Illinois – Crystal Lake
Come to a TACA Meeting!
TACA holds monthly meetings in many locations throughout the United States that feature educational speakers on important topics and allow family members to connect with one another and stay on top of the latest information in the autism world.
Each TACA group maintains a resource library of the latest autism books and DVDs/CDs that can be checked out by members at no charge.
Are you wondering what happens at a TACA meeting? Watch our video.
Also, check out our Illinois – Naperville & Oak Park location.
| Date: | Meets the 3rd Saturday of each month |
| Time: | 4:30 – 6:30 PM |
| Location: | Home State Bank, Community Meeting Room (on basement level) 611 S. Main Street Crystal Lake, IL 60014 Directions from your location |
| Coordinators: | Contact Linda Betzold and Sara DiFucci |
| Child care: | Not offered at this time, sorry |
| February 18, 2012 | Raising a Healthy Child in a Toxic World |
| Speaker: Tracy Bongiorno, PA-C | |
| ***Please note that this meeting will run 30 minutes longer than our typical meeting. | |
| With the rise of environmental toxins there has been an increased incidence of children experiencing health challenges such as allergies, digestive problems, difficulty focusing and delayed development. Tools and strategies will be presented to help you create an environment that will allow your child and entire family to achieve true health. Topics discussed will include environmental toxins, eating healthy for the whole family, detoxification strategies, and natural remedies for common childhood ailments. | |
| Tracy is a physician’s assistant at True Health Medical Center in Naperville and works with Dr. Anju Usman to guide families through the different biomedical interventions for autism and related disorders. She has worked in the area of biomedical interventions, specializing in autism and ADD, since 2003. She received her Masters in Physician Assistant Studies at Finch University of Health Sciences/The Chicago Medical School. There she studied many areas of medicine, with a special interest in pediatrics. She also received her B.A. in psychology from the University of Iowa. She has especially been touched by autism through her nephew and has grown a deeper understanding through the journey he has led her on. | |
| March 17, 2012 | iPods, iPads and iPhones for Learning, Participation and Achievement for Students with Autism |
| Speaker: Bridgette Nicholson, Occupational Therapist and Assistive Technology Consultant | |
| iPods, iPads and iPhones are widely used handheld devices which hold exciting promise for our students who have special learning needs! Most people are aware of these devices, and most people realize that they are more than just handheld music and game devices. The devices, as well as the enormous range of different applications available for them, are beginning to offer new methods of working and offering exciting opportunities for students in terms of their learning, organization, communication and participation. This will be a two-hour presentation for parents, teachers and anyone supporting students with special learning needs. It will highlight important concepts and some essential uses of these handheld mobile devices for all students with autism. | |
| Bridgette Nicholson has worked in the assistive technology field for 24 years. She has worked in South Africa and the USA as an occupational therapist and assistive technology consultant. She ran a private occupational therapy practice for 6 years, specializing in children with learning disorders, developmental delay, physical disabilities, and cognitive disorders. In addition, she has worked in numerous clinical and educational areas including acute and long-term rehab, outpatient clinics and schools. Her main company website is www.customsolutions.us. With her husband, she has created various web sites for testing and training purposes, for students with and without disabilities. These web sites are used actively by thousands of individuals around the world. These are www.customtyping.com, www.customsolutions.us/keyboarding (free), www.customsolutions.us/mouse (free) Training materials and supporting information are on the following websites created and maintained by Mrs. Nicholson: www.learningtools.us In addition, she continues to create support and informational web sites relating to assistive technology use, customized for individual school districts, as requested. Mrs. Nicholson runs the following groups: Assistive technology training www.meetup.com/Assistive-Technology Kids Communicate – a group for children with Asperger’s syndrome, and their families (volunteer – started group, and maintain regular activities) >www.meetup.com/Kids-Communicate KidzHelp – a group for kids who want to volunteer! (volunteer – started group, and maintain regular activities) www.meetup.com/KidzHelp Mrs. Nicholson has presented at international conferences on the use of technology and computer applications in the disability field. Currently she is an independent consultant and provides assistive technology training for school districts, colleges and disability organizations. Mrs. Nicholson lives in the northwest suburbs of Chicago with her husband and two young children. She is the proud parent of a daughter in 6th grade who has Asperger’s syndrome and ADHD, and a son with ADHD, in 5th grade. |
Coffee Talk
| What: | No topic is off limits at our next TACA Coffee Talk! If you love someone with autism, you are welcome to join us! Come and receive some extra support and chat all topics related to autism, IEPs, diet, local resources, biomedical therapies, vaccines, and anything else on your mind. The new diagnostic criteria set to take effect in 2013 has been in the news lately. What does it mean to our loved ones with autism and their families? We’ll be talking about all that and more! So stop by, get yourself something warm to drink, ask questions, share information, meet a few new faces, and probably laugh a little, too. |
| Dates: | Meets the 2nd Friday of each month (*except for the months of June, July, and August 2012)
Friday, February 10, 2012 |
| Time: | 9:30 – 11:00 AM |
| Location: | Panera Bread 451 South Randall Road Algonquin, IL 60102 Directions from your location |
Need support BETWEEN support group meetings?
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Frequently Asked Questions About Live Chat
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Yahoo!
Email lists are a great way to stay connected between meetings. You can subscribe, read emails and ask questions all related to autism. These lists connect you to other parents like you!
Here is how to connect:
Step 1 – Get a Yahoo! user ID and password
Step 2 – Search for groups in your area. Here are some groups we like:
Step 3 – Click on “Join This Group”
Step 4 – Set your account to “Individual Emails,” “Daily Digest” or “Web Only.” GFCFkids is not affiliated with TACA.
Contact TACA of Illinois – Crystal Lake
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