AACC-ASA meetings are held on the last Tuesday evening of each month at Ruth Parker Eason School in Millersville.

Meetings begin at 7:00 p.m.

The agenda includes introductions and general announcements, followed by time for open discussion. A refreshment break is followed by a presentation given by the guest speaker. Then time is allowed for a follow-up discussion and further opportunity for group support and socialization.

New members and new ideas are always welcome. 

Come check us out!

Thanks to everyone who joined us for last month's meeting, which featured a presentation by Joyce Benjamin, who spoke about many aspects of diet and nutrition, including gut abnormalities and interventions, food enzymes, secretin, vitamins, supplements, and amino acids. For more information on this subject, please contact her by phone at (301) 805-1987 or by e-mail at jj1987@bellatlantic.net.

We were also joined at January's meeting by Dr. Elaine Tierney of the Kennedy Krieger Institute, who shared information about a new research study being conducted on methylphenidate (Ritalin).  Please see the article in this newsletter for further details.

Our February meeting will feature a presentation by Drs. Annamiek Wilms-Floet and Neel Soares, Developmental Pediatricians at the University of Maryland Medical School, on the topic: "The Developmental Pediatric Evaluation of a Child with a suspected Autism Spectrum Disorder". In this presentation they will discuss data on the prevalence of medical conditions associated with

autism, the medical issues of children diagnosed with autism, and the services provided by Developmental Pediatricians. We hope you will join us on February 26th.

Dr. Wilms-Floet is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Behavioral-Developmental Pediatrics at the University of Maryland.  She works with the Howard County Diagnostic Center, providing consultation for children with autism spectrum disorders  referred for in-depth evaluations. She also provides developmental consultations at the Center for Behavior Development and Learning at the University of Maryland Hospital, where children are referred  for autism-related diagnosis and treatment.

Dr. Soares is a Fellow in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and a Clinical Instructor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. He is also an Adjuvant Physician at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital. His interests are in Rett Syndrome, Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism.  He works with children with autism spectrum disorders through the diagnostic clinics at Mt. Washington Pediatric Hospital and

the University of Maryland, providing diagnosis and follow-up management.

We are in the process of preparing the next edition of our Chapter Directory, and have enclosed with this newsletter an application form. If you wish to be included in the next edition, or wish to make changes in your directory listing, please be sure to complete and mail in the form by March 15^th.

We are pleased to announce a contribution of $116 from the New Spirit of Maryland. This local ladies barbershop chorus has contributed to our chapter in the past, as well as performing for us at last year's Family & Friends event.  The group will be disbanding in the near future, and we wish the members well in their future endeavors.

We close by offering a very special thanks to Judy Carter-Johnson, the grandparent of one of our chapter's children, who recently made a very generous contribution to the chapter. As a result of this contribution, we have been able to fund both our new chapter phone line and our upcoming Resource Guide.