Fatalities Of Children Left In Vehicles During The Summer

Every year, summer sets in, hot days fill our weeks. We know it’s summertime when we want to walk through the sprinklers to cool down. We also know it’s summer when the news starts reporting on a child found dead in a car.

It’s shocking for me that parents will still leave a child in their car, with temperatures outside in the 80’s, 90’s and above. I’ve always believed that is one of the worse kind of child abuse. The sad thing is, it continues to happen each year.

Researcher Jan Null has been tracking data of fatalities due to hyperthermia, since the late 1990’s. He has already documented 18 fatalities this year, with 8 of them having been reported since June 13. Not all of these are because of a parent leaving the child in the car. Some were from children going back into an unlocked car, and getting locked in.

“In Portageville, Mo., 2-year-old twins Allannah and Alliya Larry were found dead in their grandmother's car on June 16 as temperatures pushed into the mid-90s. New Madrid County Sheriff Terry Stevens said the children apparently got into the unlocked car on their own and were locked inside the vehicle for two hours.”(WRAL)

The following are statistics I pulled from http://ggweather.com/heat/index.htm, a report posted online by Jan Null, CCM, Adjunct Professor of Meteorology,San Francisco State University. Out of the 463 children that Null reported have died since 1998, he records that 30%, or 133, of these children were under the age of 1.


“STATISTICS
Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 2010: 18
Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 2009: 33
Total number of U.S. hyperthermia deaths of children left in cars, 1998-2010: 463
Average number of U.S. child hyperthermia fatalities per year since 1998: 37
Circumstances
An examination of media reports about the 443 child vehicular hyperthermia deaths for an twelve year period (1998 through 2009) shows the following circumstances:
51% - child "forgotten" by caregiver (228 Children)
30% - child playing in unattended vehicle (131)
18% - child intentionally left in vehicle by adult (80)
1% - circumstances unknown (4)”

Aquafina FlavorSplash Ambassador

I was selected to be one of Mom Central’s Aquafina FlavorSplash Mom Ambassador. For six weeks, I will receive a package once a week. I will be sampling the different flavors of Aquafina FlavorSplash. In return, I will be writing a post about it.

I have received my first package. It contained 6 bottles of Wild Berry Aquafina FlavorSplash, Wild Berry Lip Balms, and Coupons for Free Aquafina FlavorSplash Six-packs. My kids have drank different Aquafina FlavorSplash bottles. I had not. I drink water all the time, and I pick Aquafina from the beverage section of the gas stations all the time. The reason I have not tried the FlavorSplash before, is that I was afraid that the flavor would interfere with the water quenching my thirst.

I drink water because it is the only drink that actually quenches my thirst. When I drink sodas, sugar drinks, etc., I am still thirsty after drinking them. Also, I do a lot of activities outside with my family. I like to drink water to keep me hydrated. I also push water onto my kids in the summer. Since drinking the Aquafina FlavorSplash doesn’t seem like drinking water to them, I don’t get any complaints from them when I tell them “No” to soda or sugar drinks.

I tried my first Aquafina FlavorSplash after they had been in the refrigerator overnight. It was the Wild Berry flavor and I was surprised by it. It was just like the name says. It was water with a splash of flavor. I liked it. The big test was how it handled my thirst after I have been outside. My husband was sick, so I decided to mow the yard for him. I didn’t want to get a nasty letter from the city saying we needed to mow our yard.

I had worked up a big thirst. I was hot and sweaty, and needed a drink that would satisfy and hydrate me. I pulled out a bottle of Wild Berry Aquafina FlavorSplash. I downed half of it quick and held on to the bottle. It did what I was afraid it wouldn’t do. It quenched my thirst. I drank the rest of the bottle of the next half hour. When I was all cooled down, I was feeling great. I was also feeling proud of myself. I was always pushing this onto my kids, and now I am proud of myself for doing so.

In the coming weeks, I will be doing special giveaways for Aquafina goodies. At the end of this program, I will do a Grand Prize Giveaway. The Grand Prize Giveaway will include some items from each weeks shipments. Each weekly giveaway will give you an opportunity to enter the current giveaway as well as earn a special entry for the Grand Prize Giveaway. I will create a special page on my blog for the Grand Prize Giveaway and update it each time I add prizes to it.

Disclosure: I am a participant in a Mom Central campaign for Aquafina FlavorSplash and have received various FlavorSplash samples to facilitate my participation. Mom Central will send me a gift card at the end of the program.

