First Connections Spring/Summer 2008 Community Newsletter: First Connections is a serivce of CASE Collaborative and Concord Family & Youth Services, a Division of Justice Resource Institute. This newsletter is a parenting resource for families with children through age three.

Autism Workshop for Parents: The Autism Resource Center is having a workshop for parents "Parenting Your Child with Autism" on April 12, 2008. The workshop will be presented by staff from Melmark New England. Topics include Best Practices in the Treatment of Pervasive Developmental Disorders, Using Visual Supports in the Home, and Planning for Summer Breaks. Please see the attached flyer fro more information. There is a registration fee to attend.

College Fair: The Andover Special Education Parent Advisory Council (SEPAC), in conjunction with Dr. Janice Goldstein of Andover Counseling and Kate Goldfield, Assistant Dean for Student Services at Brandeis University, will host a college fair Wednesday April 9th at 7:30 pm in the Wood Hill Elementary School auditorium. Six institutions of higher learning will describe the supports and services they offer to students with learning disabilites and differences. The fair is intended both to showcase the types of supports available and to allow parents and students to meet with schools. After the presentation, school representatives will be available for questions. Participating schools include: Curry College, Mitchell College, Mount Ida College, New England College, and North Shore COmmunity College. If you have queations or comments regarding this workshop please feel free to contact Chris Williams at (978) 557-1098.

Leominster Library: Developmental Disabilities Research Validated Library Collection. This collection of library materials, housed at the Leominster Public Library contains information about research-based approaches to assist children and adults with developmental disabilities. This collection is inteded to meet the diverse needs of families, educators and others in the community in a user-friendly way.

Challenger Baseball League: A new baseball league is forming for children ages 5-18. Please see the attached informational flyer for more details regarding this exciting opportunity.

Including Samuel: Please come and view the documentary film by Photojournalist Dan Habib "Including Samuel". This film is being offered free of charge at Hebert Auditorium at Quinsigamond Community College on Tuesday, April 29, 2008. Please see the attached flyer for more information. To view a trailer of the video please visit www.includingsamuel.com

CASE Collaborative Financial Planning Workshop: Financial Planning for Families of Children with Special Needs. CASE colloborative will be offering a workshop with Catherine Bearce, CFP on Thursday April 10, 2008 at 7:00 pm. Please see the attached flyer for more infomration.

Access Pass: The Access Pass is free for individuals with permanent disabilities. This pass provides access to and use of any Federal recreation site that charges an entrance or standard amenity fee and also provides a discount on some expanded amenity fees. For more information please click on the link to view a full explantion of the Access Pass.