Issue 11 / December 2013
Autism W rld Magazine
WHO SPEAKS FOR ME? Holiday Fun
Bumper Edition 100 au-some pages
Supporting the GAPS diet
Adventures in Communication Autism World Magazine - 1
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Autism W rld Welcome to the Digital Download / PDF version of Autism World Magazine If you are opening this on an iPhone or iPod use the “Open in iBooks” option. For all other PDF Reader, please refer to your specific instruction manual. Pictures labelled “Click on picture to play video” will take you to the video Any problems, send us an email at contact@magswest.com
Hyperlinks, video and emails work when you are online. Book pictures link you straight to Amazon or similar, giving you the opportunity to buy books. Autism World Magazine - 2
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Editor’s Note Who speaks for Autism? This is a question that continually crosses my mind and even more so this past month following events at Autism Speaks.
Many claim to be “The Voice” of the Autism Community. I know we continually try to reflect the authentic voices from within that community. What about those who are non-verbal or considered too backward or too young to speak for themselves.
This month I am especially proud of our article ‘Little Voice’ on page 25. William Little is 17, has autism and dyspraxia and is non-verbal. Six years ago his parents were told he would never be able to learn the alphabet. Now following six years of home-schooling and support William Little gets glowing reports on his academic tests. But he remains non-verbal. What does he make of his education, his life and his future?
Two months ago I asked William’s mum, Jacqui, if we could interview William for this magazine. She said it would “take a while” as he can only type with one finger. The interview went better than any of us ever expected and William’s answers have stunned us all.
But then this magazine is 100 stunning pages of stories, comment and practical solutions for you and your family.
Enjoy and best wishes,
iain iain croft editor iain@magswest.com www.facebook.com/worldautism
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HOW
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ABOUT THEM APPLES with Di Maitland
“Hearing my child speak - priceless!”
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CONTENTS ISSUE 11 / DECEMBER 2013
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LITTLE'VOICE 17'year'old'William'Little' who'is'non<verbal'with' Autism'and'Dyspraxia'tells' us'about'his'future'hope' and'dreams.
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SENSORY'SANTA Are'you'missing'an' important'picture'in'your' photo'album?'Chanelle' Avison'on'getting'that' photo'with'Santa.'
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Publisher:
© Copyright 2013 MagsWest PO Box 99 Mosman Park WA 6912
info@magswest.com
Autism World Magazine is available digitally for iPad, iPhone, PC or portable device.
04 HOW(ABOUT(THEM(APPLES Di#Maitland
78 CARING(FOR(CARERS Lily#Holland
18 TRIED(AND(TESTED Monique#Simpson
84 HOLIDAY(WISHES Monica#Holloway
31 ROAD(TESTING(AACORN Mel#McFadden
86 REAL(LIFE Stories#from#across#the#spectrum
Editor:
41 A(WANDERING(REGISTER Bette#Sartore
93 AUTISM(SPEAKS(NOT(FOR(ME
autismworld magazine.com
48 NUTRITION(SOLUTIONS Paula#Tazzyman
98 FINDING(MEANING(IN(CHAOS( Maria#Iliou
56 SUPPORTING(THE(GAPS(DIET Jacinta#O’Connor
99 YOUR(IPAD Andy#Brovey
61 TOP(TEN(GIFTS(FOR(LANGUAGE Catherine#Crestani#and#Diana# Wolf 65 OUR(WORLD James#Pala 72 18Plus Malcolm#MayAield
Jocelyn#Davis
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Subscribe via the Apple Newsstand or iTunes Or via autismOz.com
Iain Croft
Website:
Facebook: facebook.com/ worldautism
Front Cover: William Little taken by Jacqui Little
STATEMENT OF POLICY AND DISCLAIMER ‘The views expressed in any articles included in this publication are not necessarily those of Autism World Magazine or the publishers MagsWest Pty. Ltd. Autism World Magazine and the publishers do not promote or recommend any specific therapy, treatment, institution or professional viewpoint. Please check with a doctor when changing any diet or major nutritional change.
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Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute Telethon Institute mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto: autism.childhealthresearch.org.au mailto:
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Sensory Santa by Chanelle Avison
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Chanelle Avison found herself in a foreign country with no extended family or friends and ASD twins. She took refuge at the movies. Her relief has become a movement which is now giving families and children with ASD more fun than she could have ever imagined.
When the twins were two-years-old I looked forward to them starting school and I would be able to work; didn't matter where, I just loved to be with and talk to people. We migrated to Australia from New Zealand in 2006. We had no family or friends in our new country. While my husband worked I was at home with my three children. They were more than a handful to deal with so we never ventured anywhere as I was too anxious that the twins would run away. I never made any friends during that time. I felt so isolated. We eventually ended up in Queensland where there were more employment opportunities and within six months we had bought a new home. The twins were diagnosed with ASD when they were four-years-old. I read everything on Autism; I wanted to know as much as I could. But unfortunately I couldn't find any services or support groups in my area and I remained isolated. When the twins started at school, I went to the movies twice a week. It became my place where I didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to think.
I had respite from housework and my home which had become my prison. I got to know staff at the cinema on a first-name basis and started talking to the manager. We talked about my children and other families that would never go to the movies because of the judgement from others. So together we decided to run "Sensory Movie Day". I was scared that no-one would come. I could never get anyone to turn up to a Tupperware party and I wasn't sure how I would get families there. We let schools, therapist and service providers know about our movie day and the cinema filled up with families. We covered the fire exit doors so the little escape artists could not runaway. Every month we held our Sensory Screenings our numbers rose. Seeing the faces of parents who at first were scared of being judged or following their child around the cinema, assuring them that all was fine made me feel like this is exactly what I would have wanted as a parent with special needs children.
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“I could never get anyone to turn up to a Tupperware party” After a year we had other parents wanting to hold Sensory Movie Days in their areas. I helped them get set-up. The reward of holding this event that keeps us going is the smiles on the families’ faces. Knowing that this event is inclusive and there should be more of them. More volunteers offered to do face painting and balloon twisting and the cinema donated spot prizes. In 2013 we decided to hold a "Sensory EXPO" with 15 different service providers and organisations. More than 250 people attended the expo. It opened my eyes and I was already planning the next one. It is being held on Sunday 8 December 2013 from noon till 2.00pm. We have invited many different service providers and there will be lots of resources and information. We will be screening Turbo and after the movie Mr and Mrs Claus will be handing out presents to all the children. These prizes have been donated from local business and families.
While working on our Christmas Sensory EXPO and Screening I started to think about Santa photos. The only photo I had of the twins with Santa was taken when they were nine-months-old. It was a Polaroid photo and had faded. I wondered how many other families had gaps in their photo albums – all of the Christmas parades as well as the Santa Photo taken at events at which Sensory Children can't cope, such as crowds, loud noises, too close proximity with people, music, bright lights. I googled “special need santa events” and came up with "Sensory Santa". I put out a call for expressions of interest on our Facebook page and comments come back thick and fast. We had messages from more than 1,500 people who were excited about the idea. From that I looked up key locations of shopping centres. Some of the shopping centres were amazing. They had never even heard of the idea and couldn't wait to get the ball rolling. I sent them a Power Point of all the things that sensory Santas needed from them. We worked out which days would be more ideal.
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That old Polaroid photo of the twins
Some shopping centres needed convincing and others said no but that was okay because I had seven confirmed centres. One shopping centre is building a ramp up to Santa; other shopping centres are offering lower prices and also more sensory Santa days. I have started bookings for Morayfield Shopping Centre, Westfield Carindale and Westfield Chermside. My phone went crazy but that was great because I got to speak to other families. Within the first
24 hours of posting the announcement for Morayfield Shopping Centre sensory Santa all the bookings were taken. I managed to organise another day, and if that one gets booked up I will hopefully be able to organise another one. I offered to co-ordinate the Morayfield Shopping Centre day and to make every child an animal balloon. I can't wait to see all the families coming along and filling up their family albums with Christmas events. I will be getting a photo with my children near Santa.
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Even my mum Anne rocked up from New Zealand just so she could wrap presents. Measuring out wrapping paper in her very precise way..
Sensory Santa means so much to me. It is about starting another inclusive event for families with special needs, getting them out of their homes and filling their lives with new adventures â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and photos for their albums.
For more details about sensory screenings please go to: www.facebook.com/SensoryMovieDay
There is a huge need for Sensory Santa around the country. I would love for more shopping centres to get on board by running them every Christmas. My goal is to get the word out and make Sensory Santa an Australia-wide event.
and you can contact me on +61 (0)422 416 509
My email address sensorymovieday@hotmail.com
Merry Christmas to all
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Enriching the lives of people affected by Autism in Western Australia
www.autismwest.org.au
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TRIED AND TESTED WITH MONIQUE SIMPSON Speech Pathologist Ba.App.Sc (Sp Path)
The HOW TO GUIDE on using visuals to support language learning (Part1)
Monique Simpson As the founder and speech pathologist at Connect Therapy in Sydney, Monique Simpson has specialised in the field of autism for 12 years, treating only children diagnosed with ASD. Through the diversity and volume of clients under her care she has developed an enormous wealth of knowledge and practical experience on effective ways to treat children with ASD, Asperger’s and PDD-NOS. Monique brings Tried and Tested solutions to those across the autism spectrum.
www.connecttherapy.com
“Most people in the socalled normal world think in words, but thinking in language and words is alien to me. I think totally in pictures” (Temple Grandin)
Nobody likes to be left in the dark, and it's amazing how much visual supports can really reduce the anxiety levels of children on the autism spectrum.
The use of visual supports can be such an effective way of sharing greater meaning with children right across the autism spectrum. Why? Because a lot of their worry can be due to reduced comprehension of the world around them. But if the child uses both visual (photos, drawings, gestures) as well as auditory (sounds, words) learning it can help them build a greater understanding of what is happening.
However there is a lot of skill in being able to pitch visual supports at the 'just right' level so that they are REALLY helping to make a difference for the child. In this particular article I will be discussing how I use visuals to support children who really don’t understand a lot of words. In the next issue I will recommend visuals to help children who comprehend a lot more language.
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Ok, so if the child does not understand words (auditory symbols) we are going to use some basic visual symbols to help them comprehend and potentially learn what the words mean. Let’s say you were in Paris trying to get the best directions on how to get to the Eiffel Tower, how would you do this if you couldn’t speak French? You would use lots of hand gestures (e.g. pointing), facial expressions and possibly a map to help support your understanding.
