Saturday, December 19, 2015

I Apologize for Not Having Made the Time to Post Something Before Now...


It's been quite a while since I have been able to share what has been happening with our special needs family. We are currently experiencing some major changes in multiple areas of our lives. I want to thank you for your continued patience, as we work through each of these changes and how they will affect our daily routines/schedules. Just so that everyone is not too shocked, I will most likely be updating the website over the next few weeks, and possibly "shaking it up" a little more than I have in the past...

Friday, July 3, 2015

PLEASE #Share This Post and Eat at the Southside OKC @SBBurgerjoint Tuesday July 7th to Support to My Almost Blind 3 y/o Granddaughter!!


My sweet 3 year old granddaughter is going blind without any hope of a transplant or cure. She currently still has her peripheral vision but, it doesn’t help much if her eyes are crossed trying to compensate for the loss of her central vision. In an attempt to help my precious granddaughter, I created our Family & Friends Team “Kickin’ It With Kairi”, and she will be the featured recipient at the S & B Burger Joint, located at 7745 S. Walker Avenue in OKC, this next Tuesday, July 7th, 2015. This event will help raise the necessary funds to assist Kairi’s family in helping her adjust to the changes that are ahead of her such as having to learn Braille so that she can read and communicate with others around her; to gain the ability to depend on her remaining senses in order to lead a productive life; and to have access to a school that will facilitate and enhance the education she needs to thrive in society. Please show your support to Kairi by visiting the Southside S & B Burger Joint, located at 7745 S. Walker Avenue in OKC, this next Tuesday, July 7th, 2015 and by inviting all of your family and friends to join you in supporting a great cause!

If YOU are available to help me, for any length of time during the fundraiser event, please email me at lorrieservati@yahoo.com ASAP so that we can coordinate the details. Thank you to everyone who is planning to come by the southside S & B Burger Joint location to show your support to my sweet granddaughter!! I will always accept help from anyone will to ‪#‎share the event through social media and/or by way of email to friends...I have also created a flier if you are interested in putting them up at various locations in your area. Just let me know!


*Here is a short note of gratitude written by my daughter, Candace, Kairi's mother...
"I am so excited that S&B Burger Joint is giving Kairi Lynn Husmann this opportunity to meet new people who care and support her through this transition in her life. It has been almost a year since Kairi was diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa. It has been difficult on the whole family, not only adjusting to her needs but understanding what she is going through. We appreciate the time and support of the Okc Metro community. Please join us and enjoy some delicious burgers."
                                                                                               

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Have YOU Heard About The Awesomely Unique Way You & Your Friends Can Support @AutismOklahoma Just by Shopping at #TheTithingCloset in OKC?

 
I know that it has been a while since I have posted but, I would like to announce  a wonderful opportunity that benefits AutismOklahoma.org and recognizes the grassroots nonprofit organization in the surrounding community! I was recently contacted by the co-owner of The Tithing Closet, the newly-opened thrift store located at 2605 N. MacArthur Boulevard, Oklahoma City, OK 73127. She had something interesting to tell me about the activity she was experiencing in her store. First, let me explain a little bit about the philosophy of the organization behind the name of the store...
 
The Tithing Closet is an organization believes in giving back to the community in the form of tithing and giving 10% of what you've been blessed with to the betterment of another. The tithing program is not based on religion and is not influenced by the religious belief of the owners, in fact, they welcome all religions and individuals. When a customer makes a purchase at this thrift store, the receipt from their purchase can be designated towards a charity or organization in the community who has signed up with their location. The Tithing Closet accepts up to five charities per month for customers to choose to support when donating the receipt from their purchase.
 
