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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!