The easier visual symbols/cues that I use with kids, with limited comprehension of words, are: 1) real objects 2) photos 3) concrete gestures (e.g. tapping, pointing, head nodding/shaking, simple reenactment gestures etc). These types of visuals are easier to understand because they are less abstract/symbolic. I will tend to use these visuals to represent activities of daily living (bathing, sleep, eating, car) as well as within social routines and play (e.g. little repetitive games the child enjoys) because strong patterning is fundamental for learning. Hopefully a client example will help to explain what I mean.... Ramin is a five year old client of mine. At present I am training the family on how to support Ramin’s comprehension through the use of real objects, photos and gestures. He really enjoys going into the backyard and playing on the trampoline and swing set.
How would you do the Eiffel Tower?
Ramin does not yet think about things outside of the ‘here and now’ so I need to show him the photo of the trampoline to bring the idea into the present. As I am showing him the photo I say “Trampoline?” in an excited tone of voice and with an animated face. It is very important that I use single words when I am showing Ramin the photo because I also would like him to learn that the word trampoline is matched with the photo of it. His dad and I then lead him to the trampoline in the backyard. Autism World Magazine - 19
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;showing)him)the)photo)when)the) object)is)present)is)conceptually) easier)to)understandâ&#x20AC;?)
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connect with the child’s interest
When we arrive at the trampoline I bring Ramin’s attention to the photo as well as tap on the actual trampoline and say “trampoline” again. Showing him the photo when the object is present (e.g. trampoline) is conceptually easier to understand because I am talking about an object in the here and now. Ok so now it is time to get on the trampoline and have some fun with Ramin. He loves to jump! I would like to help Ramin understand ‘jump’ so we play a jump and crash game. Each time I jump I label the action by clearly saying the single word “jump”. I use the same social routine/game so that I am using patterning to help support comprehension. For example, I say “jump, jump, jump, jump...crash (we fall over)” with an animated tone of voice that encourages him to ‘tune into’ what I am saying. In addition I also use a body and hand gesture during this game that symbolises what ‘jump’ means. In this example I am using visual supports (photos, real object and gestures) to help him MAP the meaning of the words. Now (after a couple of sessions) when we go into the back yard and I say “jump, jump, jump, jump...crash” with the same animated tone of voice, Ramin runs over to the trampoline. This doesn’t necessarily mean that he knows exactly what jump means but he is pairing this symbolic word, as well as intonation and context, with the activity of the trampoline.
This is a positive sign that he is starting to create meaning from words. Well done Ramin! Visuals are such a powerful way of getting as much joint attention as possible when sharing meaning with the child. Without them sometimes you are not sure whether you are both attending to the same thing or not! As we know children on the autism spectrum are particularly challenged with shifting attention so this is a great way to be able to really support them in this. Photos can be a particularly powerful way of shifting a child’s attention from something THEY are focusing on to something that YOU want them to attend to. For example, a child might be very focused on playing with their trains and you want them to have a bath. To help them ‘tune into’ and possibly understand the fact that it is bath time might involve getting their attention and showing the child a photo of the bath. They might not necessarily be happy about this transition but at least you have given them every opportunity of being able to understand what is happening. You can also use other auditory supports to help them with this transition (e.g. singing a bath song, counting down). Please note that it can also be useful to spend a few moments connecting with the child’s interest (i.e. the trains) so that you are more on the same wavelength before getting them to shift their attention to something that you want. Autism World Magazine - 21
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Similarly if I would like the child to start understanding some simple questions like “What do you want?” then I would first use a visual of the real objects to help support them.
If your child understands more than 150-500 words then you will certainly enjoy part 2 of this article which you will discover in next month’s edition.
For example I might hold up a biscuit (preferred item) and an apple (non preferred item) and say “What do you want?” In this example I am using the real objects to help support the child in making choices and potentially understanding the question form “What do you want?” The child will usually either grab, reach for, point or name what they want in response to this question.
For more examples and strategies on how I use visual supports to help support kids with ASD you might like to check out DVD Seven of my Autism Essentials DVD program which covers over two hours of training on how to use visuals with your child!
The real object, photo or gesture visual prompts can be used to help children learn a whole range of core language (e.g. names of objects, simple actions, more, finish, no, yes, possessions, simple feelings, following commands, responding to questions etc, etc).
Regardless, I would really encourage you to spend some time considering how you use visuals (photos, objects and body/facial gesturing) to help your child more fully understand what is going on. It is so important that ‘shared meaning’ is a priority when interacting with your child. Monique Simpson Speech Pathologist Ba.App.Sc (Sp Path) www.connecttherapy.com
In the next issue Sequencing Talking about past experiences Use of line drawings, and drawings, written word
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Need$someone$to$talk$to?
24-Hour Autism Hotline
1300 222 777 (Australia*Only)
The Autism Advisory and Support Service (AASS) runs a 24-Hour Autism Hotline which is staffed by parent volunteers who have children with Autism. You can call any time of the day or night, from anywhere in Australia, to chat to someone who can offer service and guidance from a parent's perspective. Whenever you call AASS you are speaking a parent of a child with Autism so you know that you are talking to someone who understands what you are experiencing. Parents and carers waiting for a formal assessment and diagnosis, looking for the right intervention and joining the long waiting lists can be extremely overwhelmed, confused and frustrated. AASS will help with unbiased advice, encouragement, guidance and support. If you get the answer-phone please leave your number and a message. We will call you back. Autism World Magazine - 24
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LITTLE VOICE by iain croft
William Little’s year 12 school report is everything a parent or student could wish for. Look down the pages and there is a list of grades A, A+ and a B. The As are not just for William’s amazing academic achievement, but also for the fantastic effort he has put into his work and his great behavior. William is, on paper, the model student who elicits observations of a “bright, excitable and charming young man who would be an asset to the right learning environment or workplace”. This is in stark contrast to just six-years-ago when William’s teachers said that he would never know his ABCs.
His parents removed him from that school and he has, as his school report says, “matured into a highly engaging and interesting and interested man”. William is non-verbal with ASD and Dyspraxia. Six years ago, he was in the most severe class at a special school where his teachers wanted him to focus on sensory activities, not academia. William’s achievements are even more remarkable as, for the past six years, he has been home schooled.
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“It is like finding treasure” Jacqui and William
“William’s parents have leveraged home, community and extensive technology resources to generate a world-class home mathematics education program for their son,” his school report from the Home Education Unit of the Queensland Department of Education, Training and Employment reads. In July 2007, Jacqui, William’s mother, started home educating with the help and guidance from an occupational therapist, speech pathologist and an education consultant. William is now a delightful, 184cm (just over six foot), 17 year old. What does he think about his education and importantly about his future? The school report makes many assumptions about William. It suggests that perhaps he should become an apprentice carpenter or animated designer. But William has other ideas. Autism World asked Jacqui to interview William about his life, his education and his aspirations. “It may take him a long time to complete his thoughts. We can only try,” Jacqui said.
William types with one finger using a special needs keyboard by Clevy. The results of those mother and son conversations have been moving and have brought Jacqui to tears many times. They have also given William a voice about his schooling and his future. “It is like finding treasure,” said Jacqui. “We always wished that there were hopes, plans and compassion inside him. Now we know there are.” William went to various schools from the age of two for eight years and made very slow progress. In his last year at the special school when he was just 10 he became very unhappy and depressed. He used to hide when he heard the school bus approaching his home. His teacher said that he tried to head-butt her in class and that they had to chase him around the playground to get him in at break times. William says he simply did not like his school.
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“It made me unhappy because they underestimated me and one of the teachers made me feel unhappy. She didn't care my feelings and gave me sad times (sic).”
“Yes, I like it. Mum and dad know how much I know and the children were very noisy at school,” he told us.
He told us that he understood “very little” of what the teachers were saying to him.
Taking William out of school and home educating also gave Jacqui a brighter outlook on her life too.
Jacqui says that time was confusing for her as well. “I had a terrible feeling inside; why is he here, what are they teaching, is he learning, where do I go from here?” An education consultant visited William at home and at school and concluded that he was coming to no harm but that he deserved more. With help from the consultant, William’s parents decided to remove him from the school system altogether. “I felt that I must get him out and home education was the next step,” Jacqui said. William has thrived in the home schooling environment.
“I knew I had a huge job on my hands but I thought ‘I can do this.’ In the years to come it will be my husband and I who will be living with William. When he is 18 there will be no teachers or paediatric professionals.” William’s dad, Greig, is a pilot so the family enjoys travel and William loves planes. His favourite book is London Heathrow, The World’s Busiest International Airport by Freddy Bullock. William found skiing exciting, but one of his favourite memories is of a family holiday at Tangalooma on Morton Island, just off the Queensland coast. “(We) fed dolphins, went sailing, (rode on) quad bikes,” he beams as he writes.
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William with his mum and dad
William is already looking ahead to what he would like to learn next year. “Computer skills and maths. I would like to continue with learning how to speak. I would like to do exercise,” he typed.
When William gets bored and wants to move to the next level he nudges Jacqui on the chin with his chin. William explained this action. “I am angry with her, I don’t hurt her. I give her a kiss to say sorry,” he said.
“I like best knowing about what is going on in the world and enjoying being taught.
Jacqui explains: “William always wants to make friends with me after he has had a meltdown.”
“I like learning at home because it is calm and enjoyable.”
Jacqui then uses communication boards and the yes/no application on the iPad to find out what was wrong.
As with any school, it’s not all fun and games. Jacqui keeps a routine and sometimes William finds the work a bit tough. “I dislike the pressure sometimes when I feel unwell,” he said. William also feels frustrated when he needs to tell his mother that he understands what she is teaching and that he feels the need to move on. “I get angry and we have to stop until I calm down.”
The family uses that same app along with portable cards to have conversations however they don’t happen at the dinner table. “William dislikes the sight of the food we eat. When we are eating out he will tolerate it,” said Jacqui adding that her son is partial to Vegemite on toast.
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“We can go to friends or family and he will sit at the table for over two hours and enjoys socialising.”
William knows that he has his parents’ support and is confident that they will help him find out how he can work in the field of autism.
Like many his age, William enjoys being active. He rollerblades, plays on the trampoline and goes Micro scooting. Jacqui says her son doesn’t have much social interactions with others his age but she’s sure he would like to.
As William’s confidence grew we asked about how he feels about others on the spectrum; those who are high functioning or with different skills to him. His answer is perhaps a lesson for us all.
“He doesn’t know how yet. Neither do teenagers he comes in contact with. William does have two friends in the UK that he grew up with and he really enjoys the interaction. You can see the joy on his face,” she said.
“I think make no difference very good you hope for the best. Hope is all we can ask for,” he said. Jacqui said: “I just couldn't believe what he was saying... just amazing!” “Greig was just so pleased to read his comments, too. William wants to study autism. Wow! I am on a high,” she said. “I had goose bumps when I first read Carly Fleischmann’s memoir, Carly's Voice. Now I have even bigger goose bumps.” Since we completed our conversations for Autism World, Jacqui says that William also seems happier. “He has told us what he wants for his future and he is excited about this,” she said. “Having built this new communication method with William, I feel quite excited about where he wants to go next. This has been a family activity bringing us closer to our beautiful son.”
