January 2017 Edition

New Year’s Resolutions?

Erika Rowden
Every year, I used to make New Year’s Resolutions for myself. They were the usual stuff: get fit, lose weight, eat better… and after a few weeks, I had broken them all!
 
This year I have made a few, but I’m not going to call them resolutions; I’d rather call them intentions.
 
So here is my little list:
  • It’s OK not to be involved in everything that you feel you should be. Because of Conor’s ASD I feel like I need to be involved in every committee and activity, but in reality it’s just too overwhelming, and is simply not possible.
  • Stop feeling like Conor has to be busy all the time to help him regulate. With school demands and extracurricular activities he needs that downtime, just like all kids. I have to tell myself that it’s OK to take a break and have a quiet weekend – sometimes that is what we all need.
  • Spend more quality time with Conor and Shea – we don’t always have to go somewhere. Never be too busy to stop, listen and focus on what they are telling me or showing me.
  • Take care of me! Making time for the things that I enjoy doing is very important. I am a better person and parent when I can do this. I need to stay healthy for my kids!
  • Follow Conor’s cues more. Give him more independence to make him feel good about himself.
  • Stay connected with friends
  • Continue to learn about ASD – this will be a lifelong intention!
  • Stop and look at how far Conor has come, and appreciate the amazing progress. Make sure to tell him, too!
  • When regression hits, remember that he will come out of it and progress. Just be there for him and give him the support he needs.
Wishing everyone a wonderful 2017,
 
Erika

Free Money!

Did you know you can receive grants and bonds for your loved one with a disability? The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is not only a way to save for your loved one’s future, it actually gives you free money!

If your loved one qualifies, all you have to do is open an RDSP account to receive a bond of $1000 per year for up to 20 years. You don’t have to contribute any money to receive the bond.

If you or anyone makes a financial contribution to the RDSP, the government will contribute even more money – grants of up to $70,000 over a lifetime. Government grants are based on the family’s income. If your loved one is an adult, even if she or he lives at home, that person is considered the family. That means the government will give them the $1000 bond, plus the maximum contribution each year, assuming their income is low. As little as a $1500 contribution made in a calendar year can trigger a bond plus grant of $4500 annually.

If you ever worry about how your loved one will survive when you are gone, opening an RDSP is a definite must.

Click here to download the factsheet below as a PDF file



The Third Subject

Jessica Pigeau

By no means the greatest of my flaws, but a flaw nonetheless, is that I don’t know how to talk about sports. Oh, I can chat about the ethical questions posed by the Olympic Committee’s habit of granting the games to countries rules by illiberal autocrats and ruthless tyrants. I can yammer on about the long term health effects of repeated head injuries and their link to violent crime. I can even blather about the character-building provided by team sports as opposed to solo athletics. Even so, I don’t know how to talk about sports — certainly not the way that most people do. I don’t know who’s on the first line this year. I don’t know who’s being traded for whom. I have no opinion on this coach and their tactics versus that coach and theirs. I certainly don’t have a favourite for the championship — there’s no one I’m cheering for, no team I consider my own.

I don’t know how to talk about any of that, or even how I would go about learning, and I think it’s rather a shame.
 
I have a hypothesis, you see, about popular conversation topics, like sports and clothes and food. Have you ever heard of Third Space Theory? Well, one of the ways of understanding it is that a person in society has two major spaces, the first being their home and the second being their “place of civic engagement” (their job or school, usually). They also have a third space, where they are permitted to step out of their habitual social roles, both familial and professional, and to simply be themselves. This might be a pub, a cafe, a shopping mall, or even a gym – any place where there is no need to be mother or father, employer or employee.
 
Similarly, I think there is a kind of “third subject” in conversation. It’s not at all the same as small talk — it’s not there simply to politely fill space or serve the sole purpose of interpersonal positioning. Rather, it is what we talk about when we wish to discuss neither the personal nor the professional parts of our lives. In general, the topic is chosen so that all members of the group can participate on a roughly equal level. The members of the group, likewise, collect information on the subject so that they always have something to discuss with other members.
 
Autistic people often have difficulty with this facet of socialization, not only when they find the given subject boring, but also when they are indeed very interested. This is because they often either focus on aspects that are outside what is generally discussed, or because they study it to the point where the conversation becomes unequal and thus no longer a space of mutual expertise.
 
I do not know the ultimate solution to the problem of knowing too much about a subject to the extent that one’s fellow conversationalists feel uncomfortable, afraid to discuss it for fear of being considered ignorant. One possible solution in the short term is to pretend to not know as much as one does, with the long-term goal of rejecting the stigma of lacking knowledge. (Adults have a much harder time admitting ignorance than children, which is rather sad. “I don’t know” is the first step to learning.) As for the simple problem of learning to talk about third subjects, the solution is to first to figure out what common conversation topic is shared by a given social group, then researching it to the point where one has a sufficient foundation to understand the discussion, then, if at all possible, to connect the common subject to a personal interest. For instance, I once connected the popular interest in the television show Game of Thrones within my social circle to the psychological roots of the incest taboo. (The incest subplot is introduced in the first episode – it is not a spoiler.)
 
