The Department of Health and Senior Services and Human Services are sponsoring a special event in  recognition of Autism Recognition Month on April 29, 2011. Click on this link for more information on Autism Awareness month event in New Jersey.

Read the report, Guidelines for the Identification & Management of Lead Exposure in Pregnant & Lactating Women, from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has launched a new website for pediatric genetic screening. The focus is on newborn screening, family health history, data and statistics and more. It is a powerful resource for parents.

You may view this innovative pediatric genetic screening site by clicking on this link.

The latest issue of The Division of Developmental Disabilities Newsletter is now available. This issue features:

• Rollout begins of College of Direct Supports to Providers;
• When the Flu Hits – Tips for Caregivers;
• Choking Alert;
• Announcements: Autism NJ Trainings; Parent Link

You can read the issue of DDD Today by clicking this link.

Yy

The October 2010 issue of NATIONAL CENTER on PHYSICAL ACTIVITY and DISABILITY (NCPAD) is now available. This month’s issue features:

* From the Editor’s Desk: New Updates on the Revised ADA Standards
* Director’s Column: Moving Around Can Improve Your Health
* From the Information Specialist’s Desk: Healthy Communities Means Healthy Opportunities
* FITT Column: Walk to School Day Celebrates National Efforts to Promote More Walkable (Wheelable), Active Communities
* Weight Smart Column: Reality TV vs. Real Weight Loss
* Nutrition Spotlight: Food Facts with Gillian: Pretzels
* The Training Corner: Are Personal Trainers the Key to Ending Childhood Obesity?
* Research Corner: NCPAD’s Search for Knowledge: A New Face to the Research Column

You can access the newsletter by clicking on this link.

REFERENCE POINTS: Health and Transition

1) HEALTHY TRANSITIONS, NY
Healthy Transitions teaches skills and provides tools for care
coordination, keeping a health summary, and setting priorities during the
transition process. It features video clips that demonstrate health
transition skills and interactive tools that develop self-determination and
collaboration. The curriculum and tools raise awareness about developmental
disabilities, improve communication, and build effective partnerships during
the transition process. This website is ADA accessible and is available with
audio for non-readers and in Spanish language translation. To see all the
resources and information about healthcare transition, visit:
Healthy Transitions

2) HEALTH AND TRANSITION
“Embedding Health Outcomes in the Individualized Education Program” is a
video recording of a 40 minute teleconference that provides information and
specific examples of health related goals for an IEP. This recording is
available, at no cost, from the:

Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction website.

3) HEALTH AND THE IEP
The Wisconsin Community on Transition Health Practice Group has developed
health-related training materials that can be used with schools, health
providers, families and directly with youth to help youth with disabilities
learn to more effectively manage their health care concerns. For more
information go to
The Wisconsin Community on Transition Health Practice Group site

4) DVD ON DOING SKIN SELF-EXAM FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE LOSS OF SENSATION
Gillette Children’s Hospital has developed a DVD for adults and another for
children on how to examine skin for those at risk of developing wounds due
to loss of sensation. Follow up research shows that for patients with
cognitive impairment the DVDs should not be considered a one-time, stand
alone intervention for teaching. It is a nice augment to the spoken
instruction or written word. For more information go to
Gillette Children’s Hospital

5) PREVENTING SECONDARY CONDITIONS
The Research and Training Center on Independent Living at the University of
Kansas has produced a series of consumer-friendly informational booklets on
preventing secondary conditions. The booklets contain information on the
prevention of secondary conditions affecting people with mobility
impairments and a glossary of terms. They now available in Spanish as well.
(see Health Conditions).

6) ACCESS TO MEDICAL CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS LIVING WITH MOBILITY DISABILITIES
The US Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division has issued a new
technical assistance publication titled “Access To Medical Care For
Individuals With Mobility Disabilities”. This 19-page publication provides
guidance for medical care professionals on the ADA’s requirement to provide
accessible health care to individuals with mobility disabilities and
includes an overview of general ADA requirements, commonly asked questions,
and illustrated examples of accessible facilities, examination rooms, and
medical equipment. It is available on-line at:
Guidance for medical care professionals on the ADA’s requirements

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

REFERENCE POINTS is administered by PACER Center as a
technical assistance activity of the TATRA Project. The TATRA Project is
funded by the Rehabilitation Services Administration.

To SUBSCRIBE to REFERENCE POINTS go to
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/list/index.asp

To UNSUBSCRIBE, please go directly to
http://www.pacer.org/tatra/list/maildel.asp

Readers are invited to send information about new resources on secondary
education, transition and vocational rehabilitation topics to
tatra@pacer.org.

Reference Points received initial support from the National Center on
Secondary Education and Transition Visit their web
site for a wealth of information related to secondary education and
transition for youth with disabilities.

Note: There are no copyright restrictions on this document. However, please
credit the source and support of federal funds when copying all or part of
this material.

A new report from the Government Accountability Office (GAO), required by the 2008 Prenatally and Postnatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act, examines the effectiveness of current health care and family support programs for the families of children with disabilities. In the report, GAO focused on Down syndrome because it is a medical condition that is associated with disabilities and occurs frequently enough to yield a sufficient population size for an analysis. GAO examined what is known about the extent to which children with Down syndrome receive medical care during early childhood and what resources families of children with Down syndrome receive through their health care providers, as well as what barriers families face to using these resources

The report is available at http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d1157.pdf.