The MAGIC AGM is on Friday, 5th March 2010.
It is being held at Rainbow Court Training Centre, Danecourt School from 1:00 to 2.30pm. All are welcome to attend.
Light refreshments will be provided at the end.
For further information please contact the office number shown above.

Take a look at this news item reporting on Gayna, who was speaking with Treehouse at this years Liberal Democrats Party Conference fringe event, sponsored by the charity, in Bournemouth.

An item from the KM Extra - Parents tackle MP over autism funding.

Office Hours
Please be aware that MAGIC is run by volunteers and therefore are not always available to take your call, if you need to leave a message, there is also an answer phone available and someone will call you back.
Please remember that MAGIC has a comprehensive website and often you will find the information you require there.
There is a mobile number, 07739 430436, which can be used in case of an emergency only.

Facebook awareness
Whereas we always welcome letters and pictures from our members, we would like to make you aware that, regrettably, MAGIC volunteers and committee members cannot accept friendship requests from any of the children, unless they are family or friends.
This is due to considerations of the child protection requirements

Woodies Access
The school where Woodies is located has installed new automatic gates with restricted access. If you experience any difficulty getting into Woodies for a MAGIC session, please call the Woodies telephone number and we will help. The number is 01634 400592. This number is also displayed on a sign next to the gate.

Some of you may have signed a petition asking the Prime Minister to "recognise the vital support that Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA) provide to disabled people, and to ensure that these benefits are secured and are not removed as part of any future reform of the social care system in England."

As a result of this petition, The Prime Minister's Office has responded to that petition and that response can be viewed here.

Information on the original petition can be found here.

Whilst trawling through the Autistic world of The Internet, why not visit the web site of Ellen Notbohm, author of Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew.

Her latest newsletter is available now.

Invicta Valiants FC have been running football sessions for youngsters with special needs and disabilities in Ashford and Shepway areas since 2004. They are part of the Kent County FA disability league and have recently formed an adult team for players over 16 years of age. Read more...

Any youngsters or young adults who live outside of Ashford can play football at many other clubs throughout Kent who also run special needs and disability football in association with the Kent County FA.

For further information, see the Kent FA website and the Disability Football Register.

Special education must change - More4 News 27 October 2009
Labour MP Barry Sheerman tells More 4 News that the system of providing 1.6 million pupils with special educational needs (SEN) is in need of significant change and has urged Children's Secretary Ed Balls to act now.

An interesting article from CNN detailing how there are more cases of autism in U.S. kids than previously realized.

Looking Up is a monthly 40-page international newsletter devoted to autism. Aimed at parents and professionals alike, it is a lively and informative mix of the very latest findings in autism research from around the world and articles which explore the impact of autism in all areas.
Some other interesting articles from this site:
Children with autism 'can understand other people through stereotypes' Hollywood celebrities leap on board for autism Autism at the dentist's

Worlds Apart is an interesting conversational thread on the Treehouse forum, http://www.treehouse.org.uk/

These Weighted Blankets are generally used at night time to help children (and adults) to stay in bed and get a better nights sleep. The blanket is laid over the child's normal bedding (duvet or sheets & blanket) and provides deep pressure and a feeling of security.

Downloadable here is the final version of the Autism Bill which has had it's third reading in the House of Commons and been passed to the House of Lords. Please note the use of the word "Autism" is clarified as including Asperger Syndrome.

Information and a standard letter regarding your childs statement can be found here.

Hall Refrigeration

Hall Refrigeration are proud sponsors of MAGIC, and have our logo splashed over the front of their vans to prove it.

Please visit their web site, which can be found here.

Also, they would like to offer a 5% discount off of their invoices to all members using their services, as well as donating a further 5% of the invoice total to MAGIC. Please note that this is only for Commercial sites as they do not service domestic appliances.