Family Support offers Saturday afternoon respite for individuals that live with their families and is free. Join us on September 4 or September 25 from 1-4 pm at our Eddy Road location.

Please RSVP to Kris Simmons at 296-5149 by noon the Friday before to ensure proper staffing. During the 3 hours, we make a craft of some kind and watch a family friendly movie. A light snack is also provided.

ANCOR is currently working to grow our network of advocates and build a base of support for the work we're doing in Washington to raise awareness of DSPs, the value of the critical supports they provide, and to highlight the difference this workforce makes each day in lives of millions of Americans with disabilities.

One way ANCOR is growing is through Facebook. They've created a fan page as a means to better communicate with our supporters and share information on what's happening with the National Advocacy Campaign.

If you are active on Facebook, please consider "liking" the NAC page. Check it out here.

From the The New Hampshire Council on Autism Spectrum Disorders press release:

HB 569, also known as Connor’s Law, requires that private insurance carriers operating under NH regulations must cover treatments that are commonly prescribed by physicians, including speech, occupational, and behavioral therapy.

“This comes as great news on the anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act,” said Michelle Jarvis, President of the Autism Society of New Hampshire and mother of Connor, the youngster for whom the bill was named. “All along, our message has been that a child with autism deserves the same level of coverage as a child seeking treatment for any other medical condition. To do any less would not only be poor healthcare policy, it would be discriminatory.”

HB 569 aligns coverage with the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics and other professional groups. In the case of behavior-based therapy, also known as “ABA” for “Applied Behavior Analysis,” treatment is capped at $36,000 annually for children birth to 12 years, and $27,000 annually for children 13 to 21. Coverage for ABA was considered the most controversial aspect of the bill, because behavioral therapy can be costly.

Find out more information about Connor's Law here.

You may have heard this proposed legislation talked about. Here are a list of links to provide more information.

www.connorslaw.info

www.nhcouncilonasd.org

www.autismvotes.org

Family Support parents are invited to participate in a national research study regarding supports for families of youth with disabilities. This National Survey is for the parent or primary caregiver of a young person with disabilities between 12 and 22 years old. If you qualify please click this link to participate in this research study.

Your answers to the questions on the National Family Support Survey are confidential and will help the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, parent centers, and researchers understand the information and supports families need to prepare for moving into adulthood.

The information you share is extremely valuable and willy help to inform program development for youth with disabilities in the future. We encourage you to participate and greatly appreciate your time.