If we spent our entire social time on our personal lives, we would feel far too exposed, and if instead we focused entirely on our professional interests, it would be difficult to speak to those outside of our own specialized fields. It would behoove us all, however, to accept and learn to accommodate a far broader range of engagement in common topics and to accept and overcome the discomfort of ignorance and unfamiliarity in conversation.

January Update from Autism RMWB

Happy New Year from the Autism Society of the RMWB! We have started our support groups back up after the Christmas break (first Tuesday of every month) and have received some new materials for our lending shelf in the office – we invite everyone to come down and see it.
 
We have started planning many events and fundraisers for the new year:
  • We will be selling Meadow Creek Greenhouses hanging baskets from now until April for delivery in May.
  • Swim for a Toonie at MacDonald Island in April for Autism Awareness Day!
  • Autism Awareness Art Gala on April 22nd
  • Hot Dog Stand in June provided by Home Hardware
  • Urban Market in the Summer
We are looking forward to the New Year and all of our plans for our community!
All the best,
 
Autism Society of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo
780-742-4424
AutismSupport@AutismRMWB.org

Grandparents’ Group in Edmonton

February 13, 2017 | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Grandparents have a crucial role to play in the lives of their grandchildren. But when a grandchild has autism, grandparents can be challenged to provide the best care. The Grandparents’ Group is a safe and caring space where all caregivers of children with autism can learn about autism, find support, ask questions, and share their experiences.

We don’t have all the answers, but we do have coffee, company, and compassion!

Created and led by grandparents, the Grandparents’ Group is free and open to all caregivers of children with autism.

This program is sponsored by the Centre for Autism Services Alberta.

Location: Centre for Autism Services Alberta, 4752 – 99 Street NW, Edmonton

Please RSVP by February 9, 2017 for this session.

To RSVP or for more Information contact:
Don – doncarley@shaw.ca or Glenn – pgsawula@shaw.ca

We Want to Hear From You!

We are looking to publish stories, event notices or news items from all parts of the province. If you’d like to have your items included in the February 2017 issue of Autism Around Alberta, please send your submissions to AAA@autismalberta.ca by the deadline of Wednesday, February 15.

Pay Less Tax

Do you know that if you have a child with a physical or mental disability, you may be able to pay less tax? You can apply any time of the year. To find out more click here. Or click the video below to watch a presentation on how to apply in three easy steps.

What in the World is Going On in Autism?

Maureen Bennie

This is the January 2017 installment of Maureen’s monthly column for Autism Calgary

I like to start January editions by having a look back at the previous year. The Autism Doctor has done a good review of the autism literature by topic for 2016. If you prefer to listen to autism highlights rather than read a review, there is this 20 minute podcast from the Autism Science Foundation. Spectrum News talks about 5 trending topics for 2017 as well as 2016’s ten most notable papers.

Quotes of the year from various autism articles can be read here. If you are a visual person, you may enjoy the favourite photos of 2016.

Are you interested in voting for your favorite autism blogger for 2017? Check out The Art of Autism to vote. Even if you don’t want to vote, I encourage you to visit the page to see the wide range of autism blogs. There is so much to discover!

With more people traveling all the time, airports are urged to provide better support for people with hidden disabilities. I recently flew to Montreal with my son for the first time in November. You can read about our experience, find out about flight programs in Canada, as well as discover tips and tools to make flying easier in my recent article.

Families have often said that a dog in their home improves the quality of life for their child with autism. A new study published in July 2016 confirms that dog ownership can reduce stress for families who have children with autism.

“While there is growing evidence that animal-assisted therapy can aid in the treatment of children with autism spectrum disorders, this study is one of the first to examine how pet dog ownership can also improve the lives of those more widely affected by autism,” said the principal investigator on the study, Professor Daniel Mills. “We found a significant, positive relationship between parenting stress of the child’s main caregiver and their attachment to the family dog. This highlights the importance of the bond between the carer and their dog in the benefits they gain.”

Last year, we got a black cat – Mr. Darcy – from the Meow Foundation. He has had the same effect on our family as the dogs have in the study. Our daughter has become very attached to Mr. Darcy and would like to volunteer with cats, hoping it may turn into a job someday.

People who feel significant gender distress because their gender identity differs from their birth sex have higher than expected rates of autism. An article in Spectrum explores how people with autism feel they are living between genders.

