Maureen Bennie curates a news blog for Autism Calgary called "What in The World is Going On About Autism". Her blog often mines and expands on the articles and events that she has detailed in that news feed, as well as looking at current best autism resources, news stories, and events on a variety of topics about autism and ASD.
Author Brenda Kosky Deskin has made some great suggestions on how to modify household chores so a child with special needs can handle them. It’s important to practice chores to work towards greater independence. Some chores can also be worked into a sensory diet. Having a child do household chores makes them feel they are contributing members of the family.…
There have been numerous theories on what causes autism. The latest US research is now saying women who live near busy roads are twice as likely to have a child with autism. Lead scientist of this research Dr Andrea Roberts, of the Harvard School of Public Health, said: “Our findings raise concerns since, depending on the pollutant, 20% to 60% of the women in our study lived in areas where risk of autism was elevated.”
The connection between autism and gut issues have been known about for over a decade, yet we still have much to learn about this connection. Challenging behavior can be a result of severe gut issues, as was the case with Michael – a boy with autism from New York City. It wasn’t until the family met Dr. Kara Margolis. Margolis, 36, pediatric gastroenterologist at New York Presbyterian Hospital and a researcher at Columbia University Medical Center, that any cause for Michael’s self-injurious behaviors surfaced. Psychiatrists have always received the referrals for challenging behavior.
iPads are becoming increasingly popular with the special needs population. We are discovering that using this accessible technology opens the door for increased communication, learning and independence. There is a new project called the Mission Project which has launched an iPad Initiative. It is an innovative program designed to teach adults with developmental and cognitive disabilities how to use an iPad to: increase independence in their daily lives, connect socially within & outside of their community, find new & appropriate activities of leisure, further their education with new & meaningful information, and improve management of their health.
The development of gross motor skills is essential to be able to run, walk, jump, climb, and play sports. Children with special needs require supported opportunities in which to develop these skills. This article lists six items that can be used to develop gross motor skills. To source products in Canada, visit FDMT’s website.
Parent of special needs children are often placed on waiting lists for occupational therapy services. Educators can also be in the same boat, having OT consults only 2 – 3 times a year. Development of fine motor skills is important for lifelong success. They form the foundation for writing, eating, cooking, typing – even putting in a contact lens. How do you work on these skills without the help of an OT? Author Ahren Hoffman shows us how to develop fine motor skills using toys and household items.
By PAULINE TAM, Published in The Ottawa Citizen
OTTAWA — It’s the unspoken rule about autism services that Anne Jovanovic knows all too well: Getting help for her son, Mica, requires her to wage a constant war with the gatekeepers of provincial programs.
Since Mica was diagnosed two years ago, Jovanovic has parsed government documents and doggedly pursued officials to press her case. In doing so, the federal public servant has established herself as a mother whose demands can’t be easily dismissed.
Maureen Bennie, mother of two teenagers with autism, talks about how a program at Calgary’s The Ability Hub is teaching her children the daily-living skills that prepare them for independent living in adulthood.
(video re-directs to the Ottawa Citizen website)
Answer: There are a number of frequently asked questions around when you should tell a child about their ASD diagnosis. How do you tell a child about their diagnosis of ASD? Is there a right age? How do you know when the child is ready to hear the information?
I attended a presentation last week on practical approaches to teaching sexuality and want to share what I’ve learned. Teaching sexuality is often a daunting task whether you are a parent or professional. When it comes to ASDs, there is a two-fold problem: physical development is often typical while cognitive and social-emotional development are delayed and some sexual behaviours may be rooted in other causes such as sensory issues, rigid patterns of behavior, or the enjoyment of negative attention. You have to be a detective and investigate the reasons why sexual behavior is being exhibited; the cause may not be what it appears to be. For example, excessive touching of the genitals may be because pants are fitting too tightly and the touching may not be pleasure seeking related at all.
Analyze behavior and plan interventions to reduce inappropriate behavior. Ask the question, “What are they trying to get out of this?” You can teach and model something more appropriate, offering suggestions on what you can do instead.
One of the greatest fears a parent of a child with autism has is how and where will their child live when they are no longer able to take care of them. What will their adult lives look like? How will they spend their day? What does a meaningful life look like in adulthood?
I attended an excellent presentation this week given by Neil Walker of Kerry’s Place Autism Serivces (KPAS) located in Southern Ontario. Neil described the KPAS philosophy which I’d like to share with you because it has been a big part of the KPAS success story and positive outcomes for those with ASD. Their values could be adapted to any new organization wanting to provide services for adults or be the guiding principals of what parents should be looking for in order to ensure a high quality of life in adulthood.
Answer: It would be a challenge to find a school anywhere that does not have a student in it with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Most teachers will have a student with ASD in their classroom at some point in their career. Because the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations, from mild to severe, a teacher may not recognize new students in their classroom with an ASD from year to year.
There are many reasons for continued programming for children with autism spectrum disorder. Firstly, ASD’s are lifelong and on going with no present cure. We know that early intervention programming has made significant gains for our children and helped them with behavior, communication, social interactions, and sensory issues; however no human being is a stagnant entity.
Children with ASD’s grow, develop, and change, as does a neurotypical child. The problems present at age 5 are not the same problems at age 7 or 12. Yes, they are rooted in the same causes such as the inability to read the hidden social curriculum, anxiety, on-going sensory problems, and restricted behavior patterns, but new strategies need to be developed on a continual basis to meet the new challenges.
Answer: Perhaps you fit one of these parenting scenarios. You suspect your child has a language delay and are on a six-month waiting list for an assessment. In the meantime, you want to take affirmative action to help your child. Or maybe your child has been diagnosed with a language delay, is receiving therapy, but you want to provide additional parental support at home. There are several strategies a parent can use at home to assist in language development: following the child’s lead, balance turn taking, match what your child is doing, wait for communication, and listen to communication attempts.
I had an eye-opening experience this week with my social worker about my children’s services. I’ve almost run out of funding on my current contract that will expire next month. Part of the reason for this is because I have not been accessing all of the correct programs. When I said I didn’t know about a certain program, I was told it is my job as a parent to know what the programs are available and what I should be accessing. It’s on a website, which is transparent, and I should be able to figure out all of the information from there. I was dumbfounded because how do you ask a question and search for information when you don’t even know the right question to ask?
I had a similar experience when my son was younger and was still in diapers until the age of 9. A parent told me in passing that I was eligible for funding for diapers because my son was over the age of 3. Why had no one on my professional team ever told me about this program? Same thing with the disability tax credit – another thing I stumbled upon on my own quite by accident.
It boils down to this – caveat emptor or buyer beware. You have to think of yourself as a consumer even where autism supports and services are concerned, read the find print, and do some investigating to find out what you qualify for. So where do you start and who is in the know?