Back to the exciting news that I mentioned. Earlier this month, there were several customers who mentioned AutismOklahoma.org while making their purchase at The Tithing Closet. One of the customers even pulled up my blog to get my email address so that the owner of the thrift store could contact me about AutismOklahoma.org becoming one of the five organizations that their customers can choose to support. Since their store has only just opened, AutismOklahoma.org will continue as one of the five organizations available to choose from until end of July. And if each of our supporters will introduce themselves to the co-owner, Lazara Gonzalez, when choosing to support AutismOklahoma.org through their purchase of items at the Tithing Closet, we will receive an additional 2% of support from that receipt donated to us...making it a total of 12% and that support will add up amazingly quick during the month!!! 
 
So if YOU like shopping at thrift stores, especially those who give back to our community, please check out The Tithing Closet at 2605 N. MacArthur Blvd and be sure to introduce yourself when choosing to support AutismOklahoma.org with the donation of your receipt at checkout!! If we get enough customers choosing to support AutismOklahoma.org, we may be given the extraordinary opportunity of continuing as an organization receiving year-round support from The Tithing Closet!!!! Be sure to tell ALL of your friends about this truly unique opportunity to support our grassroots nonprofit, AutismOklahoma.org!!!!!!!!
 
Lorrie Servati,
AutismOKC Leader & Coordinator

 

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Be Sure to Mark Your Calendars and Join Us to Support @AutismOklahoma Through the Upcoming Restaurant #GiveBackNights!

Come and meet your friends for dinner! You can enjoy a great meal, have a good time and know that you are helping by making a donation to a great cause with every meal! Check out the Restaurant Dates for other great opportunities to support the upcoming 2016 AutismOklahoma PieceWalk & 5K! 

We hope that YOU will make plans to join us on Tuesday, June 16th from 4:00pm to close at 7900 S. Walker on the southside of OKC for dinner. This is a great opportunity to catch up with family, friends and/or co-workers while enjoying the summer! Please tell your waitstaff that you are there in support of AutismOklahoma and that participating Johnny Carino's location will donate a portion of the proceeds to AutismOklahoma!! Be sure to tell everyone you know about this event!



Join us on Thursday, June 25th from 2:00pm to 8:00pm 1505 S.W. 74th Street in OKC to enjoy either a late lunch and/or dinner! Please let your waitstaff know that you are there to support AutismOklahoma and the southside Schlotzsky's location will donate a portion of the proceeds to AutismOklahoma!! We  look forward to seeing YOU there!



Now, this AutismOklahoma fundraiser is one that YOU will want to put on the calendar on your phone, your computer and refrigerator!! If you have ever eaten at Earl's Rib Palace, you have most likely enjoyed "The Brownie" for dessert. The Earl's Rib Palace in Moore, located at 920 SW 25th Street just off the I-35 Service Road, will be donating 100% of the proceeds from all of the brownie sales on Wednesday, July 15th from 5:00pm - 9:00pm in support of AutismOklahoma!!!

Saturday, May 23, 2015

Fathers Needed for Research Study on Playing with Their Sons with #Autism

     Jason contacted me with information on this study a few weeks back. Unfortunately, at that time I was studying for my college finals. I am just now sharing this with you. If you are, or someone you know might be interested, in participating in this study, please contact Jason Bloom either through the email address or the phone number listed below. 
     Have a great Memorial Day weekend!                                                                                                         Lorrie


Monday, April 27, 2015

YOU Will Want to Check Out this Special Guest Post by Alan Stokes @AutismLight and #Share with Families in the #Autism Community!

I am privileged to introduce a friend I recently met on Twitter. Welcome our Guest Writer, Alan Stokes, the Founder and Author of Autism Light. Please share his guest post with someone you know!

About Autism Light...

On June 21, 2011, I started the Autism Light blog. I had been looking online for hope and light for being a better autism father to my then six year old son Jonathan. I stumbled across the story of Carly Fleischmann having a breakthrough in communication and wanted to preserve the details, links, and inspiration that I found so I could reference it later. So my first post was on Carly Fleischmann and she was Autism Light #1. 400 posts later I still use that same style of giving each Autism Light the next consecutive number and introducing each new post with that number.