“Between 8 and 10 percent of children and adolescents seen at gender clinics around the world meet the diagnostic criteria for autism, according to studies carried out over the past five years, while roughly 20 percent have autism traits such as impaired social and communication skills or intense focus and attention to detail. Some seek treatment for their gender dysphoria already knowing or suspecting they have autism, but the majority of people in these studies had never sought nor received an autism diagnosis.”

The Autism Europe conference in Edinburgh also had research presentations on the topic of gender dysphoria.

Making eye contact has been a long debate in the autism community. Should we insist on it? Why do children find it difficult to make eye contact? A new study, published in November in the American Journal of Psychiatry, has added more context to this hotly debated topic.

"These results go against the idea that young children with autism actively avoid eye contact," said the study’s leader Warren Jones, who is also the director of research at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia. "They’re looking less at the eyes not because of an aversion to making eye contact, but because they don’t appear to understand the social significance of eye contact."

Understanding this is important because the research says children aren’t looking away due to an aversion, but rather because they don’t understand that making eye contact is a part of good social skills. We may need to adapt interventions to assist with eye contact in the context of social skills.

Judy Endow’s latest blog post entitled Autism Neurology and Behaviour was one of my most read posts this month on Facebook. Judy talked about neurological differences in response to being asked to do school work. The student with autism often interprets such a request as a surprise and responds accordingly. Please read this post, especially if you are a teacher, as it will change the way you work with students on the spectrum.

When children are being diagnosed with ASD, mothers are seeking a diagnosis because they see aspects of themselves as they research their child’s disorder. In a recent article in the UK Guardian, women are finding out more about themselves as being possibly on the spectrum and start seeking a diagnosis. Women have long been misdiagnosed or not diagnosed at all with ASD due to presenting differently than their male counterparts.

If you wish to learn more about being a woman on the spectrum, visit the Scottish Women’s Autism Network page as they have an excellent guide for women on how to engage with health professionals and other resources. There is also the extensive website Autism Women’s Network.

Toronto artist Niam Jain, 13, is making a huge splash with his artwork. Diagnosed with ASD at the age of 2, Jain recently burst onto the art scene and began selling his paintings. He has sold 50 paintings and made $50,000. He is now branching into fashion. You can read more about this extraordinary teenager here.

Self-regulation, mindfulness and relaxation have become trending topics in autism. The new book Stay Cool and In Control with the Keep-Calm Guru introduces wise ways for children to recognize and cope with anxiety, anger, frustration, and other difficult emotions. Using everything from yoga poses and pressure holds to deep breathing and relaxing coloring activities, the Keep-Calm Guru shows kids how to take back control and feel cool, calm, and just right.

And continuing on this theme, A Smart Girl’s Guide: Worry: How to Feel Less Stressed and Have More Fun teaches tried-and-true ways to overcome fears and create a sense of calm. A girl can take quizzes to discover more about herself and her concerns, and read advice from real girls who found ways to deal with their own worries. The book is packed with proven techniques for handling worry and creating confidence  – freeing her to be the girl she’s meant to be. Suitable for ages 8-12.

These are the highlights of what in the world is going on in autism for January 2017. All the best in the New Year!

Latest News from the Peace Autism Society

Nicole Collison

It has been an exciting time for the Peace Autism Society. Our membership is growing larger every month (there is definitely strength in numbers!), and we have set out our support group topics for 2017. Families have reported that they want to know more about transitions (e.g. from health services into school, or from school into adulthood), RDSPs, one page profiles and a variety of other topics. We were able to offer a webcast of the CASE Autism Conference this week at no cost to our families.

We look forward to increasing our numbers even further, planning for social events and further parental training during the remainder of 2017. As our membership grows, we will continue to expand the variety of supports that we can provide to our families in Northern Alberta.

Push

Colton W. Samida

I was diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome (or HFA) at approximately two years old. Later in my life, I received a diagnosis of Oppositional Defiant Disorder, or ODD. I was extremely delayed in speech, couldn’t make eye contact, couldn’t hug without a tantrum, etc., and if you’re reading this you probably already know what this looks like. Social situations were difficult – I remember the cruel irony of discovering how much I detested social interaction, but also how much I craved it. I wasn’t aware, however, of any differences between my peers and myself until I was a teenager. Everyone seemed to be off enjoying themselves; meanwhile, I was still being instructed by my parents on how to do what should have been basic things like cleaning up after myself, using my manners, and all the other horrible things parents make their children do. Looking back, I was angry at my parents, sure, but when you have ODD it comes with the territory.

