Please see our attached flier for more information about our upcoming film festival and feel free to forward to anyone that would be interested.

You can RSVP to Brian Faughnan at BFaughnan@sijcc.com or 718-475-5291. Attendance is free. Donations are welcome.

7:00 PM Saturday, February 11

We will be having a fruit and cheese reception followed by a showing of “Oceans Heaven” (96 min). On display will be artwork from students at Community Resources Preschool and joining us will be Jayne Smith, Director of Children’s Services, Community Resources.

1:00 PM Sunday, February 12

We will be showing “Mabul” (100 min) and hosting Elaine Hall (author, Seven Keys to Unlock Autism) who will be giving a talk at 3:00 PM. Joining us will be Dr. Eileen Hopkins, Deputy Executive Director, Eden 2 and Mary Alice Fegley, Regional Coordinator, Parent to Parent of New York State.

7:00 PM Sunday, February 13

We will be showing “Aphasia” (40 min). Joining us will be Ellayne Ganzfried, Executive Director, National Aphasia Association and Sharon Wasserstein, Speech and Language Pathologist.

Find a GED Test Prep Program in NY State: http://www.acces.nysed.gov/ged/nys_map/countiesprep.html

At College of Staten Island link here: http://www.library.csi.cuny.edu/continue/gedtesting.html

At the JCC in Staten Island:

http://www.ujafedny.org/view-agency-program/view/jcc-of-staten-island-ged-program/

If you are still in High School link here:

http://www.youthsuccessnyc.org/education/resources.html#GEDnumbers

Recycle Your Christmas Tree on January 7 & 8!

Kick off the New Year with a green resolution and recycle your Christmas tree for free at the annual MulchFest.

On Saturday, January 7 and Sunday, January 8, from 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m., New Yorkers can drop off their Christmas trees at one of 70 locations citywide. Approximately 30 locations are “chipping” sites, where folks can watch their tree turned into mulch, and even take a bag home. Mulch from this annual event is used by the Parks Department to nourish trees and plantings across the boroughs.

MulchFest is a collaboration between the Parks Department, the Department of Sanitation, and GreeNYC. MulchFest is supported again this year by Hot 97 and KISS FM, our radio partners for the 5th year in a row!

Please remember to remove all lights and decorations before bringing your tree to be recycled!

Visit our MulchFest page to find out where you can TreeCycle in your borough!

MulchFest
January 7 & 8
10:00am – 2:00pm
70 locations citywide
www.nyc.gov/parks

4^TH ANNUAL CHRISTMAS

TOY GIVEAWAY

&

PEMG COAT GIVEAWAY

Image via Wikipedia

DATE: MONDAY DECEMBER 19, 2011

PLACE: PS18 221 BROADWAY S.I.N.Y. 10310 Entrance on Henderson Avenue

TIME: 6:30PM-9PM

TOYS: CHILDREN AGES INFANT TO 15YRS WHILE SUPPLIES LAST!!!!

COATS ALL AGES

Christmas Carols Preformed by “B Star” & Kofi

FOR MORE INFO CONTACT:

EMAIL: BROTHERSWHOCARE@AOL.COM

FACEBOOK: BROTHERSCAREINC BROTHERS

DON’T FORGET TO SEND IN YOUR CHILD’S CASH ENVELOPE TO SHOP AND BUY RAFFLE TIX! All items are under $10.00. Raffle tickets are $2.00 per chance, 3 for $5.00, and 7 for $10.00. Raffles include a DS, toys, arts & crafts, books, games and much more! Every child has been entered for the chance to win a bike!

Wednesday, December 14th

• 9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. – Leitner, L. Raiola, L. Puglisi,

• 9:20 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. – Bartolomeo, T. Esposito, Sleap

• 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.—P58 and P.S. 65

• 11a.m. to 11:25 a.m. – Brassfield, Dogery,

• 11:25 to 11:40 a.m. – Break

• 11:40 to 12 noon -  Vivaldi, Bates

• 12:30 to 12:50 p.m. – Martin, C. Caputo

• 12:50 to 1:20 p.m. – Roche

• 1:20 to 1:40 p.m. – Panteli,  Mr. Mac

Thursday, December 15th

• 9:00 a.m. to 9:25 a.m. – Rizzi, Glennerster, Komininski

• 9:20 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. – Knight, Johnny, Hansen, Pillarella

• 9:45 a.m. to 11 a.m.—Petrides and P861

• 11 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. – Leston, Mr. K

• 11:20 to 11:40 a.m.— Break

• 11:40a.m. to 12 noon – Gunderson,  Dieal, Dickerson

• 12:30 to 12:50 p.m. – Cunningham, DiMeo

A Holiday Celebration with a Special Performance from: GLR Dance Studio, Inc.