My goal for my blog is to continue to build a relevant collection of content about autism from diverse voices in the world. As the number of posts on my blog continues to increase I am working on updating some of the biographical details in older ones and creating more index pages by geography and themes that make it easier for people to find older posts in multiple ways. We are nearing half a million page views on the blog.

I have been asked how I select and find subjects to write about at Autism Light. I am constantly reading and researching things about autism on the Internet and when a story touches my heart I try to work it in to my blog in the future. I attempt to give consideration for building diversity in the overall collection and also spotlight themes for holidays when possible, such as my Martin Luther King, Jr. Day series.  

I think the autism community is blessed like none other to have such a diverse and vibrant source of heroes who really care about autism and are giving of part of their heart and soul to shine a light for autism. Our differences do not have to divide us. Although none of us experences the Autism Spectrum in the same exact way, as we look at the wisdom, experiences, and passions of others we can find a ray of Autism Light for our journey.

The Reason I Blog...

I wanted to take this opportunity to share four reasons I think more people should have an autism blog.

1.          It’s Free: There are free platforms such a Blogger that can host one's blog and the promotion can be done through free social media accounts like Facebook, Twitter, and Google Plus.

2.         It Can Help Others: When the content of a blog is placed on the internet it can be used to inspire and give hope to people from around the world. People who come to autism with their unique needs and who nevertheless will usually remain anonymous. 

3.         It Helps One Learn About Autism: It really is true that one of the best ways to learn about a subject is to write about it. If you want to become more knowledgeable about autism I can think of no better way than to write a blog.

4.         It Helps One Put Their Situation into Perspective: When one interacts with the autism world at a level necssary to create content for a blog, it becomes clear that every family is fighting their own battles. No matter what the situation is that one is facing, someone else has it a little harder. Other has been there and done that and survived.

I wholeheartedly recommend autism blogging. Feel free to contact me if you have recommendations for content on one of my blogs or would like to collaborate on something constructive related to autism awareness and acceptance.

About Me:
















Alan Stokes is an autism father from the Lansing, Michigan area who started the Autism Light blog in June, 2011 The blog spotlights diverse autism organizations, resources, human interest stories, celebrities, people with autism, and parents shining a light for autism from anywhere in the world. He also maintains the Autism Rest, Autism Shares, Autism Sites, and Autism Quotes blogs. You can email him at AutismLight@gmail.com. Also, be sure and follow him on Twitter @AutismLight where links to any new blog posts are shared immediately.

Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Bring Your Vehicles to the Car Wash this Saturday, April 4th to Support the OKC Webster TSA so That Their Team Can Attend the TSA State Conference!

Help support the OKC Webster TSA Students as they are fundraising to be able to go to the fast-approaching TSA State Conference! TSA stands for Technology Student Association. This semester, each of the students enrolled in Technology Engineering classes have been attending and competing in mini-conferences across the state, and they have been building personal and team skills such as Leadership, Communication and Technology. These wonderful students are our future!

Our OKC Webster TSA Chapter will be having another Car Wash this coming Saturday, April 4th from 9:30am-2:00pm in the parking lot of the Advance Auto Parts, on the southside of SW 29th Street, between Linn and Villa, to raise $$$$$ to be able to send our students to the fast-approaching TSA State Conference!! PLEASE support our OKC Webster TSA Chapter and their Leader, Mr. Lowery by bringing YOUR vehicles by for our hardworking students, and the rest of us, to wash!!!! We would appreciate it if you would ‪#‎share‬ this event with family, friends, neighbors and anyone else you know!

If you can't make it to the TSA Car Wash, please consider making a donation towards their efforts so they can attend the upcoming TSA State Conference April 7-9th!! Please email me directly at Lorrie@AutismOklahoma.org so that I can make arrangements to get it to Mr. Lowery before the students go to the TSA State Conference. Thank YOU for your support!!! And if YOU happen to be a past, present or future TSA student, we look forward to connecting with you!!! 