William with his friend Edwina William is optimistic about his future. Far from the advice on his report, he has decided to pursue a career in a field in which he already has hands-on experience. “I feel (a) job in autism would help others like me. I want to continue to learn how to make best for me,” William typed. “I like to study autism but I don’t know what to study. I know about my autism but everyone is different,” he said.
Jacqui has this advice for those following on a similar path. “My advice is to start working with and guiding you child at an early age. Cover what is appropriate and inappropriate behaviour in public places and how you want them to behave in your family home,” she said. “This has taken our family many years to achieve but we are now reaping the benefits!”
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CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW THE VIDEO OF WILLIAM AND JACQUI’S CONVERSATION ON WRITE: OUTLOUD
who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who speaks who William’s Write:OutLoud session
References: http://clevy.com/products The keys are 30% bigger and the characters on them are up to 4 times bigger than those on an average keyboard, making them simpler to find and easier for him to hit. Write:OutLoud, by Don Johnston, is simple to use and reads words as they are written, providing real-time auditory feedback. Writing tools, including talking spell checker, homophone checker and a dictionary to help your child confirm their word choice in language they understand. http://donjohnston.com/writeoutloud/ William also uses Proloquo2Go AAC application:.
www.assistiveware.com/product/proloquo2go Jacqui completed an online course on how to use this application. Through having greater knowledge with this app, I have managed to design my own page sets to suit William's needs.
http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/online/profile/proloquo2gomaking-it-work-for-you/ http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/online/profile/whats-to-know-explore-new-features-ofproloquo2go-2-0/ Autism World Magazine - 30
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ROAD TEST
We test new Apps so you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to. with Mel McFadden Autism World Magazine - 31
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INTRODUCING aacorn
aacorn is a brand new tool available for iPad to aid with Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). The creators claim this “revolutionary next generation Assistive Communications solution,” is designed to provide free flowing naturalsounding speech to children with or who have either limited or no ability to communicate verbally.
Bold claims indeed. We decided to put aacorn through its paces with an Autism World Magazine family road test.
“For years AAC devices and software have relied on hard to identify stick figure drawings and robotic sounding voices. They are very complicated for adults to set up and even more difficult for children to use. With aacorn all of this changes, and parents, health and educational professionals should be very excited by the arrival of aacorn as the first 'intelligent' solution that will help to unlock a child's real potential to communicate. ” - Sheena Reilly (Associate Director - Murdoch Childrens Research Institute).
aacorn is the result of three years of research with leading experts in the medical and educational fields, to address the shortcomings of assisted communications apps and devices. As such aacorn delivers a number of world-firsts for children with Autism, Cerebral Palsy, MS, Apraxia, developmental delays or difficulty learning language. Autism World Magazine - 32
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Adventures in AAC
a review of aacorn by Mel McFadden
Dom and Seb Those who know me know that I am a strong advocate for the use of tablets and apps, particularly for people with special needs who have difficulty with speech, communication and learning. With two children on the Autism spectrum, one who also has complex medical needs, I have seen first-hand the benefits of using these devices not just for children but also for us as their parents. Being quite tech savvy and married to a husband who works in IT we jumped on board the iRevolution quite early. We've invested in a number of Apple's iDevices and spent a small fortune on apps for our two boys Sebastian (seven) and Dominic (five). Sebastian was born with a bilateral cleft lip and palate and was diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome at age six.Dominic was diagnosed with Autism at age two in addition to a diagnosis of Beckwith Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS).
BWS is a rare congenital condition that among other things has required Dominic to have a tracheostomy to breathe from the age of three months. He also had tongue reduction surgery to reduce the size of his overgrown tongue at the age of two. For the first couple of years having the tracheostomy took away Dominic's ability to babble, laugh or cry out loud because the tracheostomy tube by-passes his upper airway - which includes the vocal chords. At age three Dominic started wearing a speaking valve to assist him to push air through his vocal chords however he was still non-verbal for some time after this due to the communication issues associated with Autism. When it came to speech you could say that the odds were always stacked against him. Despite all these challenges Dominic's verbal communication started emerging at age four. At first it was one or two words used sporadically.
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Dom's TEACCH set-up
This has since grown to sentences like "I want apple", "Do you want your iPad?" and best of all "I love you". Many of these short sentences are often quirky in their delivery as we are still working on the pragmatics of speech but we have words that are starting to be used deliberately and in context and for that we are both grateful and proud. Dominic hasn't had anywhere near the amount of speech therapy his older brother has had but we'd like to think that the many hours spent working on speech with Sebastian have also helped us with Dominic. Unfortunately Dominic's speech is not as clear to others as it is to us though. He still has some issues with the articulation of many speech sounds. It became apparent quite early on that we will have to augment his speech so he can communicate effectively with others. When we first got the iPad for Dominic I was very quick to tap into its potential as a learning and therapy tool. I used a TEACCH based approach to deliver therapy and learning tasks at home with the guidance of a wonderful early intervention therapist. Part of this approach incorporated ending each session with shared time on the iPad as a reward for staying on task and working independently. There are so many wonderful apps out there, many of which allowed me to extend Dominic's learning and gauge exactly how much he knew.
Some of these apps even allowed me to track his progress and collect data to share with his therapists. I completely immersed myself in the world of apps for therapy and education and before long I became one of the go-to people for many in my area who were seeking information on apps for children with special needs. I befriended many app developers and other mums interested in apps. I even gave free presentations on apps and iPads to parents, therapists and educators through our local autism association. I had heard a lot about the successes that others were having with iPads and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) apps. I started doing more research into these as I could see how they would benefit not only Dominic but also our resource budget. There is such a vast range of free, paid, and quite expensive AAC apps to choose from in the App Store. Even the most expensive AAC apps offer a budget solution for those in need of assistive technology, particularly when compared to the very expensive and somewhat limited options available in the past. I found the AAC app that I thought would best suit our needs and applied for a grant for funding to purchase it for Dominic. It wasn't long before I realised how na誰ve I was to think that placing an iPad loaded with an AAC app into Dominic's hands would automatically give him the ability to communicate. Autism World Magazine - 34
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This was definitely not the case. Although he was already reading I still had to put a great deal of work into familiarising myself with the app, customising the app, modelling its use and then teaching him how to navigate his way through it without an understanding of the many different parts of speech.
home. Instead we threw our hands in the air and decided that we would just have to continue aiding his communication with lo-tech visual tools. We spent the next 12 months modelling the use of chat boards and PODD books with the view of eventually working him up to using his iPad as a communication device.
Then there was the other hurdle I had unknowingly created for myself. Dominic had become so accustomed to being engaged with the iPad for learning and sensory regulation that when it came to engaging with it for communicating there was really nothing drawing him to using it. He was already very good at communicating his wants and needs to us non-verbally or with just a few words. We often made remarks about how well he had us trained.
We were very fortunate that my intense interest in apps led us to receiving a number of apps to test and promote for app developers. I continued to try many AAC apps with Dominic, particularly when something new and innovative was released. I can speak from experience when I say that there are some amazing and feature rich AAC apps out there but Dominic just wouldn't take to them.
Eventually the frustration and confusion he was expressing whenever we tried to assist him to communicate using the iPad really didn't seem worth all the time, energy and stress it was causing him and our household. Besides we couldn't expect his teacher to adopt AAC in the school setting when we knew how much time and energy it was costing us at
That is until I recently received an email from Iain Croft, Editor of Autism World Magazine, asking me to take a look at the aacorn AAC app. Upon installing and opening the app for the very first time I was immediately struck by one significant difference â&#x20AC;&#x201C; this app was made specifically for children like Dominic.
Dom with PODD pages Autism World Magazine - 35
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Dom testing aacorn
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My first impression of aacorn was very simply WOW! It has been a while since an app developer has pushed the boundaries of function and design and excited me this much about an app that assists children with special needs. This is partly because this is the first time that our son Dominic has ever taken to an AAC app almost immediately and continued to use it and express great joy while doing so. Dominic usually expresses frustration when we encourage him toward using the iPad as an AAC device because it requires him and us to jump through additional hoops that he is not accustomed to jumping through in order to get what he wants. Aacorn's adorable tour guide Buddy took Dominic on a tour of the app that engaged him, was easy for him to follow and showed him how to use the app. He completed at least 50% of the lessons with little prompting from me.
The other 50% required me to assist him to complete the lesson. The only challenge I had with this app was that now Dominic has completed the lessons and is using the app, he finds Buddy so endearing that he gets distracted by him. He continually tries to go back and play with him when I want him to communicate. I couldn't find a way to disable this feature so I eventually opened the app with the iPad's guided access turned on (Settings > General > Accessibility > Guided Access). I was able to draw a box around buddy to prevent Dominic from activating him. I don't believe this needs to be changed by the developer as not every child will have this issue and it's both practical and handy to have Buddy there when you need to revisit the tutorials. It is easy enough to work around this using Guided Access for those who know how and perhaps this could be added to the FAQ section of the aacorn website.
CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW THE VIDEO aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone VIDEO: Buddy teaches Dom to ask the time Autism World Magazine - 37
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By far the best and most innovative feature of aacorn is the word tree and the way in which it quite deliberately yet subtly enhances the users language. The word tree very easily allows the user to create both simple and (grammatically correct) complex sentences. This unique feature is very intuitive to use and best of all it remembers and predicts. The aacorn word tree learns to predict what your child wants to say based on how he/she uses it. Aacorn moves words up or down in priority depending on which words your child uses most frequently. This allows you to learn about your child's communication style. It all sounds complex and I'm sure that in terms of development it was, however this is not the case when using the app. In fact, this is what simplifies the apps use with children. Remarkably, on the very first day of being introduced to aacorn Dominic was able to use the word tree to request an apple without the hand over hand prompting we would normally have to use to assist him to do so. Best of all he was happy to do it and repeat the request a number of times both verbally and using aacorn.
I found a fabulous benefit while using aacorn, one which I had not considered in the past due to the complexity I have regularly come across when trying to customise AAC apps for Dominic. By using Dominic's voice when creating the audio for customised buttons this not only keeps him involved and brings him great joy to hear his own voice, but it also allows those who are communicating with him regularly to learn to understand his speech better. By coupling his speech with the word and image of what he is saying it allows others to become more in tune to the way in which he pronounces certain sounds â&#x20AC;&#x201C; much the same way as we are. I have been using AAC apps for some time and this is the first time that it has occurred to me to do this. Normally I would hide away for hours trying to customise the app before presenting it to Dominic. That has all been taken away thanks to the word prediction capabilities of the aacorn word tree. The in-built recording studio, camera and drawing tools make customising the app so easy. It even supports multiple child accounts and secure cloud back-ups
CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW THE VIDEO aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone VIDEO: Dom asks for an apple
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CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW THE VIDEO aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone VIDEO: Dominic asks for a balloon
It is incredibly easy to customise the app on the go due to the word search feature. When you drag down the search bar on the main categories page and type in the word you are looking for, if the word is not already featured in aacorn's word bank you are presented with a shortcut button that enables you to very quickly create the word there and then. I found this feature when Dominic had asked to jump on the trampoline. The word trampoline did not come up when I searched for it but within a minute I was able to create it and it was available to use. While I know this is not a unique feature, it is definitely very straight forward to do and is broken down into a very quick and painless 4 step process.
