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Autism Around Alberta – March 2016 Edition
Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone
Up until this year, the mention of a play date for Conor sent my blood pressure sky high and stress levels through the roof! I had tried so many times to organize them for him, and pretty much every one ended in disaster. You know what I mean – you apologize to the other parent, you feel terrible because the other child has not had a good time, and after all that you still have to deal with a very escalated child because the whole experience has been too overwhelming for them.
We planned snacks and what to do when he was in the ‘yellow zone’. Conor had set up a quiet corner, so he knew that would be a good place to go to for a break. When movement breaks were needed, he came up with the options of playing outside, playing a Wii sports game, or using his sensory equipment. Lastly, we practiced saying goodbye when the time came. I made sure that I had extra support because I knew that this would be essential for both of us!Autism Around Alberta – February 2016 Edition
Appreciation and ASD: Lessons Learned from a Brother with Autism
My older brother Ian was diagnosed with ASD before I was born. Long before I knew what ASD actually was, I knew what it looked like. My brother has many behavioural quirks, which make him who he is: difficulty speaking, loud outbursts, volatile moods, and weird dietary preferences are the first things that come to mind when I remember the early years. But the behaviour that I remember the most was how Ian watched movies.
Ian would fast forward to a scene in a movie that he liked, and watch it over and over again. There was nothing he enjoyed more than sitting two inches from the TV, rewinding and playing the same ten seconds of Toy Story and Aladdin. When I was kid there was nothing more annoying. Why would he want to watch the same scene repeatedly without watching the rest of the movie? A week later he might come back to the same scene, still unconcerned with whatever else the film had to offer.
This behaviour is characteristic of many of the people with autism I have met. Fixation on a single activity at the expense of everything else can leave caregivers and friends with a constant feeling of disconnect from their loved one. It’s hard not to see this kind of behaviour as abnormal and harmful. But the key point to remember is that this fixation is for a reason – it is not random. Where the average person sees a calculator, a person with autism may see an expression of order and beauty. This year, I finally realized that where I see a movie scene without context, my brother sees a perfect recreation of the feelings produced when he saw the scene the first time.
Autism Around Alberta – January 2016 Edition
Latest News from the Fort McMurray Autism Support Group
Fort McMurray Autism Support Group held an Autism Family Christmas Party sponsored by Sands Carpet One, Unifor Local 707A and the employees at Fort McMurray Kenworth. We also had donations from Walmart and Superstore. The Autism Family Christmas Party was held at the Syncrude Sports and Wellness Centre on December 20th. There were two bouncy castles, a craft table set up for making Christmas decorations, and snacks, including home made cupcakes. Kids had the chance to have their picture taken with Santa, who was also able to give each child a little gift bag which included stickers, colouring books crayons, a candy cane and some bubbles. We had roughly twenty families come out and enjoy a relaxing and fun time. Parents commented on how wonderful it was to be able to relax and have their kids have fun, too.
Autism Around Alberta – December 2015 Edition
Simple Gifts
It’s almost the end of the year! Sound the trumpets! Good things are coming!
I love New Year’s – not because of the big parties (those don’t happen for us anymore) and not because of the idea of resolutions (as if we don’t already have enough on our plate) – but because it’s a time to reflect.
The way my husband and I see it, New Year’s is not a time to resolve. We’ve already made three life-changing resolutions and as far as we’re concerned, that’s enough. The first time we resolved to change our life was when we had our daughter. The second was when we adopted our son, and the third came after our son’s diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, when we resolved to ‘learn from the [insert daily catastrophic moment here] and do better’ every single day. Seriously though, we find ourselves making the resolution to ‘try again tomorrow’ on a daily basis, so adding an annual ‘do better’ commitment is way too overwhelming.
Autism Around Alberta – November 2015 Edition
Doing Christmas
As November tumbles into December, the scenes around us begin to change from the drab and dreary to the bright and flashy. Blow-up snowmen, big bows and twinkling lights start to pop up in everyone’s neighbourhoods. Some strangers become exasperatingly cheerful while others start to push and shove, and the crisp winter air starts to smell like a confusing mix of cinnamon, pine cones and car exhaust.
Ahhhhhh, Christmas.