Sunday, March 22, 2015

We Would Like to Invite YOU to JOIN US for the Upcoming AutismOKC Community Resource Fair hosted by OKCPS Capitol Hill High School!

 and      

Invite YOU to the


Saturday, April 25, 2015
1:00pm – 3:00pm
at
Capitol Hill High School
500 SW Grand Blvd, Oklahoma City, OK 73109

The Community Resource Fair is a great opportunity for individuals, 
families, caregivers, educators and service professionals to learn 
about the resources which are available in the surrounding community. 
If you will need childcare during the event so that you can check out 
the resources., please email the name and age of each child to 
Lorrie@AutismOklahoma.org by Monday, April 20th so that we can 
send you childcare form to return to us 
which will complete your registration request for childcare.

This is a FREE EVENT featuring resources from within the 
surrounding community that will offer information which will 
benefit families of individuals with autism spectrum 
disorders and/or other special needs. If you know of a family 
or individual who might be interested in attending the AutismOKC 
Community Resource Fair, please #share this information with 
them either by email, Facebook, Twitter or any other social media 
outlet. Thank you and we look forward to seeing YOU 
at the AutismOKC Community Resource Fair!!

Please Make a Donation of ANY SIZE and #Share so the #OKCWebster #TSA Students Can Attend The Upcoming #TSA State Conference on April 7-9, 2015

If you are not familiar with what TSA is, it stands for Technology Student Association and the team of students which are enrolled in Technology Engineering classes. Our middle school's TSA team attends and competes in approximately 30 different events related to Leadership, Communications and Technology. 

These students have attended 3 mini-conference this year and now need the funding in order for them to register, attend and compete at the upcoming TSA State Conference. There are about 14 students which have qualified to go to the TSA State Conference. To qualify, each of these students had to give up 3 Saturdays to attend mini-conferences and compete in their respective events. Our school's TSA team has received numerous trophies and awards at these mini-conferences. In fact, a young lady on our TSA team is a TSA Western Region officer, and the first for our middle school!

The TSA State Conference is April 7-9 and will be at the Reed Center in Midwest City like last year. If WE ARE GOING TO HELP these students attend this event, which they have been working towards, the TIME IS NOW!! Visit the fundraiser for the OKC WEBSTER TSA team HERE and help MAKE THIS HAPPEN!!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

I'm Looking for "a Few Good Writers" Who Would Be Willing to #Share a Post with @NathansVoice for April in Support of #Autism Awareness Month!

Dear Reader,

You might be visiting my autism resource blog for the the first time, or possibly haven't visited in a while. If you are a parent, a caregiver or a grandparent of a child with autism spectrum disorders, I would be most honored to offer you the opportunity to share your story in a Guest Article on Nathan's Voice in April to support Autism Awareness Month! I wish that had more time to write and post on my autism resource blog but, I'm working full-time in the self-contained autism classroom at a local middle school, the leader of the AutismOKC parent support group, and taking care of my special needs family while completing a college course each semester towards finishing my associate's degree at a local junior college and eventually acquire my teaching certification in Special Education. 

There is no obligation and no deadline's when sharing through my autism resource blog. I know how busy life can be and there's enough of that in our already overwhelmed schedules! When your ready, just email me what you want to share in an attached Word document, along with any photos (credits, if borrowed), links and the instruction for the placement of each, at Lorrie@AutismOklahoma.org. I don't make changes to anything without contacting the Guest Writer first. I hope that I have covered everything but, I am always glad to answer any question, at any time. The only thing is that it might take me a few hours to get back to you, if I'm in the classroom, taking a college exam, assisting my own son whom has high-functioning autism or his older brother whom has adhd with a school-related project. I will respond as soon as I possibly can. Thank you for your understanding and patience!

If you haven't had the opportunity to check out Nathan's Voice before now, please time time to look around and see what we have been up to. Please take all the time you need to make a decision but, kindly remember that April is right around the corner! Whether you "Light It Up Blue", make goody bags to hand-out to service providers, or wear your favorite t-shirt in support of Autism Awareness Month, we would like YOU to share with us in the month of April!! I appreciate your time and I look forward to hearing from you when you are able to respond! 

