Past 2011 Events
AASCEND October 15th Conference
Topic: Success on the Spectrum
Keynote Speaker: Ari Ne'eman, Co-Founder of ASAN appointed by President Obama to the National Disability Council
Location: Seven Hills Conference Center, San Francisco State Campus (9:00 am - 4:00 pm)
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Our October 15th AASCEND conference, Success on the Spectrum, is highlighted in Laura Shumaker's sfgate autism blog! Laura Shumaker's Blog
Annual AASCEND Picnic
July 16th - Golden Gate Park
It was a spendid party, in Lindley Meadow, one of the grandest green spaces in glorious Golden Gate Park. All who attended enjoyed great company and a tasty potluck, including one of Betty's delicious artison cakes.
April 16th AASCEND Meeting
Topic: Autism Asperger Advancement Month -
What is Working for Adults on the Spectrum and our Families?
Thanks to all who participated in the stimulating discussion led by Jack Fagan on various topics relating to adults on the autism spectrum, such as: preferred social activities, employment support options, strategies in dealing with work, doctors, sales people etc.
March 19th AASCEND Meeting
Topic: Somatic Self-Regulation Skills
Thank you to Nick Walker, Ph.D.candidate in Transformative Studies at the California Institute of Integral Studies in San Francisco, who led an informative discussion on dealing with stress and presented simple techniques of staying calm, grounded and clear-headed in situations of potential stress.
AASCEND members participated in a well-received panel presentation, What I Wish My Parents Knew, on March 19th, at The Support for Families 2011 Resource and Information Conference in San Francisco.
February 26th AASCEND Meeting
Topic: Working with Health Care Providers
Clarissa Kripke MD, Director, Office of Developmental Primary Care and Associate Editor, American Family Physician, spoke about her work and gave us tools for working more successfully with health care providers.
January 22nd AASCEND Meeting
Thanks to poet Rebecca Foust for reading her elegant and moving poems. Thanks to her also for distributing free copies of the chapbook, Dark Card, to our members. You can find more information on both Rebecca and her poetry at: http:\\www.rebeccafoust.com.
Foust's chapbook, Dark Card, about raising a son with Asperger's Syndrome, won the Robert Phillips Poetry Chapbook Award as well as a number of other awards and distinctions and was widely reviewed, in The Hudson Review , Poetry Daily and elsewhere. Foust earned her MFA in 2010, and her other books of poetry include All That Gorgeous Pitiless Song (Many Mountains Moving, 2010), God, Seed (Tebot Bach, 2010), and Mom's Canoe (Texas Review Press, 2009).
Past 2010 Events
AASCEND's Annual Holiday Potluck Party - December 11th
Location: The Arc of San Francisco
We shared some food and drink! Friends, family members and children all attended. We will celebrated AASCEND's successes over the past year and learned about very exciting program and conference news for 2011.
November 20th AASCEND Meeting
Demo- Book Club Discussion - "Aspergirls"
Book club Discussion of Aspergirls written by San Francisco author, Rudy Simone was held. Information on getting the book is on her website, help4aspergers.com.
October 16th AASCEND Meeting
Demo- Drama Therapy/Non-Violent Communication
Liz McDonough and Bob Yamtich gave presentation about New Approaches in Aspergers: Non-Violent Communication and Drama Therapy with live demonstrations! . Our friend Robyn Steward, autism advocate from England, dropped by to say hello.
September Events
AASCEND and Camilla Bixler were honored on Friday, September 24th by...
Support for Families of Children with Disabilities at their Gala Fundraiser, A Night in North Beach.
September 11: AASCEND staffed the table at the "Connecting People to Resources" event, from 9:00 am-2:00 pm at Dominican University in San Rafael, CA
September 28: AASCEND Panel spoke at the September Meeting of the Autism Professional Circle at the Jean Weingarten Peninsula Oral School for the Deaf. The address is 3518 Jefferson Avenue. Redwood City, CA 94062
August General Meeting
Thanks to Rudy Simone, author of Aspergirls and Asperger's on the Job...
for being at our August meeting and giving away tickets to the SF Female AS Event on Sept. 18, 6-10 PM, more info at: www.CelebrateFemaleASD.com
Rudy says: "If anyone else wants to purchase my books, please direct them to my site and tell them to write AASCEND in the message box when they purchase and I will refund postage. It will work out to the same price as Amazon as I'm not charging tax either."
Order Rudy's Book(s)
Thank you also to Janis Oberman for leading our discussion on Aging and the Spectrum. Nice job Janis!
