Gladiator Rock 'n Run is coming to Pasadena!

Saturday, September 28, 2013

Get Gladiator Tough AND help raise money for TACA!! Bring your A-game for the most insane day of your life.
If you survive...

Would you like to volunteer? Click here to sign up!

Coffee Talk - Burbank

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

• 10:30 AM - 12:30 PM
• Burbank Town Center Mall – Food Court
  201 East Magnolia
  Burbank, CA 91502
• Driving Directions

Come and receive some extra support or to chat all topics related to autism and meet other TACA families. Bring a mug of coffee or tea, maybe a muffin and relax.

TACA Legal Advocacy Program Collaborates with the Special Education Law Firm to provide FREE Legal Clinics

Thursday, October 10, 2013

• 6:00 – 8:00 PM
• TACA National Office
  2222 Martin Street, Suite 140
  Irvine, CA 92612
• Driving Directions

Beginning in June 2013, Talk About Curing Autism (TACA), in collaboration with the Special Education Law Firm (SELF), will be hosting monthly FREE legal advice clinics for TACA families. Services for this clinic will be provided by SELF attorneys and advocates and members of TACA’s ProBono attorney panel.

RSVP: To reserve a space, click here to RSVP online or call 1-949-640-4401. Please sign up early! We may be unable to accommodate reservations received less than 24 hours prior to the clinic.

Si usted habla español y está interesado en nuestras clínicas legales de educación especial gratis, por favor haga clic aquí.

What to bring:
• Your child’s most current, consented to (signed by you) Individualized Education Program (IEP).
• Any IEP with an offer of a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) that you have not signed but are seeking consultation for.
• Any other documents relevant to issues you are seeking consultation for.
• Please do not bring documents that are more than two years old.

Other Details:
• Each family will receive a one-hour consultation with an attorney or highly experienced advocate.
• Legal consultations are free, but participants MUST RSVP to secure an available time slot.
• Legal consultations are for special education issues only. Attorneys/advocates will not consult on Regional Center, SSI, IHSS, Medi-cal or other disability related issues.
• You may bring children with you, however child care is not available and you will be responsible for monitoring your children. TACA is not responsible for unattended children.
• All consultations are private and confidential and will be conducted in a private space.
• Reservations are first-come, first-served. If we are unable to schedule your consultation, you will be placed on a wait list and may receive a consult if there is a no-show. You may also choose to reserve for the following month.
• TACA is committed to equal participation of our members with disabilities. Please contact TACA if you will require an accommodation to participate.
• Please do not contact SELF directly. If you have questions about the program, contact the TACA office at (949) 640-4401.

UPCOMING CALIFORNIA SPECIAL EVENT

Empowering Autism -
Intensive Legal Training for Parents - San Diego

Saturday, October 19, 2013

• Time: 8:00 AM - 5:00 PM

TACA is collaborating with the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law & Advocacy (EBCALA) to bring the Empowering Autism Conference to California families affected by autism. It's an innovative legal training conference with comprehensive advocacyinsight for parents. Our Program Director/Legal Advocacy Coordinator Summer Stech will be speaking at the conference.

As with all TACA conferences, scholarships are available to families in need upon request. For more information please contact Family Scholarship and Parent Mentor Manager Moira Giammatteo.

This is an intensive legal training opportunity exclusively for parents/grandparents of children with autism spectrum disorders and related developmental disabilities. Conference includes a comprehensive workbook with all presentation information and resources.

Full conference information.

Be sure to register in advance.
NO on-site registration will be available for this parent training conference.

UPCOMING LOS ANGELES CHAPTER MEETING

The IEP Process & Effective IEP Goals

Sunday, November 3, 2013

• 4:00 – 7:00 PM
• Burbank First United Methodist Church
  700 N. Glenoaks Ave.
  Burbank, CA 91502
• Driving Directions

Speaker: Mark Woodsmall, Esq.

This seminar is designed to educate and inform guardians of children with special needs about the IEP process and how goals are written. Whether you are preparing for your first IEP or have been to many IEPs, this workshop will answer many of the questions that come up when drafting IEP goals. As goal writing can be confusing and difficult, this workshop will help parents and caregivers create, simplify, and write effective goals for their child’s IEP. This workshop seeks to breakdown the anatomy of an IEP goal; from the present levels of performance, to the baseline, to the goal itself, and finally how the goals are measured.