Lorrie

Monday, February 16, 2015

Guest Post by Mary Goodman: Sharing about Being a Female on the Spectrum and Helping Foster Understanding and Empathy for All


It is with great pleasure that I introduce our next guest writer, Mary Goodman. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met Mary through Twitter and she has graciously agreed to share an excerpt from her original article with us on Nathan's Voice. Please give her a warm welcome and I encourage you to leave her a comment at the end of her post!



"My parents sent me to a therapist when I was in second grade because I was not forming relationships at a “peer normative” level, in addition to being diagnosed as having learning disabilities. I was not informed of why I was seeing this therapist, or why I was being given a pill every morning and afternoon. This pattern became pretty routine in my life: get taken out of school at some point during the day, once a week, for a few hours, go talk to some person, get taken back to school. I can’t say I was complaining about these arrangements. The person often had board games, and the social situation at school was unpleasant so I was happy enough to go without question. Such visits became a normal fixture in my life."

To read Mary's article in its entirety, you can find it here. You may also follow her on Twitter @juineve to share her stories with people so that they feel less alone in their journey. Thank you for your support!

Swing By, Check Out My Latest #Autism Post and Show Some Support!

I have some exciting news that I haven't shared with very many of my friends. I have been given the awesome opportunity to help a friend with her website and learn more about what goes on behind the scenes. The Founder and Editor-in-Chief has been working with me, to make sure that I am ready, before moving on to anyone else's posts. I appreciate the time that she has taken to help me prepare for this task and I hope that I don't disappoint her or any of the other contributing authors from the site.  I have to admit that it was a little overwhelming to be looking at my own scheduled post, in a different perspective, as the assistant editor. I'm already critical of my own work and this gives me an added appreciation for the job which editors do to make articles look their best!  

Please take a few moments to check out my latest post on Special Happens, Planning "Sensory-Friendly" Family Time That Everyone Will Enjoy, leave me a comment in support, and then share it with someone you know. 

Friday, January 16, 2015

Guest Post by Ezra Lockhart: The Negative Impact of Social Functioning Deficits on Adult Outcomes: The Broader Effect of Loneliness

It is with great pleasure that I introduce our next guest writer, Ezra Lockhart. I consider myself extremely fortunate to have met Ezra through LinkedIn and he has graciously agreed to share a guest post with us on Nathan's Voice. Please give him a warm welcome and I encourage you to leave him a comment at the end of his post!

The more substantial hindrance for many people with developmental disability is not the academic deficits, but the social deficits that isolates them from their peers (Osman & Blinder, 1982). Undoubtedly, social isolation and peer rejection can lead to feelings of loneliness (Margalit & Al-Yagon, 2002). Deficits in social skills contribute considerably to creating socially isolated environments and situations. Moreover, these social functioning deficits negatively affect adult outcomes and are implicated as contributors to patterns of unemployment and underemployment, lack of friendships and romantic relationships, and low rates of independent living in adults with developmental disability (Farley et al., 2009). Indeed, with impacts to these adult outcomes loneliness is a problem for people with developmental disability.

Developing support for social functioning and participation is important not only to address the issue of loneliness, but to positively impact outcomes in a variety of areas (i.e., school, family life, employment, recreation, community resources, independent living, etc.). There is a contemporary trend for support to be developed specifically as early intervention and implemented in early childhood educational settings. There is a consensus that this approach provides the most benefit to the individual throughout their life span. The benefits of early intervention are apparent, unfortunately, there are generations of adults that have surpassed support designed for traditional educational settings and for younger populations. Therefore it is imperative to develop and implement support for social functioning and participation in varying environments frequently encountered by adults with developmental disability that is attuned for situational encounters with their age-appropriate peer groups. In other words, social support interventions need expanded to account for family, community, employment, independent living, and recreational settings. This will aid in addressing the issue of loneliness as well as increasing social communication skills necessary for access to resources in these varied settings.

