FEAT office at (315) 560-4057 or email featcnynews@yahoo.com.  Come out and have some fun for a good cause!

Syracuse University's Health Link is offering a free seminar entitled Autism: Challenges, Mysteries, and Myths on Thursday, April 9th from 6-7 pm. The free talk, which will be presented by Dr. Gregory Liptak, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, will be held at the OASIS Learning Center in Shoppingtown Mall, Dewitt, between Macy's and JC Penney's. For more information, go to www.upstate.edu/healthlink.

The SUNY Albany Center for Autism & Related Disabilities is having their 3rd Annual Statewide Conference entitled Enhancing Outcomes for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Current Information, Research, and Practice. The conference will be held on Friday, April 24th from 7:30 am to 3:30 pm at the Adam's Mark Hotel in Buffalo. Keynote speaker will be Celine Saulnier, PhD, from the Yale Study Center. This conference is open to school personnel, parents, family members, and community professionals. For registration and information, call (518) 442-2474 or go to www.albany.edu/psy/autism.

The Central New York Coalition for Young Children with Special Needs and the Margaret L. Williams Developmental Evaluation Center are co-sponsoring a workshop entitled The SCERTS Model on April 27th & 28th with Amy Wetherby, PhD, professor and director of the Autism Institute at Florida State University. SCERTS stands for social communication, emotional regulation, and transactional support, which is a curriculum based assessment and intervention model for young children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. The 2-day workshop, which will run from 8:00- 4:30 both days, will be held at the Convention Center at Oncenter, 800 South State Street, Syracuse, NY. The cost of the event is $85 per day for professionals and $55 per day for parents. Registration deadline is 4/20/09. For more information and to register, go to www.cnypreschoolcoalition.org. 

I am offering a class for Parents and Professionals entitled "Using Reiki with Children" on Saturday, April 4 in Syracuse, NY from 1-5 pm. Reiki is an all natural, time tested method of stress reduction that has been shown to be effective with children with Autism. Reiki can successfully address sleep problems, anxiety, learning problems, social difficulties, perseverative behaviors, hyperactivity, and sensory sensitivities. The cost of the class is $99 and is open to anyone that is interested in learning how to use Reiki with children. For more information on this class, go to my website www.integratedenergyhealing.com or email me at drmary@twcny.rr.com. 

 For more information and a complete event schedule of World Autism events globally, go to www.worldautismawarenessday.org. Please post a response to this blog to share information about Autism Awareness Day. I'd love to know how you plan to spend the day and what it means to you personally. Also, please feel free to pass this information on to anyone you think may be interested.