I asked him to request again using aacorn but quickly found that the word balloon was not included in aacorn's word bank. So we created it together and added it to his sentence. He was patient and excited throughout this process and happily made the request again for me with the word balloon included as an option in the word tree. It was so easy and painless and not one bit stressful, which is why I will continue to rave about this app to everyone I meet that has any interest in AAC apps.
The ease of use was best illustrated when Dominic made a verbal request for a balloon. (see video above).
Best wishes, Mel and Dom
I highly recommend checking out aacorn if you're in the market for an AAC app. It has got this busy Mum and her reluctant AAC user very excited about the prospects for the future.
Autism World Magazine - 39
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If you would like to learn more about the aacorn app click below to : Visit the aacorn website Follow aacorn on Twitter Like aacorn on Facebook Check out the aacorn videos on Vimeo Buy aacorn from the App Store 15% of the purchase price goes toward funding further research into children's health at the Murdoch Children's Research Institute. CLICK ON THE PICTURE BELOW WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW THE VIDEO
aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone aacornvideoone VIDEO: aacorn word tree
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My Wandering Star
How can we help our children if they wander? Bette Sartore created an autism register with her local police.
by Bette Sartore
Galen has always been a wanderer. He has always liked power poles. He would see one and simply walk toward it and then see another and another. We could never let him out of our sight. He is 20-years-old now and has finally learned about getting lost. He has a mobile phone, an identity bracelet and his adult support centre worker has made him a great little book of laminated photos, taken of him around town and outside of the support centre. This is all good, unless of course, he did get lost because then his anxiety would kick in and he wouldn’t remember he had his phone, he would simply panic. He may pace back and forth, he would certainly talk to himself out loud and he may have a meltdown and hit himself.
What would a person who knew nothing about autism think? Was he was on drugs, or drunk or just plain crazy and therefore dangerous. Galen is just over six foot (182 cm) tall and weighs one hundred kilograms. He is a gentle giant but if you don’t know him, he is just a big man, and a big man behaving strangely at that. We are very lucky in the fact that we live in a small country town in Victoria, full of caring people who are very aware of the adult support centre and it’s work. With this in mind, I approached the centre’s respite co-ordinator and asked her if we could invite someone from our local police station to come and talk to us about what their officers would do if they found themselves in this situation.
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Galen: the gentle giant
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The police youth outreach worker attended the next month and we spoke at length about how we could address this issue. Our police station is a 24 hour police facility and there is a big turn over of officers. Some may not be there long enough to get to know many of the locals. We eventually came up with the idea of a register; something like the kind of register the police use when they have elderly people with dementia in their area. Forms were sent out to the parents of the clients of the support facility to fill in. As well as the usual name, address, medication and a recent picture, there was a section to fill in to explain the individuals behaviours and how best to approach them. Police could also take a photo of the person and send it back to the station for identification purposes if necessary.
Bette Sartore is the author of this terrific book Diagnosing Autism: Where to go from here. www.facebook.com/ DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere
Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve published the Kyneton Police Voluntary Register on the next page if you wish to copy the form and try something similar where you live.
I have always worried that if Galen got lost and terrified and started having a meltdown, would he be tackled or even worse would he be tasered? This is every autism parentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; nightmare; all of the successes Galen and I have achieved together over the years may vanish and he may disappear inside himself again. The police outreach worker was so helpful and it is a great relief to know we have put this in place. Bette
DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere Diagno sisAutismWhereToGoFromHere Diagn os isAuti smWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere DiagnosisAutismWhereToGoFromHere Autism World Magazine - 43
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Kyneton)Police)Voluntary)Register)of)People)with)Disabili>es Person)Profile Name:……………………………………………………………#### Address:………………………………………………………..###
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……………………………………………………………………… Phone)Contact:…………………………………………………#
Hi#my#name#is………………………………………………#and#I#have#a#registered#disability.##If#I#need#your# assistance#at#any#:me#when#I#am#on#my#own,#I#would#like#you#to#know#a#li>le#more#about#me#to# help#you#understand#how#best#to#communicate#with#me. Some:mes#people#think#I#ignore#them#but#really#it’s#because#my#communica:on#is#different.#The# things#you#should#know#are: ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………........................# ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….........................……##) )Contact)for)assistance)) 1. My#Parent/Carer…………………………………………………………………..................................................... ######OR 2. Other:# .....................................................................................................................................................# I"consent"to"the"informa/on"being"kept"in"the"Register"at"Kyneton"Police"Sta/on Signed……………………………………………Date………………… Name…………………………………………….Rela/onship"…………………………………………………………….
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ALWAYS ASPERGERS A PLACE WHERE EVERYONE IS FAMILY join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook www.facebook.com/groups/AlwaysAspergers join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on facebook join us on ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajgwww.alwaysaspergers.com ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg ajg Autism World Magazine - 45
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eat play Learn
Essential thinking on food, education and play from the most respected minds across the Autism world.
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So many of the mums I support tell me they lack stamina!!! Especially at this time of year with so much going on in preparation for Christmas.
Tired? PAULA TAZZYMAN Accredited Practicing Dietitian BSc Ma Nut & Diet (Sydney Uni)
I constantly get asked “Why am I so tired all the time?” Certainly, having a child diagnosed with ASD or ADHD is very stressful and challenging for the family as a whole. Energy levels can be zapped and parents are left feeling drained and exhausted. So let me give you some insights to energise your wellbeing.
Five key things to consider 1. Are you sleeping well? I know that sounds obvious but the number one reason we are tired is lack of sleep! Getting quality sleep is vital for our energy levels to be high the next day. Are you on the Internet to all hours? Do you drink caffeine too late? Do you go to bed at the same time each night? and wake up at the same time each morning? Is the bedroom too hot and stuffy? Do you have electrical gadgets in your bedroom? All these can interfere with quality sleep. You can read more tips to help you sleep here.
2- Have you looked at your diet and exercise? Eating regularly, keeping well hydrated and focusing on low G.I. carbs will help sustain your energy levels throughout the day. Keep caffeine to the earlier part of the day and aim to make the best food choices possible. Mums get busy, they often forget to eat or grab something on the run, which may be less than nutritious! Often you are too tired to even think about exercise but it is key to get oxygen to your cells and produce energy! However, ensure that you don’t exercise to close to bedtime as this can be disruptive to your sleep.
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3- Have you ruled out anaemia?
Supplemental Support:
Heavy menstrual cycles, bleeding from the bowel or an ulcer, vegetarian diets or even undiagnosed coeliac disease can leave you with low iron levels. Ask your Dr. to check your iron storage (ferritin) as well as ensure your levels of vitamin B12 and folic acid are optimum. It is important to work out if anaemia is at the core of your lack of energy. Coeliac disease often has no symptoms so it is worth asking your Dr. to rule it out.
It goes without saying that the better your diet the better you will feel. However many of my clients feel remarkably better with a little help from key nutrients: 1- Magnesium at a dose of 350 mg. Magnesium relaxes the nerves, helps you sleep and is involved in energy production. 2- Vitamin D is great to support your mood, sleep and immune system. In summer get safe sun on bare skin and consider Vitamin D3 supplementation in winter. More info on the benefits of Vitamin D here. 3- B complex - B group vitamins are vital to produce energy and the body needs more at times of stress. Check you donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t over do the levels of Vitamin B6, which can be toxic at high doses. Keep B6 to 25 mg per day. Definitely no more than 50 mg per day.
4- Is your thyroid gland working well? An under-active thyroid gland is often to blame for feeling tired. You may also feel sluggish in the bowel, experience hair loss, poor memory, dry skin and cold hands and feet. You may find losing weight difficult and may feel flat. Ensure your Dr. checks thyroid function inclusive of thyroid hormones (T3 and T4). 5- Have you considered that low energy levels could be a food intolerance? So many of my clients feel so much better once we have identified a food chemical intolerance via an elimination diet. More info here.
4- Co-enzyme Q10 - I love CoQ10 to help my cells make more energy naturally. It takes about a month to build up in your system. A dose 100mg- 200mg is great!
Feeling tired is no fun! So discuss your concerns with your doctor if this is an ongoing issue for you. I hope this information will be useful to you and your family and that your start 2014 with renewed vigor! Keep safe, happy and healthy over the Festive season. Merry Christmas! In Wellness, Paula xx www.paulatazzyman.com.au www.facebook.com/pages/Paula-Tazzyman-Dietitian/180866515360313
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S T A E R T Y Z Z A T
ive t s e F g n i h t e Som Tazzy Treats Pear and carob pudding perfect for Christmas. One#of#my#FAILSAFE,#gluten#free# and#casein#free#clients#shared#this# recipe# Directions Ingredients 1x 800 grams of tin pears in syrup 1 Tablespoon Nuttelex to grease 2 eggs ideally organic 125 gms of white sugar 125 gms of gluten free self raising flour 1/2 tsp baking soda 6 dsps of Nuttelex 1 tsp vanilla essence 2 tbsps carob powder
Spread#1#tbsp#of#Nuttelex#over#a# Alat#oven#proof#dish.#Separate#the# pears#from#the#syrup.#Keep#syrup# for#later.#Arrange#the#pears#in#the# center#of#the#baking#dish. Place#2#eggs,#125#gms#of#white# sugar,#125#gms#of#gluten#free#self# raising#Alour,#1/2#tsp#baking#soda,# 6#dsps#of#Nuttelex,#1#tsp#vanilla# essence,#2#tbsps#carob#powder#in# blender.#Blend#till#it#becomes#a# soft#brown#batter,#add#1/4#cup#of# the#pear#syrup#if#the#mixture#is# too#solid. Pour#the#batter#over#the#pears#in# the#dish,#and#place#in#the# preheated#oven#180#C,#for#30Z40# minutes.#Remove#when#brown# and#golden.# Delicious. Autism World Magazine - 50
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dding u p b o r a c d n Pear a Autism World Magazine - 51
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Tazzy Treats Christmas Cookies with maple frostingFailsafe, gluten and milk free. YUM. Ingredients
125g#nuttelex 125gm#castor#sugar 125gm#SR#gluten#free#Flour 125gm#Plain#GF#Alour 1#egg 2#teaspoons#Vanilla#essence# 1.#Cream#the#nuttelex#and#sugar 2.#Add#egg#and#vanilla#â&#x20AC;&#x201C;#mix# thoroughly 3.#Add#sifted#Alours#and#mix#to#a# smooth#dough# 4.#Roll#and#cut#into#Christmas# shapes 5.#Bake#for#15#minutes#at#180# degrees.
