Marilyn Long gives some medication to her brother, Jeff Malanoski, 57, during breakfast. Long and her husband, Mike, far left, take care of Jeff, who was born with Down Syndrome and has now developed Alzheimer’s. Jeff Malanoski sat in front of his bowl of cereal, watching “The Price is Right” and forgetting to eat his breakfast. His sister, Marilyn Long, sat at the table next to him and repeatedly reminded him. “Why don’t you eat your cereal?” she coaxed, reaching over his shoulder to give it a stir. Her husband, Mike Long, sighed. “It takes forever,” he said.

It didn’t used to. Malanoski has Down syndrome, but until a few years ago, he ate without prompting, dressed himself and was relatively easy for the Longs to care for in their Elk Grove Village, Ill. home. Read more.

The California Employment Consortium for Youth and Young Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CECY) needs your help. CECY would like to improve life after high school for young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities who would like to go to college and/or get a job. They have put together a survey that will take about 15 minutes to complete, the results of which will help to create tools and materials that assist young adults in finding services for going to college and getting a job.
Questions include:
• How important is it to you that your son or daughter begins college within one to two years of completing high school?
• Has a teacher or counselor from your son or daughter’s school worked with them to plan for their life after high school?
• Is work a goal in your youth/young adult’s Individual Program Plan (IPP) with the Regional Center
If you are interested in providing data that will guide efforts to improve life after high school, click here to take the survey.

Noah, now in preschool and chatty for his age, began showing what researchers called severe symptoms of autism spectrum disorder – a complex developmental disability that affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others – when he was just 6 months old. His eye contact was off, Kristin said, and he wouldn’t reciprocate facial expressions.
Those were red flags for the young mother, who noticed similar signs in her sons Justin and Simon before they were diagnosed with autism years earlier. Read more.

Solano County officials have selected Gerald Huber as the new director of Health and Social Services.
Starting Nov. 10, he will assume leadership over Solano County’s largest and most comprehensive public service agency.
Huber, who has been involved with health and human service programs at county, state and federal levels of government for more than 30 years in Minnesota, Wisconsin and New York, will oversee a $289 million budget and more than 1,200 employees working in five program services areas in 22 offices throughout Solano County. Read more.