Mark Woodsmall is the father of a child with autism and the founder of Woodsmall Law Group, PC. The firm, based in the San Gabriel Valley, practices exclusively in the areas of Special Education, Regional Center Matters, Special Needs Trust Planning and Conservatorship and In-Home Supportive Services. In 2006 Mr. Woodsmall joined the faculty of the USC Gould School of Law as a Professor Adjunct, teaching in the area of special education law. He also serves as the teaching attorney in the Special Education Advocacy Training Project – Los Angeles. The SEAT Project, an innovative nationwide advocacy training project, is funded under grant from the US Department of Education and administered through COPAA (The Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates) and the USC Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles). Mr. Woodsmall sits on the UCLA Center for Autism Research & Treatment (CART) Community Advisory Committee. In 2012 Mr. Woodsmall received the prestigious National Ambassador Award from Casa Colina. He has been an active volunteer with Cure Autism Now/Autism Speaks. In 2008 he was named to the Board of Autism Speaks – Los Angeles. He currently serves as its Chair. Mr. Woodsmall is a national lecturer on parent’s rights under the IDEA, Section 504 and the Lanterman Act.

This meeting is free, but an RSVP is requested.

Charla con Café en español (Spanish Coffee Talk) Los Angeles, CA

Para las fechas haga clic aquí

• 10:30 AM – 12:30 PM
• Barrio Action
  4927 North Huntington Drive
  2do Piso
  Los Angeles, CA 90032
• Direcciones/Rutas a seguir

Educación y apoyo para familias en español. Conozca más sobre nuestra organización y a otras familias donde compartiremos información, ideas y experiencias que podrían ayudarle con el bienestar de sus hijos con autismo. Para más información sobre todas nuestras charlas en español, haga clic aquí: Irvine, CA (Orange County); Los Angeles, CA; San Diego, CA y Las Vegas, NV.

Be a Part of TACA!
Give Back to Your Community!
Become a TACA Parent Mentor!

Are you a parent or primary care giver of a child (or adult) with autism? Do you have at least 2 years of experience implementing biomed? Do you know about your local resources? Would you like to give back to your community and become a volunteer TACA Parent Mentor?

We would love to hear from you. If you meet these requirements and you are interested in volunteering, sign up on our website here:
www.tacanow.org/about-taca/parent-mentor-program/

Thank you!
Moira Giammatteo
Program Manager Scholarships, Mentors
and Parent Support

Join TACA of Los Angeles on Facebook!

TACA of Los Angeles is on Facebook! Connect with your old and new TACA friends alike, online!

TACA en Espanol

Level Naturals is based in Downtown, Los Angeles, California at The Brewery, the world’s largest artist colony. Founded by partners Jonathan Dubuque and Sabrina Roberson in 2009 on their organic farm in Hawaii. Jonathan, a skin tech and cosmetologist with experience in design and product development. Sabrina, an aromatherapist, massage therapist, and Doula. The two worked out plans to combine both of their resumes with a shared passion for green living and started pouring soap in Sabrina’s garage.

Quickly the soaps, Bath Bombs, Shower Bombs, and Candles became too much for the Garage and they settled at The Brewery. They still make everything by hand, but these days they have some help.

All Level products are Vegan and Gluten free, so they are safe for everyone.

We believe you can change the world just by showering with us. So grab a bar and hop in, there is plenty of room for everyone. www.levelnaturals.com


Bikram Yoga Silverlake is now offering a donation class at 12 noon on Saturdays to benefit TACA. It’s a great opportunity to help in the fight against autism and a great deal on a yoga class. There is a $10 minimum donation for this limited-time class. This class is CASH ONLY; no class packages, credit cards or checks will be accepted. All proceeds got to TACA. For anyone not familiar with the studio, Bikram Yoga Silverlake offers almost 40 classes a week in a clean, nurturing environment with compassionate, knowledgeable teachers. The yoga is done in a heated room to warm muscles, prevent injury, allow a deeper workout, and to flush the body of toxins. Come stretch, sweat and sculpt your body at this friendly, neighborhood studio; all levels are welcome. 3223 Glendale Blvd., Atwater Village, Los Angeles 90039, 323-668-2500.

How TACA Helps Los Angeles/SFV Families

TACA does not charge admission to the meetings, nor does it assess annual membership fees for families it supports. Meetings feature:

• Free TACA Autism Journey Guides (over 750 pages of collective knowledge gathered from experienced paraprofessionals and parents) are offered to all parents who are attending their first Chapter meeting.
• Speakers on topics ranging from traditional therapies, integrated medical treatments, education, and legal support.
• TACA's Parent Mentors - one-on-one access to experienced families who have successfully navigated the challenges of finding appropriate treatments and educational opportunities for their children, and who receive additional education from TACA's Foundation Office.