DirectionsÂ
Maple&Icing& Ingredients 50g&butter&or&Nuttelex 110g&pure&icing&sugar 1&tablespoon&pure&maple&syrup OptionalT&carob&or&sprinkle&with& poppy&seeds Directions 1.&&&&Cream&the&butter&and&icing& sugar&until&light&and&Uluffy. 2.&&&&Whisk&in&the&maple&syrup&/ carob 3.&&&&Let&your&imagination&shine&to& decorate&the&cookies. 4.&Sprinkle&with&poppy&seeds&for&an& extra&special&touch. Enjoy
Alternatively,#as#the#cookies# come#out#of#the#oven#toss#them# in#icing#sugar.#Enjoy#!
Maple&Icing& Ingredients 50g&butter&or&Nuttelex 110g&pure&icing&sugar 1&tablespoon&pure&maple&syrup OptionalT&carob&or&sprinkle&with& poppy&seeds
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Tazzy Treats I Love all things red and green at Christmas. Red ice cubes to brighten up our drinks using Rosehip tea. DirectionsÂ
Brew#a#pot#of#strong#rose#hip#tea#(packed#with#vitamin'C).# Then#pour#the#tea#into#an#ice#tray#and#let#it#freeze. Alternatively#you#can#pour#into#icyZpole#moulds#for#a#cool#Christmas#treat.
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Now for the green
Tazzy Treats Celery is low in natural chemicals and it has a milder flavour in comparison to basil. FAILSAFE, gluten and casein free. Ingredients:
4#cups#of#fresh#celery#leaves 1/3#cup#raw#cashews 3/4#cup#Failsafe#oil# 2#large#garlic#cloves#(peeled) 1#teaspoon#iodized#salt Optional#:#½#cup#chickpeas#to#boost#protein#and#nutrients. Directions:
Blend#all#ingredients#in#the#food#processor#to#desired#consistency. Great#as#a#dip#or#with#chicken/Aish. Paula xx Autism World Magazine - 54
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Paula’s Wellness Tips e-Handbook It has been a treat to have spent the last six months compiling an easy to read reference for families to support their nutritional health I have gathered all my knowledge and put together"Wellness Tips: A Practical Guide For Family Health" to support many of the common concerns families grapple with; concentration, constipation, mental health issues, behaviour, sleep, digestive distress, food intolerance and food additives are all covered. This e-Handbook accompanies the free “Food for the Brain” report on my website, which covers nutritional deficiencies that influence brain function concentration and learning. There are also many free blogs and video post that your clients can access. This project has being a labour of love for me. My aim is to support as many families as I can especially those that may not be able to see me privately. It is my sincere hope that you and your family will benefit from my insights.
The endless hours that have gone into this document have all been made worthwhile by comments like this:
"I have just finished reading your e-book. Thank you so, so much for writing it. It contains so much information and helpful advice, that as parents we usually aren't given. When reading about certain deficiencies I just gasped and went OMG that's ME, others a light came on and I thought of my boy!!! After a child has just been diagnosed as having ASD or another developmental delay, the paediatrition should hand them the child’s report and a copy of your book. That way every mother can have a copy, which will give her the information necessary to raise a happy, healthy little tot! Thank you Paula " Hayley.
To purchase Paula Tazzyman’s e-Handbook go to: www.paulatazzyman.com.au
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Supporting the GAPS Diet Gut and Psychology Syndrome (GAP Syndrome or GAPS)™
Jacinta O’Connor is a Nutritionist * Naturopath * Certified GAPS Practitioner * MINDD Practitioner * Additive Alert Presenter
‘Nothing)happens)un/l)the)pain)))))))))))))) of)remaining)the)same)outweighs)))))))))))) the)pain)of)change.‘))))))))))))))))))))))))! Arthur!Burt The GAPS Diet is a truly amazing foundation for healing. It is hard work. You may feel like you will never be able to leave the kitchen constantly making stock, fermenting, preparing soups and stews and always having an enormous pile of dishes with which to contend. Once your GAPS routines are established and your child’s health, behaviours and mood begin to improve, it will all be worth it. (And there will still be another pile of dishes waiting for you).
‘Let)food)be)thy)medicine)and))))))))))) medicine)be)thy)food.‘"""""""""""""""""""""""""""" Hippocrates
GAPS is a powerful, food-based protocol to reinoculate the gut with beneficial microbes and heal and seal the lining of the gut. Parents of children with ASD often start to eliminate foods from their children’s diets to make a difference in their health.
with Jacinta O’Connor
GAPS – Gut and Psychology Syndrome & Gut and Physiological Syndrome) ‘GAPS TM is the registered trademark of Dr Natasha Campbell-McBride
First it may be gluten, then dairy, then soy in the hope of finding the triggers. In the meantime, the child continues to limit the foods he or she willingly eats. Their sensitivities may increase. More foods may be removed from their diet. This picture often continues until they start to reinoculate their gut with beneficial microbes and heal and seal the lining of their gut. Some of you may have read about GAPS and thought, “You have to be kidding! My child only eats five foods - crackers, cheese, white bread, pizza and pasta. This will never work.” This scenario is common as there is a real physiological need for that child to eat those foods in order to satisfy (feed) the opportunistic gut microbes. Without refined foods and sugars those opportunistic microbes will not survive, and they are desperate to stay alive! The first few days, maybe the first few weeks, on the GAPS Protocol are going to be rough. Your child may refuse to eat the GAPS foods. The very behaviours that you wanted to address with the diet may well be exacerbated. As the opportunistic microbes start to die, due to their food supply of refined foods and sugars diminishing, a die-off effect can be seen.
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Jacinta runs fermenting workshops and monthly support groups This die-off effect is from the release of toxins when the opportunistic microbes die. When the level of toxins are too much for the body to cope with, you often see an exacerbation of the original symptoms. This die-off effect needs to be managed. After the first few days, in some cases weeks, something changes. The child who was refusing the GAPS food will start to eat it; often eating bowl after bowl of the stockbased soup to the astonishment (and relief) of the parents. The journey to health has just begun and it is a long hard road. It is often two steps forward and one step back. It is also an incredibly rewarding road. Sometimes parents of children on the Spectrum don’t realise how far they have come until they stop for a few minutes to reflect of what behaviours they no longer see, what achievements they have seen in their child in a relatively short space of time, and a new level of calmness in their home.
‘Laughter)is)brightest)where)food)is)best.’$ Irish!Proverb
The foods that your child eats need to be ‘the best’ for him or her. Loads of soups and stews, egg yolks and fresh vegetable juices should be consumed while you work on re-inoculating their gut with probiotic (fermented) foods and heal and seal the lining of their gut. These foods are easy to digest, loaded with nutrients and soothing to their body and mind. As their health, mood and behaviours improve, laughter will also return. There will still be a pile of dishes to be done though.
‘There)are)many)that)offer)advice,)but) there)are)few)who)offer)guidance.’ !Author!unknown.
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re-inoculate the gut with probiotic (fermented) food Autism World Magazine - 58
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As a Certified GAPS Practitioner, Nutritionist and Naturopath, I love working with people, guiding them in returning to health, primarily by using food as their medicine. Where required, I use certain tests, including looking at genetic variations in order to optimise the journey to health and wellness. I run fermenting workshops and monthly support groups to empower people in regaining their health and the health of their family. We have a wonderful bunch of people that attend our GAPS Support Group meetings, ranging from people who have been on the GAPS Journey for two years or more to others that are only just contemplating GAPS. They are all willing to share stories of their GAPS experiences in order to benefit others. At each meeting we have a PowerPoint presentation on an element of the GAPS Diet, there is a demonstration on how to make a fermented food, and taste testing of some GAPS food, followed by lots of time for discussion and questions. The GAPS Journey is made easier with the support of others.
Jacinta Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Connor Kardinya, WA, Australia nutritionmatters@ozemail.com.au
To find a GAPS practitioner in your area click HERE:
The GAPS Journey is made easier with the support of others. Over the next few months in Autism World Magazine we will take you through more practical steps to help GAPS work for your family. And if you are using GAPS send us an email and let us know how you are going. support@magswest.com
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Gemmill Gemmil GemmillGemmill
Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee Killarnee
Variety WA Variety WA
Variety WA Variety WA
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Top Ten gifts for language development Catherine Crestani and Diana Wolf
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With Christmas/Holiday season just around the corner, parents need to think carefully about what gifts will encourage their child to have fun and communicate rather than play alone in the corner (which occurs when using iPads, Nintendo DS, video games, DVDs…). Here are our Top Ten suggestions.
Mr Potato Head: An oldie but a goodie! Mr Potato Head is a favourite in our office but should also be in your home. It helps develop knowledge of body parts, colours, big/little, location words (e.g. put the ear ‘in’), verbs (e.g. Potato Head is jumping), turn taking as well as pretend play once they are built (e.g. Potato Head is going shopping). Pop up Pirate: This encourages children to take turns, wait (for the pirate to pop) and is a great early board game. You can also target colours and counting. Lego: Lego is great for imaginative play – both boys and girls. There is a great range of ‘girl’ Lego now available such as Lego Friends, and Dora. You can work on colours, shapes, size, themes (e.g. what lives at the zoo if you have a zoo set), following instructions (e.g. use the instruction manual) and fine motor skills. Books: We love books. Books encourage children to learn new words, to learn about the world, to improve their understanding, to learn how to predict… they do everything! You just need to choose the right book for your child (see our previous articles). Puzzles: These are great for developing vocabulary as well as a ‘treasure hunt’. Hide the pieces around the room and practice your location words. They also build fine motor skills and visual-spatial skills.
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Pretend food and toys for cooking: This is a great way to build your child’s pretend play skills as well as their vocabulary. You can teach them different verbs (e.g. eat, drink, cook, cut, chop), sequencing of events (e.g. first open the oven and then put the cake in), new food words (e.g. capsicum, potato, strawberry), and everyday life skills (e.g. how to make toast, wash dishes, pack away). Craft: A way to kill the hours on rainy days and spark your child’s imagination. You can use paper plates, pipe cleaners, coloured paper, ear buds, cotton balls… anything that can be cut/stuck/painted to construct anything. If you get a special ‘box’ and put scraps of paper, material and so forth in it, you can have your own craft box. Play-Doh: This encourages imaginative play as well as being a basis for learning new concepts. These can include colours, size, shapes and texture. You can make your own Play-Doh to help teach sequencing and following instructions. Bubbles: One of our favourites! This is great for people games and helping teach turn taking, anticipation, and new words (e.g. open, more, blow, pop, bubble, gone). Wind up toys, sensory toys and more… These are also great people games as most children need your help to play with them. These encourage the use of new words (e.g. turn, push, pull, more), cause-and-effect, and are lots of fun!