In conjunction with developing adult interventions that address age-appropriate environments and situational encounters, it is important to address the following factors identified as predicting social difficulties and loneliness experiences among persons with developmental disability. Researchers (e.g. Margalit & Al-Yagon, 2002) identified three main predicting factors: a) the knowledge deficit (Pearl, 1992), b) the performance deficit (Vaughn & La Greca, 1992), and c) rejected and loneliness behavioral styles (Margalit, 1994). Pearl (1992) describes the knowledge deficit as the lack of age-appropriate knowledge needed to develop social relationships. Vaughn and La Greca (1992) describe the performance deficit as the lack of ability to translate age-appropriate knowledge into effective social behaviors. Lastly, Margalit (1994) describes rejected and loneliness behavioral styles as individuals accepting the reputation and characteristics of isolated individuals and adopting such behaviors. These deficiencies in social functioning and maladaptive behavioral styles inhibit the individual from establishing social relationships. Their self-concept and beliefs in their inability to develop social relationships needs to be addressed in future support models.

In a final analysis, loneliness is a distinct issue adversely affecting people with developmental disability. Addressing this concern will require interventions that are delivered in various age-appropriate settings. Furthermore, reforming self-concept, beliefs, and behavioral styles for persons with developmental disability will be integral to establishing healthy attitudes and actions conducive to building and maintaining social relationships.

References
Farley, M. A., McMahon, W. M., Fombonne, E., Jenson, W. R., Miller, J., Gardner, M., ... & Coon, H. (2009). Twenty-year outcome for individuals with autism and average or near-average cognitive abilities. Autism Research, 2(2), 109-118.
Margalit, M., & Al-Yagon, M. (2002). The loneliness experience of children with learning disabilities. In B. Y. Wong & M. L. Donahue (Eds.), The social dimensions of learning disabilities: Essays in honor of Tanis Bryan (pp.53-75). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Osman, B. B., & Blinder, H. (1982). A note. In B. Osman & H. Blinder No one to play with: The social side of learning disabilities (pp. ixx). New York: Random House.
Pearl, R. (1992). Psychosocial characteristics of learning disabled students. In N. N. Singh & I. L. Beale (Eds.), Loneliness: A sourcebook of current theory, research and therapy (pp. 1-18). New York, NY: Wiley.
Vaughn, S., & La Greca, A. M. (1992). Beyond greetings and making friends: Social skills from a broader perspective. In Y. L. Wong (Ed.), Contemporary intervention research in learning disabilities: An international perspective (pp. 94-114). New York, NY: Springer-Verlag.


Ezra Lockhart, MHlthSc(DD) candidate, MCSE, AC has worked one-on-one with over 50 individuals who experience a wide range of physical, developmental and intellectual disabilities. In 2004, he started assisting adults with various physical disabilities. In 2011, he specialized in providing home- and community-based behavioral supports for individuals who live on the autistic spectrum. In 2014, he expanded to provide milieu and group therapy (e.g., psychoeducational, skill development, cognitive-behavioral) for youth coping with fetal alcohol effects, severe emotion disturbances, personality disorders, and behavioral and substance abuse issues. Be sure to follow Ezra on his ePortfolio at http://www.ezralockhart.com and connect with him on LinkedIn.

Thursday, January 8, 2015

If YOU are Raising a Special Needs Child, Read Laurie Wallin's book #GetYourJoyBack and Enter the Book Giveaway for your own copy!

I'm proud to a member of the #GetYourJoyBack launch team, and to be able to #share the information about the Book Giveaway with YOU!!! Please do the same with all of your friends, asking them to do the same. We all know how challenging it can be raising a special needs child and how important it is for us to be able to rejuvenate ourselves physically, spiritually and mentally. Thank YOU for taking the time to stop by Nathan's Voice and check out #GetYourJoyBack!!! Also make sure to follow author Laurie Wallin on Twitter @mylivingpower for more great inspiration!  Below are just a few of the reviews shared by parents who have already read the book...