Annual AASCEND Picnic
On Saturday, July 17th,
from 12 noon - 3:00 pm in Dolores Park in San Francisco
Our community celebrated AASCEND's Annual Picnic!!! All were welcome and it was well attended by both current and prospective members. We enjoyed food, beverages and each other's company.
May 15th General Meeting
Thanks to Tree for explaining his mission to feed the hungry in San Francisco through urban gardening. He shared his perspectives on gardening, gleaning, community gardens as well as his personal wisdom. To learn more and read his blog, including his account of speaking at AASCEND, go to www.freefarmstand.org.
AASCEND's 10th Anniversary Celebration
Thanks to everyone who made our Tenth Anniversary Celebration outstanding!
We had a roomful of people to appreciate great music, and applaud the AASCEND movie, directed and produced by William Davenport and the Autism Social Connection Film Group. State Senator Mark Leno was gracious and supportive of our mission and presented Aascend with a beautiful award. Guest of Honor Jack Fagan gave an inspiring speech reminding us that, " Aascend needs all of us!" If you have pictures, please send them to us so we can post them on our website.
February 20th Meeting - Autism at the Movies
How Autism is Portrayed in Hollywood and on the Screen.
We will also discused the HBO special airing in February telling Temple Grandin's inspirational life story. Also discussed were the DSM proposed changes regarding Asperger's.
January 23rd Meeting
Greg Yates moderated an AASCEND meeting regarding sensory issues in Autism
Greg covered questions as to how sensory issues part of an individual's autsim. We had a discussion about how these sensory affect:
- Vision
- Hearing
- Language Comprehension
- Eye Contact
- Social Interaction
Speaker at Close of Meeting
The San Francisco/Marin County Autism Housing Workforce Committee is interested in hearing from consumers on the spectrum in regards to housing needs and challenges.
Karen Kaplan, the chair of the Task Force Committee attended our meeting eager to obtain input on this very important issue. Her goal is to bring back the consumer's point a few so that appropriate next steps can be taken to ensure appropriate housing options. She also asked that Bay Area adults with ASD email her at karensupportsU@comcast.net with suggestions regarding this housing task force.
2009 Events
November 21st Meeting
An AASCEND business meeting was held on Saturday, November 21st
The following items were discussed: possible paid speaking opportunies for AASCEND members, AASCEND's 10th anniversary shindig (probably in March 2010), website changes and enhanced awareness of our AS/HFA community by the general public and improving our access to medical, social and support services.
October 17th Meeting
Many thanks to Robyn Steward for her intriguing Postcard from England and Paul Nussbaum for the breaking news on Conquering Heights Two—the Greenland Expedition!
This was an exciting meeting with an international focus.
Robyn Steward presented her film and discussed her work as a trainer and mentor to Aspies in the UK.
And, Paul Nussbaum announced Conquering Heights Two!! The unveiling of this exciting international autism expedition will include Eric Andersen of Autism Services Foundation.
September 19th Meeting
It's a Feature Not a Bug: Strengths, Insights and Contributions from the Autism Spectrum
William Shryer, DCSW, LCSW, Clinical Director of Diablo Healthcare, moderated a membership group discussion focusing on the positive aspects of HFA and AS.
Location: San Francisco City College, 4th and Market
General History of AASCEND:
AASCEND is a one-of-a-kind community of support dedicated to concerns of adults with Autism and Asperger Syndrome. AASCEND was established in October 1999, and registered as a 501(c)(3) non-profit in February 2000.
AASCEND was established as an Autism and Asperger Syndrome coalition - as an autism-centered support and advocacy group for adults of all ages and from all walks of life. AASCEND includes adults on the spectrum, families of adults on the spectrum and professionals such as doctors, researchers, therapists and teachers. AASCEND was thus established to provide education about and support for adults on the autism spectrum through monthly discussion meetings, bi-annual conferences and social events such as picnics and holiday parties.
A Historical Highlight:
The Original Conquering Heights:
AASCEND, in celebration of International Asperger’s Year 2006, was extremely excited to announce Conquering Heights: Paul Nussbaum's 100 Kilometer Sierra Ski Crossing through the Tioga Pass (Highway 120) in Yosemite National Park, from April 2-8, 2006.
Paul Nussbaum, a 48-year-old outdoors man and self-employed homeowner with Asperger Syndrome, skied 100 kilometers (62 miles) through California’s Sierra Mountains.
- To increase awareness about the abilities of adults on the autism spectrum and
- To raise $30,000
- To establish a camp for teens and young adults with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism in the San Francisco Bay Area and
- To establish a scholarship fund to help adults with Asperger Syndrome and High-Functioning Autism to attend Conferences on Autism and Asperger Syndrome across North America and around the world