We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We look forward to sharing more ideas with you next year. Catherine and Diana
Catherine Crestani and Diana Wolf Principal Speech Pathologists Nepean Speech & Language Services
www.nsls.com.au
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Fair Competition by Heidi Heeman I recently complained to a magazine company about a Disney Planes drawing competition they were running and how unfair it is judged, meaning discrimination against all the kids with disabilities. My son Sam is autistic and a Disney Planes addict. With poor motor skills and being eightyears-old, he is only just managing drawing a stick figure, therefore he misses out yet again.
I asked them for future competitions to make up something more fair on 'even ground'. Anyhow they decided to send the boys some 'gifts'. Not sure to shut me up, or because they felt bad. With thanks also to Iain Croft and Jacqui Little for their great input
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Our W rld MALAYSIA
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Dyspraxia by James Pala
James Pala from the UK has lived as an expatriate in Malaysia for 15 years. Being in a foreign country and having your first child born away from the home country can have its challenges. Add to the mix being a single dad, a brain injured little girl with dyspraxia and James began to wonder how he was “still alive to tell the tale”. --------------------------------------
To my horror there was milk coming out of Alicia’s nose and she looked like she was going to choke to death. At this moment, I knew we needed to escape the madness. So I begged the doctor to let us go home and explained how I had been doing my research on the internet and knew which bottles I needed to buy and how to take care of her.
My story began 8 years ago when my daughter Alicia was born with a cleft palate in the wonderful tropical Malaysia. I saw a nurse feeding my daughter with a cup because she couldn’t use a normal teat. The Malaysian hospital was not equipped with the proper bottles for a cleft palate baby.
Thankfully, the doctor agreed; we were off home with her cup in hand. The teats from NUK could only be ordered online as they didn’t sell them in Malaysia, so we had a week or two of cup feeding, slowly and patiently every hour, until they arrived.
Next came the operation for the cleft palate. I explored Malaysia where we resided and realised I needed to go further afield when the doctor we visited was more interested in the football team I supported. When I asked him how the operation was conducted, his reply was magic. So I showed him my skills of magic and disappeared in a puff of smoke, out of his office. We finally settled for a doctor in Singapore where we were given the assurance that the operation would be done correctly and professionally, and we need not come back for a second operation. I recall him drawing a diagram with an explanation how he was going to stitch the roof of her mouth up.
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“searching for answers” Alicia didn’t reach her usual milestones. I realise now that as we didn’t go through the normal system, like a typical Malaysian family, all her milestones were probably not monitored correctly. Everything we did was private because we were not part of the system. I am from the UK and despite being born in Malaysia, we applied for UK citizenship for our daughter when she was born. Most of the good private paediatricians we went to see were so busy and overloaded with patients that it was likely they missed all of their own child’s milestones, not to mention their patients.
Noticing Alicia had some problems, we took her to the best doctors we could find in Malaysia and we were told to take her to the park and play with her. Although the advice at the time seemed completely absurd, on reflection, I should have listened to that doctor instead of storming out of her office. It would have saved me a lot of time and money that I wasted on generic therapies trying to find a solution. I went down a long road of professionals, all in different areas of special needs, throwing what money I could in their direction, searching for answers until I realised if we carried on doing this we would be bankrupt soon.
I flew from Malaysia to England to meet with a team of doctors and specialists five years ago with nothing more than a diagnosis of Apraxia, Dyspraxia and hypertonia. All I remember from those consultancies was paying bills. After a week and 10,000 UK Pounds we left in a blink. We also visited Australia, which seemed to be better than my homeland; although being out of the country without regular support it was difficult to follow their advice closely. I hired a full-time UK Speech Therapist, which ended up being more money wasted.
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“ Never give up and, never say never ”
Alicia was never in a position to talk at the age of four she was too brain injured. Her hearing and vision was poor. Four years on, and life has gone through quite a few changes. I have my mother to thank for my reason to push on with curing Alicia’s disabilities and her road to becoming well. Mum never gave up, in a most annoying way, thankfully. We floundered around for a number of years until I decided to move to Singapore to get my daughter better help, which again took its toll on our finances. I came back to Malaysia after spending a few hundred thousand on the move, living costs and different therapies and treatments. Again all private therapies. Some helped, but we only saw slight improvements. While in Singapore,
James and Alicia
I came across a book called ‘What to Do about Your Brain Injured Child’ by Glenn Doman who founded ‘The Institutes for the Achievement of Human Potential’ Glenn Doman. This book inspired me to try their program. It involves the parent doing the program seven days a week. It takes us about eight-10 hours a day. We have seen dramatic changes in her; she still has a very long way to go to be completely well but she's showing positive signs of improvement and at a much faster rate than anything else I've done with her. It’s probably one of the toughest programs on earth and there are not many families that continue with it.
Since her starting the program Alicia has learned how to run properly, doing three kilometres every day. She can now creeps and crawls on the floor for about 2000 metres a day and swings from a monkey bar three metres long. When Alicia started she couldn’t hang on a bar more than 10 seconds. Neither could she creep and crawl more than five metres. Her comprehension of words has improved more than 300 per cent and Alicia can now read small books. Some might call it a miracle. I call it perseverance. Never give up and, never say never.
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â&#x20AC;&#x153;Jack is going to be the best he can be and that makes me the proudest mum in the whole worldâ&#x20AC;? Autism World Magazine - 69
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18 + 1
What happens to your child once they turn 18? This is the question troubling
many families. Autism World Magazine hopes to answer some of your concerns in our 18 PLUS Section.
73
Perfection by Malcolm Mayfield
Future Employment: - Reframe the parameters of success and failure.
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Future Employment:
Part 3: Perfection
Malcolm Mayfield
Managing Director Autism STAR Pty. Ltd
This series about the future of autistic employment explores the causes behind the recent AJ Drexel Autism Institute research findings that â&#x20AC;&#x153; individuals with autism spectrum conditions have worse employment and independent living outcomes than people with other disabilitiesâ&#x20AC;?. In my opinion, the research failed to address the causes behind findings, which I believe to include: Overwhelm; Fear of getting it wrong; Lack of self-belief; Societal beliefs and perceptions about autism; and Lack of experience and training. There are very few people who are immune from the fear of making a mistake. It just seems that those of us on the autism spectrum are better at doing this particular fear than anyone else, or so we would like to think.
In truth our society is based upon fear as a motivator. You get something wrong at home, you get punished. At school, you get disciplined and labelled. At work, you get disciplined or, at worst, fired. Therefore we learn from a very young age to try to avoid mistakes at any cost. The big paradox to this style of thinking is that we experience our greatest learnings and achievements through the mistakes that we make than through anything else. So why does society view mistakes as taboo? In ancient times, the survival of the tribe depended on a combination of strength, innovation and resourcefulness. A single mistake could bring about the destruction of the tribe and a member could be banished if the tribe believed him to be a liability. Examples of the negative consequences of mistakes can be found in most literature, both fiction and nonfiction, television shows, news and current affairs programs, movies, etc.
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Picture courtesy: Danny O’Connor http://docart.bigcartel.com
When watching a current affairs program about a negative event caused by human action, often the first question asked by the media correspondent is, “who is to blame?” The witch hunt then begins in earnest, and those of us watching the event are generally grateful that we are not the ones being persecuted. Very rarely have I heard the question, “what can we do together to fix this?” Autistic individuals navigate their world through a series of complex social maps. At a young age, these maps are few and rely on feedback for refinement. If the feedback is negative, then the maps become negative. If you were given a map that led to an unpleasant outcome, would you follow it?
Therefore the individual learns to avoid the activity because they believe that the outcome will be unpleasant. Distraction and avoidance strategies then come into play and the individual insulates themselves from the perceived rejection and condemnation that will come from doing the action. So how do we change this? Reframe success and failure for a start, because both terms are abstract and relative. The words really do not mean anything until they are properly defined.
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The key is in solution-based thinking, which creates an ongoing process as opposed to the sudden stop of a success or a failure. There are many examples in history where a perceived failure has led to a quantum leap in understanding and evolution. One that stands out is the story of Walt Disney, who was fired from his first job for “lacking creativity”. That event did not stop him from building one of the most creative entertainment empires in our time.
Albert Einstein did not speak until he was fouryears-old and couldn't read until he was seven. His parents thought he was "sub-normal." He was expelled from school and his teachers described him as "mentally slow, unsociable and a drip forever in foolish dreams."
Other examples are (from http:// www.bcbusiness.ca/people/11-famous-successesthat-stemmed-from-failure):
One of the most famous quotes about success from failure comes from Thomas Alva Edison. When asked how many times he had failed in the creation of the light bulb, his answer was “never”. He had instead discovered thousands of versions that did not work and that each discovery led him closer to the version that did work. This is a perfect example of solution-based thinking.
Marilyn Monroe was dropped by her producers in the first year of her contract because they thought she was unattractive and couldn't act.
Unless you can adequately define what lies within the boxes of ‘success’ and ‘perfection’, then do not use them as a benchmark.
“they thought she was unattractive and couldn't act.”
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To do so without understanding their meaning will only result in confusion, overwhelm and inflict a sense of lack. Instead, use a process of solution-based thinking. Ask yourself questions such as: “How can I further improve my skills and abilities to make a greater positive impact on this world?” “What can I do right now to move myself forward?” “What will I see when I am achieving positive outcomes?” “How can I use this negative outcome to create a positive outcome?” The Third Doctor from Doctor Who would say, “reverse the polarity of the neutron flow”. Then you may find that the ‘perfection’ box ceases to exist and that the ‘success’ box opens to reveal its contents to you.
Malcolm'Mayfield Managing&Director Au/sm&STAR&Pty.&Ltd. www.au/sm;star.com Adelaide,&Australia
Part four of this series next month will address lack of self-belief.
MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL Malcolm Mayfield is co-author of MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL of MAL Getting MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL“The MAL Hidden MAL MALCurriculum MAL MAL MAL MAL and Keeping a Job: Navigating the MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL Landscape Employment.” MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MALSocial MAL MAL MAL MAL of MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL MAL
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Reach Your Target Audience
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
the power of writing it down with Lily Holland
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
write it down Lily Holland is a Sydney-based Counsellor/ Psychotherapist. Her son Lewis was diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2006. Lily provides both a mother's perspective and counsellor's listening ear and support.