Autism Around Alberta – October 2015 Edition
Our ASD: The First Year Following Diagnosis
Oh yes, I shed tears, but I knew I had to get to work. There was so much that I had to learn about. I started reading about autism, applying for the Disability Tax Credit, contacting FSCD, setting up the RDSP and getting him settled into Kindergarten. My pile of paperwork started to grow!Autism Around Alberta – September 2015 Edition
My Kids Get It
I always get a little bit of a funny look when I say how many kids we have. These days a family with four children isn’t quite as “normal” as it used to be, and with them all being within two years of each other, we are a very busy bunch.
I used to feel like I needed to explain the size of our family, or justify why we would have more children even after David was diagnosed with ASD. Were we being fair to him? Were we being fair to the other children? David is on the severe end of the spectrum, so yes, he takes up a lot of time. But over the last year or so I have started to see why our family is perfect in its size, how each child was so very meant to be. I never questioned that we loved and wanted all of them, but occasionally I would wonder, was I being fair? Was there enough of me to go around?
My children are never without a playmate, or a role model. Watching my two smaller children grow and play has been amazing: they are so creative and enthusiastic when they talk and share ideas. But watching my two-year-old role model language and social interactions and then praise her brother because he said “Hi” is amazing. She is going to be a leader – she already is.
I remember watching my four-year-old see his brother really melt down for the first time in public., he had seen it a million times before but he was really seeing it, he was starting to own it. When his friend looked to him to say, “What’s wrong with your brother?”, Callum simply looked at his friend and said, “David’s autismal, he will be done in a minute…” No, that’s not a typo, and no, I did not correct him. He’s going to be an understanding adult who will see past other differences and into the heart of the person – I was and am so proud.
Autism Around Alberta – August 2015 Edition
Getting Ready for Back to School
Have you noticed that summer is slipping by so quickly? In no time you’ll be thinking about transitioning your child with developmental special needs back to school. Just like any student, they may not want to go back. On top of that, they have to once again get used to being around their fellow students and interacting with them, following instructions from teachers and aides, and the sensory overload sure to be found in almost any school.
So what can you do to help your child or your student with autism to get ready? Here are a few pointers to help you get started, and maybe inspire you to come up with your own personalized solutions. Whether you’re a parent, a teacher or and aide, being proactive can save you a lot of trouble!
At home you can start by reading fun stories about going back to school. Even make your own social story about going back to school, if you know how. If you have any photos of fellow students or the school and staff you can look at them and talk about them. You can also go visit the school playground to familiarize them with it. It would be even better to arrange a playground date with other students who will be going back to school with your child.
Usually the staff goes back to school a week before the students. Take your child into the school two or three times during that week to get them used to their teacher and/or aide, the echoing sounds, the lights, the gym, the bathroom, the playground, etcetera. Pack a lunch and eat it wherever your child would normally eat lunch. Find out where her desk will be and read a fun book or color a picture while sitting there. Take photos of her teacher, aide desk, and other key areas so that you can look at them at home and talk about them.
Autism Around Alberta – July 2015 Edition
Get Inspired At Autism Alberta’s Annual General Meeting!
Autism Alberta’s Annual General Meeting offers members (you!) a chance to find out what’s going on in Alberta and let us know what you’d like to see. You get to meet other families who may be sharing your experiences, and learn from those who can tell you what they did when they were at the same stage. You can also enjoy our enlightening and inspiring speakers!
Join us for
Autism Alberta’s Annual General Meeting
10 AM to 3 PM
GH Dawe Centre
56 Holt St
Red Deer, AB
Autism Around Alberta – June 2015 Edition
Looking Forward
It isn’t necessarily the adoption of minutes, discussion of ASA finances, or nomination of new board members that make me want to carve out some time in our summer to attend the AGM. For me, it is simply sitting in the room, being on the edge of the conversation. It is exciting to listen to the updates being shared by members from across Alberta – things that are happening from Fort McMurray to Lethbridge, and all of them will have a positive ripple effect for my family and our daughter on the spectrum.
Most importantly, it is a unique opportunity to sit among other parents of children on the spectrum at different seasons in life. To listen, not only to where they are on their journey, but where they have come from. It is a very meaningful experience to observe and participate in conversation with those who have and are blazing the trail for those of us just embarking on our trip down Autism Avenue.