“It isn't the long day of monitoring a child's precarious health or being hypervigilant about her mood and mental health challenges that weighs parents down; it's the wishing that things were different. . . . Resentment, not the intense care they must provide their child, is the parents' greatest stressor and source of pain.” —Laurie Wallin


Parents of specials needs children are exhausted. They've done all the research, consulted all the experts, joined support groups, gotten counseling, fought for the best life for their children. Often just caring for their children's needs and attempting to maintain a home maxes out parents' mental, emotional, and spiritual reserves.

Laurie Wallin knows firsthand the difficulties of this journey. With Get Your Joy Back, she steps forward to make a bold, audacious claim: in the midst of this long-term, intense task, it is still possible to have an abundant life, full of joy. The key to radically changing daily life and restoring joy to the weary is forgiveness. Wallin gives parents a lifeline to find that restoration, pulling them back to shore when they feel like they're drowning.

This book is full of practical, biblical insights and strategies to shed the resentments that leave Christian special-needs parents themselves spiritually, emotionally, and socially drained. Wallin meets readers right where they are, sugar-coating nothing, but addressing issues with honesty, humor, and--above all--hope.

An invitation and a promise for weary Christian parents of special needs kids from a parent who's been there.

Saturday, January 3, 2015

@NathansVoice invites YOU to #share the story of your #Autism Journey to inspire other families, give them hope and let them know they are not alone!

Dear Fellow Advocate,


     I hope your New Year is off to a fabulous start!! You might be visiting my autism resource blog for the the first time, or possibly haven't visited in a while. If you are a parent, a caregiver or a grandparent of a child with autism spectrum disorders, I would be most honored to offer you the opportunity to share your story in a Guest Article on Nathan's Voice this year! If you are an educator or a service provider and would be interested in sharing something that would benefit or improve the lives of those who visit my autism resource blog, please let me know so that can pencil you in on the 2015 calendar as a prospective Guest Writer. 
     I wish that had more time to write and post on my autism resource blog but, I'm working full-time in the self-contained autism classroom at a local middle school, the leader of the AutismOKC parent support group, and taking care of my special needs family while completing a college course each semester towards finishing my associate's degree at a local junior college and eventually acquire my teaching certification in Special Education. This next semester will be challenging for me as it is very difficult for me to remember dates and I am enrolled in U.S. History to 1877. All of my free time will be dedicated to memorizing the information which will get me through this course.
     There is no obligation and no deadline's when sharing through my autism resource blog. I know how busy life can be and there's enough of that in our already overwhelmed schedules! When your ready, just send what you want to share in an attached Word document, along with any photos (credits, if borrowed), links and the instruction for placement of each, to the email address listed below. I don't make changes to anything without contacting the Guest Writer first. I hope that I have covered everything but, I am always glad to answer any question, at any time. The only thing is that it might take me a few hours to get back to you, if I'm in the classroom, taking a college exam, assisting my own son whom has high-functioning autism or his older brother whom has adhd with a school-related project. I will respond as soon as I possibly can. Thank you for your understanding and patience!
     If you haven't had the opportunity to check out Nathan's Voice before now, please time time to look around and see what we have been up to. Our local nonprofit, AutismOklahoma.org, has recently acquired a building, the Autism Oklahoma Building, located near downtown Oklahoma City. This will be a place where families and friends of individuals affected by autism to come together in support of raising awareness, understanding and acceptance for them in the surrounding community! Great things are coming in 2015 and I will be making time to share about those on Nathan's Voice, as well as on the social media outlets I utilize for everyone to learn more about what's happening in Oklahoma!!
     Please take all the time you need to make a decision. I appreciate your time and I look forward to hearing from you when you are able to respond! 

Your Fellow Advocate,

Lorrie Servati
AutismOklahoma Team Captain of "Nathan's Voice"
Follow me on Twitter @NathansVoice
previous AutismOKC Coordinator & Leader
Email me at lorrieservati@yahoo.com