Calling all budding artists! Wellspring is holding a contest to celebrate artistic expression for those challenged with autism or other behavioral or developmental disorders.

Your child’s artwork could appear on the Wellspring official Greeting Card viewed by hundreds of clients, vendors and employees! Any of our past or current clients are eligible to enter. Just submit an original drawing (use colored crayons or markers) on 8.5”x11” white paper. The theme of the drawing should reflect ‘Things that make me happy!’ The contest is officially underway and all drawings should be received no later than August 15, 2010 in order to be eligible.  Artwork submissions and entry forms should be sent to:

Wellspring Healthcare Services
ATTN: Greeting Card Contest
16719 Roscoe Blvd.
North Hills, CA 91343

Our panel of judges, made up of Wellspring’s Executive Management team, will choose up to 5 illustrations that best represent the theme. The winner’s work will appear on a unique collection of greeting cards which will be given out as Wellspring’s annual holiday gift. In addition, Wellspring staff will use the cards throughout the year for thank you notes.

Prizes for the winners include:

One Grand Prize: $300 Disney Gift Card (can be used at Disneyland resort or Disney Stores) (Redeemable at DisneyStore.com, Disney Store locations in the U.S, participating locations at Walt Disney World® Resort, Disneyland® Resort and Disney Cruise Line®)

One Runner-up Prize:  $100 Disney Gift Card

Third Place Prize (up to 3 entries will win): Tickets for family of 4 to Los Angeles Zoo

To enter the contest, request for an Entry Form from your Case Administrator or attach a piece of paper with the following information with the artwork:

Child’s First Name Only (we will only publish first name on back of card):
Current Diagnosis:
What makes child happy? (what is depicted in illustration)?
Activities child enjoys doing include:
Current age of child:
How has ABA therapy impacted your family?

I agree to abide by the Official Contest Rules. (Parent’s (or Guardian’s) Signature  and Date)

If my child is a contest winner, call me at:

Official Contest Rules:
These are the official rules governing the Contest, and by submitting to Wellspring (through mailing original artwork or e-mailing a scanned image of the original artwork) materials regarding the execution of writing and/or visual aspects (illustration and graphic design) of greeting cards, and in consideration for the opportunity to have your work considered by Wellspring, you understand and agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions:
(1) The Contest. Wellspring, in its sole discretion, may shorten or extend any opening or closing times for submissions and may supplement any evaluation criteria or awards or other Contest Details. All entries must be submitted as required in the Contest Details. An entry constitutes acceptance of these Official Rules.
(2) Eligibility. This Contest is open to all persons with a developmental disorder or behavioral disorder except where prohibited by law. Contest excludes current and former employees of Wellspring and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and all children, spouses, siblings and parents of those employees. Entrants who are minors in their state or country of residence must have parental permission. Proof of parental consent will be required prior to a minor being named as a final winner.
(3) Selection of Winners. For the Contest, a panel of judges from Wellspring and/or a third party will review the Materials submitted and select potential winners based on the criteria set forth in the Contest Details. Each person selected as a potential winner will be contacted by Wellspring within 5 days of the closing date of the Contest.
(4) You agree that Wellspring may reproduce and show, display and transmit in physical or digital form your name and likeness and any Materials, whether your Materials are selected as a winner, potential winner or not selected, in connection with the Contest for which the Materials were submitted or for any other Contest in order to promote, market, explain or discuss Wellspring greeting card contests. Wellspring reserves the right to crop, adjust or modify the Materials (including text and images) in any manner.
 (5) You agree and understand that you are submitting the Materials on a NON-CONFIDENTIAL basis, and agree that Wellspring will not be obligated to keep secret any information contained in the Materials, and Wellspring is under no obligation of confidentiality or non-use regarding any aspect of the Materials. No contract, obligation or agreement to adopt or compensate you for the use of Materials or requirement to negotiate regarding the Materials is to be implied from Wellspring’s consideration or review of the Materials.
(6) You represent and warrant that (i) the artist has the consent of your parent or legal guardian to enter this Contest); (ii) the Materials are original to you and you are the sole owner, creator, inventor and/or author of the Materials; (iii) Wellspring’s use of the Materials, as contemplated by its request for submission of Materials, do not infringe the rights of any third parties (including copyright, trademark, rights of likeness and rights of publicity), and that you have all rights and permissions necessary for Wellspring’s use of the Materials;
(7) Wellspring is not responsible for lost, stolen, illegible, misdirected or late submissions.

Parents often ask us if their child can be a little autistic. The truth is, there really is not a clear answer. There are many terms used for children who do not have a full-blown diagnosis of autism. Some examples of these are autistic-like, on the autism spectrum, displaying autistic-like symptoms. These often refer to children who may exhibit some of the symptoms on the autism checklist but not all. Displaying one or two autism symptoms is not always cause for concern but does raise a red flag and should be checked by a professional.

According to Parenting magazine, recent research shows that for every kid who receives an actual autism diagnosis, there’s another who has autistic traits  – including repetitive behaviors and communication problems – but is not found to have autism spectrum disorder. For a diagnosis to be made, a child must exhibit a certain number and severity-level of these characteristics. In other words, not every child with social impairment can be characterized as autistic. But on the flip side, many children can suffer from autistic traits on a level that is in fact impairing even though they may not meet the full criteria. The good news is that applied behavior analysis treatment, which is proven to be the most effective intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder, can also be used to effectively treat any behavior disorder as well as to teach critical skills that a child may be lacking.

Parents should follow their instincts and talk to a professional if they have trouble in any of the following symptoms. A parent’s gut feeling is often the best indication.

• Impaired social interaction or difficulty forming relationships
• Trouble responding to social cues
• Inability to understand give and take activities like sharing
• Shows extreme distress over minor changes in routine
• Problems with verbal and non-verbal communication
• Failure to respond to name
• Avoidance of eye contact with other people
• Repetitive movements such as rocking or twirling
• Self-abusive behavior such as biting or head-banging