Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, Inc.

We are now part of the eBay Giving Works program. You can support our mission while you sell on eBay! Plus eBay gives back to you too, with a fee credit on your basic selling fees.

Did you know that charity listings often get more bids and higher prices than regular eBay listings? Boost your sales and support our critical work while you’re at it!

Just designate our organization to receive 10-100% of your final sale price the next time you list something. It’s that simple! The Ebay Giving Works option is right there on the page where you set up your listing. Be sure to enter our name correctly (Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin) the first time, and the next time you list an item it will automatically come up as an option.

If you have any questions, feel free to call us (414) 427-9345 or email us at info@assew.org. Thank you!

School and life aren’t just ABCs and 1-2-3s. There are all sorts of unwritten social rules and expectations of behavior that we all seem to learn as we grow up, without being taught them.

For example, most students know that it’s not a great idea to tell an off-color joke in front of a teacher, even if the joke was funny in the locker room, or that it’s not a smart idea to argue with a policeman – even if he is wrong.

No one ever explains these things, yet most of us readily adjust our behavior, knowing what the consequences are for breaking these invisible, “hidden” rules. Individuals who have ASD do not come equipped with the natural ability to understand the “hidden curriculum” beyond ABCs and 1-2-3s. As a result, they break a lot of social and behavioral rules without intent or even knowledge that they are doing so. Further, difficulty in generalizing information from one situation to another leads them to making the same mistakes over and over again at a tremendous social cost.

Autism consultant and former special education teacher Mary Graczyk-McMullen will explain the “hidden curriculum” and how parents and educators can help children learn to adapt to what most of us take for granted in order to get along in the world. (more…)

National Resolution for Ending School Pushout

December 3, 2009 - Today over 180 organizations and individuals have signed on to support the Dignity in Schools Campaign National Resolution for Ending School Pushout, a call to action for our school systems to end the harsh disciplinary policies and law enforcement tactics that push too many young people out of school. (more…)

Autism Spectrum Disorders don’t affect only the individual, they affect the entire family.

Parents are stressed by trying to do all they can for their child with autism, PDD-NOS, or Asperger Syndrome, and after the diagnosis, there is a “grieving” process that most parents go through, when they find out that the life they’d envisioned for themselves and their child will definitely change. In addition, every person copes in a different way, and men and women very often have different means of managing and reacting.

Then there are siblings. Brothers and sisters may feel pushed aside or have their own issues that need to be addressed. The stakes are high. At a time when families need to communicate well and work together; they can find that they feel pulled apart instead.

To help families figure out how to work together and stay connected, our December Parenting Series workshop features Stephen Levine, PhD. (more…)