Autism Around Alberta – April 2015 Edition
Red Deer Elementary School Celebrates Bubbles for Autism
This year I jumped on the bubble bandwagon! Our school, GW Smith Elementary, celebrated Autism Awareness Day on the 10th of April, and we are still celebrating Autism Awareness Month. We did our kick-off day on the 7th, the first day back after spring break, by doing up a display case with lots of child-friendly books about autism; a newsletter also went home. In the newsletter there was information about autism, information about the Bubbles for Autism recess we would be doing, and a puzzle piece entry form. Each child was asked to design their own puzzle piece to show what was special about them. Then, in the classrooms, the teachers would teach the kids about autism, and each child created a poster that would be hung in the gym on Friday.
Friday was AMAZING. We had asked the kids and staff to dress in blue, and when I arrived at the school in the morning there was a sea of it. Almost every child in the school had returned their puzzle pieces, and the posters were already to be hung up and looked GREAT! I spent a lot of the morning in the gym hanging and putting together the puzzle pieces, which meant that I saw a lot of the classes coming and going. Several times I asked the kids, “Why are you wearing blue?" My question was always met with a reply of: “It’s Autism Awareness Day!”
At around 12 noon things got into full swing! A TV crew showed up, and the newspaper came to take pictures. We were visited by a representative from our school district, as well as by therapists that work with my son, and the guests that really surprised me were my amazing family and friends who came to support me.
At 12:30 the Mayor arrived, and at 12:40 we headed outside. To say that there were a million bubbles in a sea of blue is no exaggeration! The kids had a blast – they were excited, they were understanding, and they were supportive!
Autism Around Alberta – March 2015 Edition
Moving Into Adulthood with Autism
Thursday, April 2nd, 2015 marks the 8th annual World Autism Awareness Day. Around the world, autism organizations, parents, and individuals with autism will be recognizing the day with all kinds of events, from telling their stories, to fundraising, to showing support. As he turned 18 in November, this year will be our son Eric’s first World Autism Awareness day as an adult. So I thought I would share with you some of our family’s experiences in transitioning Eric from a child with autism to an adult with autism.
Knowing that Eric is within the severe range of the autism scale led us in a certain direction. The process is very individualized, depending on each person’s capabilities and skills. The first step for us was having an up-to-date psychological assessment done on Eric to document his capabilities, challenges, and his I.Q. This step was very important when it came to finding out what funding and supports our son qualified for.
Next we applied for PDD (Persons with Developmental Disabilities). In Alberta, this funding model gives dollars for services provided to the individual, either through a community agency, or through family managed services. To qualify, you must have significant limitation in intellectual capacity and in adaptive skills (basic living skills). You must have had both of these limitations before you turn 18. My advice: start this process when your child is 16 years old.
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Autism Around Alberta – February 2015 Edition
Physical Problems in People with Autism Spectrum Disorder
A systematic medical history and physical examination are essential for all patients with ASD. Rates of medical illness are estimated at 10–20%. A number of medical conditions are associated with ASD, including neurological, gastrointestinal, nutritional and sleep disorders. Clinicians should be aware that some individuals with ASD are insensitive to cold and pain, which may lead to a reduction in symptom reporting, while deficits in communication can make diagnosis by clinical interview difficult.
Epilepsy
Epilepsy is the most common neurological condition associated with ASD, and contributes to increased morbidity and mortality. The prevalence of epilepsy in children with autism has been reported to range from 5% to 38%. This childhood epilepsy is particularly persistent into adulthood, with remission in only 16% of cases. The presence of comorbid intellectual disability significantly increases the risk of epilepsy. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and electroencephalography (EEG) remain useful in the assessment of significant neurological comorbidity in the presence of focal neurological signs or seizures.
Autism Around Alberta – January 2015 Edition
Parents Start Swimming Program in Red Deer
Those of us who are in Red Deer are lucky to have an amazing recreation facility, The G.H. Dawe Community Centre, that is working very hard to offer recreational programming for children with unique needs.
We collectively have five children between our two families, and another good friend has four children. Each family has at least one exceptional child, and we were very confident we would have no problem finding kids for a class. We brainstormed and decided that our children often have difficulty following only verbal instructions, are in sensory overload, and very easily distracted.
We contacted an aquatic program specialist, and they were more than happy to work in team with us to come up with a swimming lesson opportunity for our children. We decided that the easiest and most cost-effective way for our children to experience success in swimming lessons would be to create our own class. Essentially we created a private class and filled the lesson with our children. We have four children in the class, and I think it is important to note that our class is comprised of not only children with exceptional needs, but also typical children (siblings). The Dawe Community Center slotted two of their top lifeguard instructors, a pool manager and an instructor completing a degree in adapted physical education – how lucky were we!