Performances: The Lioness Hunt and Smile

Scheduled before the performance: Calendar (Public) Meeting

Followed by the Working (Business) Meeting

Date: Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Time: 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m.

Location: 721 Q, John F. Kennedy, Jr. School – 57-12 94th Street, Elmhurst, Queens

Provides Valuable Instruction to Parents and Providers to Improve Daily Communication When Your Child with Autism Has Limited Verbal Skills

NEW YORK, N.Y. (December 1, 2011) – Autism Speaks, North America’s largest autism science and advocacy organization today released the Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorder tool kit providing valuable guidance to parents, families and providers about how to utilize pictures, photographs and other visual supports to improve communication for children, adolescents and adults who struggle with understanding or using language.  For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), not only can visual supports greatly facilitate routine communication and improve language comprehension, visual supports are also useful in explaining social interactions, daily transitions from one activity to another and can facilitate adaptation to new situations for children and adolescents with ASD. The guide is particularly helpful if a child or adolescent on the spectrum has difficulty understanding social cues, has trouble following spoken instructions, or is anxious or acts out when presented with surprising or unfamiliar situations. Families who use visual supports have reported decreases in challenging behaviors and increased compliance and independence.

“Expressive and receptive language skills are a common problem for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum,” says Dan Coury, M.D., medical director of Autism Speaks Autism Treatment Network (ATN). “We’ve found that non-verbal communication methods such as visual supports improve their communication skills, and this guide can be particularly helpful for families navigating their daily routines.”

Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorder was developed by clinicians and families at the Vanderbilt ATN site to provide step-by-step instructions for parents, caregivers, teachers and other professionals who may be unfamiliar with visual supports or who would like to use them more effectively.

“The goal of the ‘Visual Supports’ tool kit is to empower families with effective strategies to create less stressful and smoother routine communication between a child with autism and their families or practitioners,” said Autism Speaks Vice President of Clinical Programs Clara Lajonchere, Ph.D.

Visual supports can help children and adolescents with ASD who may not understand social cues as they interact with others in daily activities and may not grasp social expectations such as how to start a conversation or how to respond when others make social approaches.  Children with ASD often find it difficult to understand and follow spoken instructions and may not be able to express well what they want or need. Visuals can help parents communicate what they expect and allow a child to express his or her wants and needs which in turn decreases frustration and may help decrease problem behaviors that result from difficulty communicating. Children with ASD are also often anxious or act out when their routines change or they are in unfamiliar situations ranging from a visit to a relative to undergoing a medical procedure. Visuals can help them understand what to expect and will happen next, and help to reduce anxiety allowing them to pay attention to important details and cope with a change in routine.

Visual Supports and Autism Spectrum Disorder is the newest in a series of ATN tool kits available for free download on the Autism Speaks website. It was prepared by the Vanderbilt Autism Treatment Network site at Vanderbilt University and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Treatment and Research Institute for Autism Spectrum Disorders (TRIAD) with support from Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities and the Autism Society of Middle Tennessee.

The ATN tool kits were inspired by the success of the popular Autism Speaks 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families. Additional ATN tool kits developed to help parents and medical professionals who work with children and adolescents with ASD include Should My Child Take Medicine for Challenging Behavior? and Take the Work Out of Blood Work. More tool kits are in development. A list of these tool kits can be found at www.autismspeaks.org/atn.

Theme for 2011: “Together for a better world for all: Including persons with disabilities in development”

http://www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1561#text

Conference Room 2 (NLB), United Nations Headquarters, New York Programme:

10.00 to 10.30 a.m. Opening ceremony

Ms. Asha Rose Migrio, Deputy Secretary-General, the Ambassadors of the
Philippines, Sweden and Tanzania to the United Nations, and other
representatives of Government and civil society will participate in the
opening. The opening will a musical performance by students from the New
York Institute for Special Education.

(See link for the rest of the schedule.)