There are a number of strategies I suggest to clients dealing with stress and overwhelm and one of them is most certainly to write things down - to-do lists, diarising, or even mind mapping...
Studies tell us that parents of ASD children experience far greater stress, and no matter where your child falls on the spectrum, I think it’s safe to say that a lot of us are hyper-vigilant and often operate in a state of high alert. Any way we can find to support a busy life is going to be a good thing: list-making and diarising is a backup for what is often a very busy brain (that bulging frontal-lobe thing I keep referring to!) We call them ‘mental post-it notes’ in our home... we need to empty them out somewhere, and then we’re more likely to get a better night’s sleep.
A good example of what too many mental post-it notes can do is the scene in the movie I Don’t Know How She Does It where Sarah Jessica Parker’s character is laying awake in bed with her mind sifting through a myriad of lists and chores, while sleep eludes her. To see the clip CLICK HERE
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
Ever been there? One of my clients has small children and has been out of the workforce for a couple of years, so she assumed she didn’t need a diary; she wasn’t in ‘business mode’ as she put it. Once she began to use one, her overwhelm lessened and she found she was better able to manage. After all, managing autism is much like running a small business, only I’d say it’s harder. It’s emotional work, and weighs far more heavily than the business tasks we can manage with some objectivity. There are more benefits to list-making and diarising than clearing the mind it’s a back up for your memory - you know you can put those thoughts somewhere where you won’t lose them.
We also gain objectivity once something is brought out of our mind and onto paper... I’m constantly amazed at the power of maps, for example. I almost always draw up a genogram for my clients; that is, a kind of quickview family tree which will show family dynamics at a glance. It is incredible the themes that show up clearly once the symbolism is included. According to Family Systems Theory, individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of the emotional unit which is their family; families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals. Here is a fictional example:
genogram example Autism World Magazine - 80
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
One of my clients had spent many years work-shopping her family’s dysfunction... there was very little she didn’t already know. However, it wasn’t until she looked at the genogram we drew up that she really saw what a strong theme ‘abandonment’ was in her family’s system. It was visually and instantly apparent. This method (family systems therapy) is particularly helpful for those of us who are visually inclined, of course. I use a similar map/technique to help people try to gain perspective on workload.
I remember a mum who was at the end of her tether - worn out, frustrated, and unable to understand why she couldn’t manage it all without feeling so depleted and weighed down. There seemed no way out. We took a look at what was happening in her system. Even visually, we can see here that she was in fact swamped - she managed the children (including one with special needs and all of her therapies); she managed the home; and she also managed the family’s business. She literally never got a break.
tasks map example Autism World Magazine - 81
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
Her jaw dropped the first time she saw a visual representation of why she felt so stuck. The thought of hiring someone else and getting a job outside the ‘family system’ did not seem like an appealing option either at first...but eventually she did just that, and it helped matters considerably. Her sense of worth increased. She was still involved in the family business in an advisory sense, but she felt somehow more appreciated. And even though it was work, the time she spent outside of the family unit was in itself a break from the family, and she found she could re-enter feeling more energised, with a clearer perspective. Even though her husband grumbled about it a little, everyone was happier with the new arrangement.
Writing lists, making mind maps, diarising... these all help for a number of reasons: * it clears your head * you gain perspective * compartmentalising lessens the overwhelm * you gain objectivity * you have a sense of achievement (when you cross things off) * your memory has a back-up And if you’re a stationery junkie like me, there are some beautiful diaries, Filofaxes and note pads around. Love Lily X
Lily Holland Counsellor/ Psychotherapist. Lily practices in Randwick, Baulkham Hills or via Skype Contact: lily@lilyholland.com or 0402 888 097 www.lilyholland.com
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CARING FOR THE CARERS
Got a question for Lily? A subject youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;d like her to discuss? An experience to share? Email us at support@magswest.com Autism World Magazine - 83
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Holiday wishes By#Monica#Holloway author#of#bestselling#autism# memoir#Cowboy&&&Wills I wish for you to have a positive and successful holiday season with your loved one with autism. As a parent to a child with autism, I understand that we do the best we can for our kids, even if the challenges associated with specials needs can pop up even more frequently around the holidays. My wish for this holiday season is that everyone finds 'family' somewhere: in friends, in relatives, in strangers on a park bench. Don't be alone. And if you are alone, find a way to volunteer, join a community activity- show up- so that you will know and reap the benefits of allowing 'family' in your life. For my son Wills, who is 16-years-old with autism, his holiday wish is â&#x20AC;&#x153;that no children are harmed like at Sandy Hook Elementary in my lifetime and beyond. That no one is harmed in a violent, chilling manner. And in regards to that, that all people recognize that those of us on the autism spectrum are not violent and would never harm anyone. There are exceptions in all things, but as a community, we are peaceful, hopeful people- just wanting to fit in and make a difference.â&#x20AC;?
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Monica’s(Top(Tips(for(a(successful(holiday( season(with(a(loved(one(with(autism Use visuals. Social stories or calendars can help your child prepare for and understand the activities ahead.
Arrive early. Allowing the noise and crowd to gradually build up may help your child better acclimate to the surroundings.
Practice. Role-playing holiday routines can help your child to prepare for holiday traditions in advance.
·Have a quiet room. In case the noise or crowds become overwhelming, have a calm, quiet place for your loved one to retreat to.
Gradually decorate. If your child doesn’t like change, slowly decorate your home in stages.
Help others understand autism. Prepare family and friends on your child's strengths and challenges, and invite them to be a part of the support team.
Create a photo album of holiday guests. Prior to relatives and guests visiting, make and look through a photo album with your child to familiarize him or her with expected visitors. Ensure allergy/diet-friendly foods are available. If your loved one has a dietary or allergy restriction, make sure to bring or have food at holiday events that he or she can eat.
May you and your family have a happy holiday season! Love Monica xx Author of autism memoir Cowboy & Wills
COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS COWBOY & WILLS
www.monicaholloway.com Autism World Magazine - 85
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RL EI AF L E
87 I’m Mad! Kate Spaulding lets off some steam.
88 Knowing Nick & Nate Watch Ben Schamisso’s film here in Autism World Magazine.
89 This is Me I’m an Aspie in her 50s.
91 Sensory Garden The opening of a unique garden for those with special needs. Autism World Magazine - 86
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Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m Mad! by Kate Spaulding
I'm mad my child has Autism. I'm mad my child will be defined by this forever. I'm mad I spend four days a week in therapy, instead watching soccer practice, baseball games or swim lessons. I'm mad I don't get nights away because I've don't know anyone qualified to watch my autistic child. I'm mad I'm broke because I can't except full time work because the unpredictability of his autism. I'm mad no one in my family cares enough or knows how to help. I'm mad I've bought diapers for 6 years strait. I'm mad my child can't tell me he is hurt, happy, hungry or sad. I'm mad I don't get enough quality time with my other son. I'm mad that I will die and my child will probably end up in a "home". I'm mad my son doesn't understand danger. I'm mad I haven't slept through a night in 6 years. I'm mad at all the false hope. I'm mad I will never know the true outcome. I'm mad no one can tell me why. I'm happy I have my autistic child. Autism World Magazine - 87
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Knowing Nick & Nate Ben Schamisso, producer/co-director; Kristen Kellar, co-director From the outside Nick, 12, and Nate, 10, may look like any other brothers. Nick loves to put on his favorite Chicago Cubs jersey to play ball with his family. Nate spends hours watching YouTube videos on his mother’s iPad. But like the spinning washing machines videos that comfort Nate’s obsession with repetitive actions, what set the two boys apart is their Autism Spectrum Disorder. While Nate is non-verbal and has major sensory-based problems, Nick easily interacts with adults but is challenged when socializing with his peers. During a therapy session, Nick opens up about one of his biggest fears, the number 13. While laughing Nick shares a dream in which he chokes to death on his 13th birthday. He is afraid that it will happen next year. Nate also sees a therapist, but instead of working on normalizing his thoughts, they play with pillows, tunnels and swings. All of this to bring Nate out of his shell and work on his senses. Outside, Nick breaks down and yells at his mom. Despite Nick and Nate’s everyday challenges, their mother, Lynn, says their autism shouldn’t dictate how people see them. For all their differences Nick and Nate have hopes and dreams and desire. But most importantly, their lives are worth something.
Click on the picture when online to view film knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick & Nate video knowing Nick
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Kaysha Penniall
This is me
Hi everyone, I am 54 years old now. During most of my life I have felt out of step with other people. Until my diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome, I put it down to a mixed up family life in childhood. I have three older brothers from my Dad’s first marriage. I am the oldest of his second family, comprised of three girls. Dad sadly died when I was 12. I was furious with him for leaving us with our mother, as she was a volatile person. You never knew exactly how she would react to anything. It was very confusing for all of us children. On my diagnosis, I was told that Mum probably had Asperger Syndrome, and that was why she probably did not cope well generally. Apparently our grandmother was extremely stand-offish too, and did not like noise or fuss either. My sisters & I were also repeatedly abused by our grandfather who lived right next door to us. As an adult I was diagnosed with PTSD, Depression & Anxiety, and it was related back to the issues in childhood. I spent time in and out of psychiatric wards, and went to a therapeutic community for a while as well. Two years ago I was hospitalised in the local psychiatric ward again. This time my psychiatrist noticed the way I repeatedly jiggled my leg & moved my hands around especially when I was anxious. She also commented to me that while I was a clever lady, I seemed to be very black and white, and very rigid in my thinking. She also commented on my severe anxiety & the problems I expressed about relating to other people. She commented on my despair around interpersonal relationships, which have so distressed me that I have become suicidal at times, thinking I was such a failure at getting on with people.
I was asked by this Dr if I would go for an assessment for Asperger Syndrome. I laughed and commented that my sister, who is an Occupational Therapist and specialises in working with children on the Autism spectrum had been saying to me for a while that I had ASD. I went for an assessment with a psychologist at my local hospital, and was told that I met the criteria for a diagnosis of Asperger Syndrome. Initially I was ok about it, then got upset, thinking “Well, who does this make me?”
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Then I realised I was no different, nothing had changed, except I now had some answers to my questions. I could see that this was why I am “fussy” about foods, clothing, noises, touch, & so on. It has been a great relief, actually. I have spent the time since my diagnosis learning more about ASD generally, & what it means particularly for me. I am grateful to the Dr & the psychologist for my diagnosis, because it has really helped me. I feel like I am kinder to myself & to others since my diagnosis. My sister who is an OT has been very helpful, lending me books etc. My youngest sister also now has a diagnosis of ASD. We support each other in our unique and quirky ways. In the last few weeks I have also discovered I have Irlen Syndrome. This is a perceptual condition, which is found to be quite common in people who have ASD.