Sending Your Child To Summer Camp

Summer can be a very stressful time for parents with an autistic child. We worry that being home all summer will have a bad affect on our child. We worry that they will regress while out of school. This was always a big concern for me. I soon realized that my son didn’t have to regress during the summer. I could keep him engaged and learning with different activities during the summer. It was my success in doing this that gave me the confidence to home school my son.

In the past, day camps have played an important part of our summer. My son spent two summers at a special autistic, overnight summer camp. It was one week, overnight, and my son loved it. Because of the cost, we have only been able to do this twice with him. There are several day camps in our area that are available for my son to attend. My son has attended some of them and will do so again this summer.

Of course, there has also been the all important swimming lessons during the summer. This is not just an important life skill to learn, it is also a great learning experience for motor planning. Both of my children have enjoyed swimming lessons during the summer. My daughter will be 7 this summer and will need more activities to keep her occupied. I have not planned out what I will be doing with both of my children, but summer camp will be included.

One choice for a summer camp experience for your child is KinderCare. KinderCare centers are springing up all around the country. They offer summer camp programs for children from Pre-school age to school age. This summer, they have several great themes that are designed to encourage your child’s creativity in learning. Such themes include Wild, Wild West and Dig Ancient Egypt. KinderCare has “crafted a summer day-camp program that delivers just what they’re looking for: irresistible learning opportunities, hands-on involvement and unique experiences.”

I don’t have a KinderCare near me. If you would like to find out if there is a Kinder Care center near you, please visit their website. I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of KinderCare and received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate.

Summer Camp for Autistic Children

Family Says Camp for Kids With Issues of Attention Has Been “Life-Changing”

Summit Camp Empowers the Children to Reach New Heights and Increase Social Skills





NEW YORK, NY – For many families, raising a child with special needs presents challenges at almost all stages of development. Parents strive to create an environment for their children that caters to their specific needs. Summer camp can present its own unique challenges. The Flamenbaum family of Long Island found their answer in Summit Camp.



16 year old Brittney Flamenbaum, who has high functioning autism, has attended the camp for the past three years, participating in regular summer sessions, special travel programs, and the camp’s new “weekender” mini-camps. A student at Walt Whitman High School in Long Island, Brittney’s disability has affected a range of her social and learning skills throughout her childhood. Summit Camp has helped to change that.



“Brittney’s independent skills have absolutely gone through the roof since she started attending Summit Camp,” said Brittney’s mom Tracy. “Her social skills have improved remarkably, she now can navigate her way in public settings, and she is just much more comfortable handling tasks of the day on her own. She also has built friendships that are so important for her growth - her entire bunk from camp gets together throughout the year at different parents’ houses, just recently celebrating one of the girl’s sweet 16 birthday.”



Located in Wayne County, Pennsylvania, Summit Camp has been serving the needs of children ages 8 – 17 with issues of attention for over 40 years. The various diagnoses that a camper may have include verbal or non-verbal learning disorders, A.D.D./A.D.H.D., Asperger’s Syndrome, Tourettes Syndrome, and/or mild mood disorders. Summit Camp provides an environment for these children to establish meaningful and mutually rewarding relationships with other children, something that often times is difficult for them in the traditional school environment.



“Each camper is unique and has his or her own challenges that we work to overcome in order to meet the basic needs for acceptance, recognition and respect,” says Senior Director Eugene Bell, who has been involved full-time in Special Education since 1972 and with Summit Camp since 1999. “But throughout all of the various sessions and activities, certain goals are constant – we look to establish and reinforce feelings of success, confidence, enthusiasm and self-worth in all of our campers. These are the traits that they may not attain in the normal social environments, and we can fill those voids.”



Establishing those traits is done through traditional camping activities – sports, arts and crafts, hiking, and other camp programs. Yet, each program is geared towards developing the social interaction skills of the camper and allowing them to identify their special interests. Our staff is masterful at bringing each camper on at their own pace while also involved with their bunkmates. Older campers also have the opportunity for “personal development,” such as baby sitting or auto repair, and during summer sessions they take part in three-day overnight trips, while younger campers can participate in afternoon daytrips.