Were my parents deserving of my anger? Absolutely not, but I sure felt justified at the time. Imagine being terrified, experiencing debilitating fear every single time you spoke with someone. Then, imagine your parents handing you a $10 bill, and as a punishment sending you to the corner store to buy ice cream for your family. How dastardly. The point is my parents pushed me, and honestly, at the time, I hated them for it. Years later, my coworkers, friends, and wife are all aware of my ASD and ODD diagnosis. They constantly forget that, yes, I still am drained by social situations, and yes, I still stim when I’m feeling unregulated. I’m grateful they forget.

All through my adolescence I only ever wanted to be treated like everyone else, to experience the world like everyone else – and now I finally can, and I have my parents to thank for that. All the time I spent hating them should have been spent thanking them. They didn’t yell, they didn’t hit, and they certainly didn’t give in to me, or my demands, or my idiosyncrasies. I am so thankful every day for my parents. Without their push I wouldn’t have friends today, or a beautiful wife (or daughter, for that matter). You can push your children and still love them dearly, as my parents did. I said that I hated them, and for a long time I did; however, my quality of life would never be as amazing as it is now without them. So thank you so much mom and dad – I will be forever grateful for the push.

PEERS – Social Skills for Teens in Edmonton

This innovative evidence-based program (PEERS – Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) is designed for teenagers with autism who are having difficulty making or keeping friends.

Making and keeping friends can be hard for everyone, but it can be a special challenge for teens with autism. In this 14-week program involving both teens and their parents, teens will learn how to enter and exit conversations, choose appropriate friends, handle teasing and bullying, and use electronic communications safely. Parents will learn how to coach and support their teen. Research has demonstrated positive outcomes for PEERS’ participants.

The PEERS program is for individuals 13-17 years old who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis.

Prerequisites: Academic skills at Grade 6 or higher; verbal abilities to handle fast-paced instruction; and motivation to attend. An initial screening assessment will be conducted to ensure appropriateness of program application.

Dates: Session 1 – Wednesdays, September 14 to December 14, 2016
Session 2 – Wednesdays, February 1 to May 10, 2017
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Centre for Autism Services Alberta, 4752-99 Street, Edmonton

For more information or to register, please contact Jackie Ryan:
780-488-6600 ext 144
jryan@centreforautism.ab.ca
www.centreforautism.ab.ca

“This is such an excellent experience for a teenager with Asperger’s. My son has grown socially.”
-Parent of teen

A Home of One’s Own: One Woman’s Journey to Independent Living with Autism

Maureen Bennie

From the Autism Awareness Centre Inc. blog:

When you are a parent of a child with an autism spectrum disorder, you worry about the child’s future as an adult. Will they be able to live on their own? What happens if a parent is no longer able to care for their adult child? What services and supports need to be in place to make the transition from the parental home to independent living? Can independent living be an option?

Living on your own with autism can be possible with the right support
 
Natasha Muirhead, an adult with Asperger Syndrome living in the UK, has lived on her own for the past 13 years. From a young age, it was her wish to live independently, yet she was unsure how to make this a reality. Natasha’s mother belonged to a parent support group that campaigned for their local autism organization, Autism West Midlands, to hire a community support practitioner (CSP) to work with adults who had Asperger Syndrome. Through their continued efforts, the parents created the Asperger Syndrome Support and Enablement Team (ASSET) with the CSP as part of this team. The CSP listened to Natasha’s concerns about moving out and helped her formulate a plan for support. They went together to see their local Member of Parliament to lobby for services and explain Natasha’s situation at that time – unemployed and living at home.

Natasha’s mother persuaded her to have a community care assessment done by a social worker from Social Services. The social worker completed an assessment of Natasha’s needs and then worked with the CSP who already knew Natasha and also understood Asperger Syndrome. Natasha’s parents found out about a government initiative called Supporting People which provided funding for independent living. They also applied for and received Housing Benefit funding. Unfortunately, this left Natasha with only 3 months to find a place to live, or she would lose the funding. To access this type of funding, Natasha also had to move from full-time employment to part-time.

Finding the right house or apartment is essential for success
 
Looking for a suitable place was very stressful for the family. Natasha felt both nervous and excited looking for properties. She feared the unknown, and her parents worried about safety issues. A week before the 3 month deadline to find a place, a family friend located an apartment in the newspaper. The family went to look at the apartment, and even though it was untidy, Natasha instantly knew this was the place for her.

The CSP helped sort out the details to make the apartment livable, such as telephoning the utility and TV cable companies, getting insurance and finding furniture. The ASSET supporters, CSP, and Natasha’s Employment Supporter all pitched in to help with the move. Natasha had a few sleepless nights in the beginning, but she made the decision to stay on her own. ASSET helped her sort out her Social Security benefits to make sure she was getting everything she was entitled to. They helped her to buy things for the apartment, taught her how to look after her things, how to deal with problems from other tenants, created a budget, and created new links for college, work and socializing.

Read more