The treatment for this is to wear tinted lenses. I’m sure you have all seen people wearing glasses with tinted lenses- I will be too in a couple of weeks! I was a bit upset about having another thing wrong with me, then a friend told me it just gave me more opportunity to be unique, & I should enjoy it. So I am. I am currently on an invalid’s benefit, but would like to get back to work. I am a Registered Nurse, and I have a Psychology degree under my belt too. I want to go back to nursing, and I also want to present some the workshops I have developed along the way, to help family members and staff working with people who have various psychiatric conditions. I’ve published 2 books along the way as well, & am working on a third book at the moment. So, this is a bit of my story. Hope you have enjoyed learning a little bit about me.
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New Fullerton Sensory Garden Built for Children with Special Needs WATCH THE GRAND OPENING VIDEO This sensory garden is unique because of its setting in general education campus at Commonwealth Elementary in Fullerton, California, providing inclusion opportunities for students of all abilities. Features include a “discovery house” structure for hands-on garden lessons, a bird sanctuary for observations of wildlife, a pebble pit area for tactile experiences, a two-person water pump to promote cooperation, a pebble “harp,” raised-bed gardens for each of the four special education classrooms, split log seating, a stepping stone pathway for motor planning, and herbs for taste and smell experiences.
sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen sensorygardensen ccccccccccccc CLICK ON PICTURE WHEN ONLINE TO PLAY VIDEO
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AUTISM WORLD NEEDS
YOU Share your story to help the next generation of autism families. You can contact Autism World Magazine via: Email: story@magswest.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/autismworldmagazine Website: www.autismworldmagazine.com
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JOCELYN DAVIS
Autism Speaks
Does Not Speak for Me
Jocelyn Davis is the author of the children's book ‘There Will Always Be Love’, written by Jocelyn and illustrated by her twin Jess, who is on the spectrum. They travel around the United States with Jess talking about Autism and our experiences. They also host an online show on Sunday nights, discussing disability topics of the day.
Autism Speaks is the ultimate media mogul when it comes to autism and the autistic community, and here in America, it is BIG news.
Well, along with being sexy, mysterious and fundraising gold, the media attention surrounding autism is something else too.
Maybe you have heard of “Light It Up Blue,” or of the famous walks that occur all over America.
It’s dangerous. And Autism Speaks is the epitome of dangerous media.
The media is dominated by autism news that hurts our children, friends, parents and neighbours. The media is hurting the people we love, and it is dominated by organisations such as Autism Speaks.
I think an example is in order.
On my radio show, I often speak of autism as being “sexy”. It is sexy for the media. Autism can be portrayed as mysterious, affecting our children, being caused by anything and everything (I found more than 15 different “causes” of autism in the media in the past three weeks). People read the stories and watch for the next sexy nugget of autism-ness, wondering where all of this autism is coming from. We now have two designated months of autism (April and October), and fundraising everywhere you turn. It’s sexy. It’s autism. So where does Autism Speaks fit into all of this?
On November 11 2013, Autism Speaks CoFounder Susan Wright wrote an article promoting an upcoming summit to national leaders in Washington D.C, where Autism Speaks would be advocating for a national plan on autism. Wright introduced the need for the summit by stating: “This week is the week America will fully wake up to the autism crisis. If three million children in America one day went missing – what would we as a country do? If three million children in America one morning fell gravely ill – what would we as a country do? We would call out the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marines. We’d call up every member of the National Guard. We’d use every piece of equipment ever made. Autism World Magazine - 93
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We’d leave no stone unturned.” This was followed later on with, “Each day across this country, those three million moms, dads and other care-takers I mentioned wake to the sounds of their son or daughter bounding through the house. That is if they aren’t already awake. Truth be told, many of them barely sleep or when they do, they somehow sleep with one ear towards their child’s room always waiting. Wondering what they will get into next. Will they try to escape? Hurt themselves? Strip off their clothes? Climb the furniture? Raid the refrigerator? Sometimes the silence is worse.
The article frames autism as a complete nightmare. Anyone who has never experienced autism would be afraid. Those living with autism are “in despair,” and “not living.” The article also mentions the worst of autistic behaviours. The article neglects to mention that they do not have autistic people in Washington with them to form this plan.
These families are not living.
There are other disturbing releases from Autism Speaks. I invite you to read the letter to Autism Speaks, sponsored by the Autism Self Advocacy Network, and to watch the Public Service Advertisement (PAS) from Autism Speaks
They are existing. Breathing – yes. Eating – yes. Sleeping – maybe. Working – most definitely - 24/7.
http://adiaryofamom.wordpress.com/ 2013/11/12/no-more-a-letter-to-suzannewright/.
This is autism.
As a warning, please do not watch this PSA around children.
Life is lived moment-to-moment. In anticipation of the child’s next move. In despair. In fear of the future. This is autism.” And in summation, “Close your eyes and think about an America where three million Americans and counting largely cannot take care of themselves without help. Imagine three million of our own – unable to dress or eat independently, unable to use the toilet, unable to cross the street, unable to judge danger or the temperature, unable to pick up the phone and call for help. This is a national emergency. We need a national autism plan – NOW.” (http://www.autismspeaks.org/news/newsitem/autism-speaks-washington-call-action)
I know that there are a lot of people reading this already angry. The description by Ms Wright is a reality for some people. I am not ignorant to that fact. Actually, many of the self-advocates who are opposed to Autism Speaks have these behaviours, and believe that they should not be dehumanised in such a manner. They believe that they should be supported, not made less than. Case in point: my twin sister Jessica. Jessica and I are both 30-year-old women. Jess is a well-adjusted person who has graduated from college, holds a full-time job, is able to pay her portion of the rent with my mother and often navigates the public transportation system to come and visit me for long weekends. Many of those who are angry at me for my opposition to Autism Speaks believe that we are “lucky,” that we could never know what it is like to have a child who does those things that Autism Speaks describe. This is simply not true.
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Temple Grandin's squeeze machine
I have been involved, in some way, with advocacy since I was young. From playing in Temple Grandin's squeeze machine in the 80s, to working at spaghetti dinners for the newly formed chapter of the Autism Society of America in Southern California, to writing books and speaking across the United States. I have seen autism advocacy grow around the world. I was alive when autism was referred to as Childhood Schizophrenia and was old enough to realise that the change in the spectrum in 1994 would have a huge impact on how we viewed my sister. When I was a child, people didn't know about autism. In support circles we could talk about it. Everywhere else, it was a secret, the elephant in the room, ammunition to be used against my sister.
We couldn't tell friends or the school because she was "too good" for any help and the systemic bullying my sister encountered would be worse. When we were very little, it was suggested that Jessica be institutionalised, permanently. She was unteachable, untrainable. We were very lucky to live in an area that had intensive early education services until we were almost three, but as my father was in the military, each new assignment meant that future services were scant or non-existent. She never slept, she didn't speak, she didn't like noises, she was a bolter, she stimmed in socially inappropriate ways; she did a lot of the things that I hear parents talking about every day. Autism World Magazine - 95
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We didn’t visit family, family didn’t visit us. My mother’s parenting abilities were constantly judged, until that person decided to babysit and “show” my family how it was done. That babysitter would stay for 15 minutes and call my mother home. My father was often deployed, and there was no respite care for my mother. The 1980s diagnosis for autism was not given to my sister because she did not perfectly fit the criteria (she would cuddle with my mother, so was disqualified from a diagnosis and any services that might have gone with it). Early intervention and pre-school services were often not even in place by law when we were growing up, so they were not an option or parents were responsible for driving their child 50 miles one way for access, as my mother did every day for three years. My family was on constant alert, and EVERYONE was involved in Jessica’s safety, education and overall well-being.
hide and isolate, back to the time where it was shameful to be who you really were and to ask for help. For those who have children who exhibit behaviours outlined by the Autism Speaks press release, I beg you to understand that many of the adult autistics, like my sister, who are passionately against these types of messages, were once like your child.
Fast-forwarding to 2013. Jessica has fully disclosed her autistic nature, and I wouldn't change her for the world. After all the years she put up with being treated as less than, she has come into her own.
Jessica grew up with a constant barrage of people who told her she was not good enough. I do not want media coverage, such as that supported by Autism Speaks, to be what tells the next generation of autistic children that they are not good enough.
If it were up to Autism Speaks, she would be in that institution. They tell her that her "kind" destroys marriages, causes families not to live and has created a national crisis of epidemic proportions, chock full of parents on the edge, depressed and nonfunctional human beings who need to be cured because they serve no other purpose than to cause misery in nonautistic people.
The autism community at large needs to be the force that drives the media message, and not organisations like Autism Speaks. We need to hear less about autistic people being less than and more from autistic people. We need to hear more about support and less about supporting companies that send out destructive messages. We need to have more dialogue between the autistic persons and those who care for them. WE NEED to start investing in positive media messaging for and about the autistic.
Do you?
I look at Jess and this is NOT reality. I look at my nephews and how DARE you speak like that about my sweet boys! As far as we have come in 25 years, Autism Speaks and the nature of their rhetoric seeks to put us back to that time where "we can't tell," that time where we Autism World Magazine - 96
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OPINIONS You have them, we like to share and discuss them, here at AWM. Email: story@magswest.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/autismworldmagazine Website: www.autismworldmagazine.com
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FINDING MEANING IN CHAOS by Maria Iliou
His parent’s life stories, focused On building a future, happy memories For three children, until slivers of discontent Grew into a tornado of emptiness Overwhelming emotions of Loneness Footprints of hope slowly disintegrating In the shifting sands of indifference After years, hugs of affection pulled apart By the arms of new interests, new friends, And new lovers…promises fulfilled From outside Totally affecting his sensory issues From seeing and hearing his parents Not communicating, not sharing, Not loving anymore Deepening imbalances, meaningless Family events, a dark cloud covering Their house…static, unmoving Angry erupts in waves, he wants to be there Always…to mend, patch, and throw them A life preserver, desperate to save his Family, the very center of his being A spectrum of conflict, as parents separated Yet, despite the anguish of emotions He proceeds, muddling through a puddle Of pain, struggling to stay just ahead Of the sadness that overshadows him Autism World Magazine - 98
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GET THE BEST FROM
YOUR iPAD
with Dr. Andy Brovey
Video Lesson 11: Find my iPad ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven ipad academy video seven
CLICK ON PICTURE WHEN ONLINE TO VIEW VIDEO Dr. Andy Brovey has helped educators and others to make sense and make use of technology for over 25 years. In 2007 Andy was honoured to be named an Apple Distinguished Educator, part of a global community of education leaders recognised by Apple for doing amazing things with their technology in and out of the classroom. The video above is a special clip Andy made for Autism World Magazine readers and is from a longer lesson in Andy's iPad Academy Master Class series. Find out more at: ipadacademy.com
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