“As a parent of a special needs child, we always are concerned about safety,” Flamenbaum continued. “But at Summit Camp, I can rest assured that she is in good hands, and participating in positive, appropriate activities that help her grow in a variety of ways. When I leave her on June 25, of course I cry and smile, but I also know she is safe. Knowing that my husband and I don’t have to worry about Brittney while she is away really provides us with a break from a disability that normally requires our full attention.”



Summit Camp has 250 staff to supervise and nurture the maximum 300 campers it hosts at a time. With a variety of summer sessions, travel programs, and school year weekender mini-camps, children can experience what Summit Camp calls the “Magic on the Hill” year-round.



Adds Bell, “Whatever challenges these kids and their parents face don’t take any days off and we want to offer our support as much as possible. The Magic on the Hill really does make a difference in their lives.”



For more information visit http://www.summitcamp.com/.

Autism and Yard Sales

It's no secret that people have yard sales for all sorts of reasons. Charity functions are not exempt from the group. In fact, yard sales are very popular ideas among charity fund raisers.

Parents with autistic children should join the band wagon if they haven't already. There are people who belong to autism networks, autism societies, autism research groups, and autism awareness groups who have held garage sales for their causes. Why shouldn't the parents of these children benefit directly as well?

With everyone talking about how scary the economy is these days, it should be a given that yard sales are going to grow in popularity. I've held a sale this weekend myself to help family members who are struggling, and the traffic to the yard sale has been non-stop.

Don't just have a yard sale, though, throw in some baked goods and drinks. These sell especially well close to lunch and when the weather is hot outside. You can make your own ice for the soda ice chest and begin to store it in your freezer for the upcoming event.

One more thing to remember is that there are people out there willing to donate their used items just so they won't have to haul them off or have a sale themselves. If you want to have a sale, but don't quite have enough items yourself, begin to ask around for other people's unwanted items. Advertise on a free local radio channel that you are looking for donated items for a sale to benefit your autistic child. Put an ad in a local free paper. Put up flyers in laundromats and churches. It isn't wrong to take something someone else is giving away to help benefit your autistic child's needs. If the person doesn't want the item anyway, why shouldn't someone who needs the help get the benefit? It's an honest way to raise money, take care of your child's needs, and keep useful items from cluttering up a garbage dump or landfill.

It does require a little bit of effort, but it's an effort that can be well-worth it if you put the right amount of energy and prayer into it.

Autism Society of North Carolina

I just received this email and it really saddens me. My son has attended Camp Royall twice. It is difficult to get in and now that they are consolidating both of their camps, it will be harder. I think that having both of these camps operating is important for our children in North Carolina.

August 31, 2009

Dear Autism Community Members:

We are writing today to make you aware of some changes that have occurred at the Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) as a result of a reduction in our state funding. Following this year's difficult legislative session, ASNC realized that our annual budget would include a decrease in revenue of close to $600,000 compared to last year.

For 39 years, ASNC has provided summer camp programming for children and adults living with autism. In 1997, Camp Royall, a 130 acre facility owned by the Autism Foundation of North Carolina and operated by ASNC, opened near Pittsboro, allowing us to serve an increased number of campers over previous years when ASNC rented space at Camp New Hope in Chapel Hill. In 1998, ASNC started a program in the Asheville area called Mountain Adventure, which served approximately 75-100 campers each summer. The Mountain Adventure program was located at a facility we rented in Black Mountain. In 2009, we served nearly 400 campers from ages 4 to 60 at the two locations.

As a result of the state budget cuts, we had to cut costs in several areas and across departments. In addition, we have made the difficult but necessary decision to consolidate the camp programs into one location from this point on, and in 2010 the summer camp program will be operated at Camp Royall.

We know that many families have had children experience summer camp at Mountain Adventure. But, with the significant reduction in funding, we had no other choice but to close the program at Mountain Adventure.

Looking forward, we have established a staff/board task force that will be working to expand the use of Camp Royall for individuals living with autism throughout the year. It is also our intent to continue to serve the same number of campers who attended both of our camps this summer at Camp Royall next year.

The 2010 summer camp application will be available in January. We will continue to keep you informed about the summer camp program and expansion of opportunities at Camp Royall.

Your input and suggestions regarding our camp and programs are important. Please contact either of us with concerns or suggestions you have. Please click on the names below to send an email.

Sincerely,


Whitney Jones, Ph.D.
Board Chair



Scott Badesch
President & CEO



Autism Society of North Carolina | 505 Oberlin Road | Suite 230 | Raleigh, NC 27605-1345 | US