April is Autism Awareness Month April is World Autism ...€¦ · 2 Living on the Spectrum evening Our panel of local adults with an autism spectrum disorder tell their different

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Newsletter March 2013

April is Autism Awareness Month

2nd April is World Autism Awareness Day

What can you do to help raise awareness at your school and community?

Encourage your school to watch the film ‘What are you doing? A

short film, created by Autism Awareness, which aims to teach school

aged children about acceptance and understanding of their peers with Autism

Spectrum Disorder. A copy has been sent to every school in Australia.

Play Pictionary at school or home with family & friends–a game that highlights the

difficulties of communication, something people with ASD deal with everyday! The frustration

experienced while attempting to make a drawing understood by

others, then the relief when someone finally understands! You can use

a Pictionary board game or make you own word cards. Follow up with

a class discussion that focuses on different abilities of everyone.

Walk for Autism

Ballarat’s Celebration: Sunday 7th April

11.00 at Lake Wendouree –Walk for Autism

Meet at 11.00 at Durham Point on the northern side of Lake

Wendouree parade. The 2km walk will take us through Fairy

Land, past the Botanical Gardens to the Lake Wendouree

playground and picnic area where we will have a balloon

release spectacular & sausage sizzle!

Balloons available on the day for everyone at the Durham Point meeting spot!

Bring along a picnic lunch or use the BBQ available at the Lake Wendouree playground

and picnic area

All welcome! Bring your family & friends to bring the ASD community together for a

great day out.

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Living on the Spectrum evening

Our panel of local adults with an

autism spectrum disorder tell their different stories and explain

what is ‘living on the spectrum’ through their eyes:

Date: Wednesday 17th April

Where: Ballarat Golf Club, Avenue of Honour Sturt St Date:

Time: 6.30 for light refreshments with a 7.00 start. Drinks available at bar prices.

RSVP to Kris 53412 768 email [email protected] or Tricia [email protected]

_________________________________________________________________________________

20th March =Making it Possible - workshop Be an advocate for your child, build on

the strengths & skills you already have as a parent, learn how to think, plan and

achieve goals for your child and family 9.45 – 2.30 Free workshop with lunch included. Plus child

care available on-site at Pinarc. Contact Pinarc Parent Support Coodinator: Melissa Delaland-

Desfosses 5329 1361

24th April – Free workshop Anxiety & ASD with Stacy Shepherd and Sensory issues & ASD with

Occupational Therapists from Pinarc. Contact Pinarc Parent Support Coodinator:

Melissa Delaland-Desfosses 5329 1361

My Time – a playgroup for parents and carers of children with a disability. Fortnightly on

Wednesdays from 1.00 – 3.30 Contact Pinarc Parent Support Coodinator:

Melissa Delaland-Desfosses 5329 1361

The Dad to Dads Program offers fathers of people with a disability or chronic illness the opportunity to meet other dads and to develop the confidence, skills and networks they need to take an active role in the support of their son or daughter They organise weekend getaways on a regular basis to bring dads

together in friendship so that through education and sharing life experiences their families can

achieve =the best possible outcomes.

Contact Kylie Cleever Phone (03) 54 353 158 Email: [email protected]

Disability Expo 2014

BAN is planning a Disability Expo for 2014- We really need support and

assistance with this so if you can help, come along to our Expo Working Party

meeting on 25th March, 10 am at the Eastwood Leisure Centre.

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Tricia’s Tips on the importance

on Sport and Physical Activity

I hope everyone had a lovely break over

Christmas/ New Year and are now getting

back into school and work routines!

In this newsletter I am going to cover the

importance of sport and physical

activity.

Exercise and sport is very important to all

of us and people on the spectrum are no

different. It improves our overall health,

both physical and mental, boosts our self-

confidence and assists with our

coordination, both gross and fine. It also

helps us to make new friends and develop

new interests that are more socially

acceptable.

Finding some exercises that children and

adolescents on the spectrum will

participate in just needs a little more

thought and encouragement to get them

out of their comfort zone and into some

physical activity.

Exercise can be a non-competitive sport

such as taekwondo, karate, judo, bike

riding and swimming. If they enjoy music,

try dance or gymnastics. Good team

sports include cricket, volleyball or

badminton.

Just ask yourself a few questions:

- What sport did I like to play when I

was a child?

- Do they need a non-competitive

sport/activity?

- Can they learn to cope with a ball

to the face or another child

knocking them over?

They need to have some kind of sport

that is non-competitive and great for hand

eye co-ordination, gross motor skills,

balance and cross over with left and right

sides of the brain. It doesn’t matter how

good they are at it, the most important

thing is that they have fun and enjoy it. If

they enjoy it, it takes the battle away.

Over the years we have found Taekwondo

has been extremely helpful for all our

children, not just our son on the spectrum.

At “Ballarat and Western Victoria

Taekwondo”, the qualified coaches take

time to help and explain the correct

techniques at the students own pace.

They also instruct their students in the

proper use of self-defence and when it is

necessary to be used. They teach about

respect for others as well as yourself,

building self-esteem and good health.

With most martial arts, they will do what

are called patterns, which are a series of

punches, kicks, blocks and turns that are

performed in a sequence. These patterns

help improve memory, co-ordination, focus

and body strength.

Taekwondo is open from ages 5 to 80.

There is also a NEW gym program that

has been developed for Adolescents and

Adults with High Functioning ASD and

Aspergers, which is called “Move EP;

Move, feel, laugh”.

Working out of “On Track Fitness” in Sturt

St, Ballarat, the Move EP program was

developed by an Exercise Physiologist

named Andrew Dowler.

An Exercise Physiologist (EP) is a

university trained allied health professional

who specialise in health, fitness and

rehabilitation.

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I have known Andrew Dowler

professionally for 4 years and I have

spoken to him on several occasions about

my concerns with my son’s core body

strength, the slouches, his gait (how he

runs and body position) and his overall

physical fitness.

Andrew assessed my son’s body

movement, how he walked in general,

jogged, ran and walked up a flight of

stairs. He also looked at my son’s posture

and core body strength (which helps his

posture). Andrew then put together a

program to suit our son’s needs. It

incorporated weight training for body

strength, exercises to help with balance

and cardio to get his blood pumping, the

mind thinking and the endorphins going.

Now this program will not only help our

children BUT can also help us as well.

When my son first started going to the

gym, I would just sit, wait and watch. Then

one really crappy day (don’t we all have

them!), Andrew said “Why don’t you do

some exercise with him? It’ll help relieve

some of the stress!”

So next time, I brought my gym gear along

and started with my own program as well.

So that’s how the parents’ side of the

program started. It is also best for our

child’s and others safety. Until we know

they understand and follow the rules of the

gym, we need to supervise them at a safe

distance. The aim is to have them

independent at the gym. This will build

their confidence, reduce stress levels,

promote their independence and build

friendships.

To sum it up, I can’t believe how much it

has helped my son get away from the

Xbox and computer. It has helped his

body strength, gait, independence and

self-confidence. The mix between

Taekwondo and the gym at “On Track

Fitness”, and the support he has been

given in both has really helped his overall

quality of life, both mentally and physically!

If anyone has some ASD friendly sporting,

dance or activities that you would like to

share, please Tricia on

[email protected] .

It would be GREAT to get a network

going of ASD Friendly Clubs; we can

then put on our web site!

Andrew Dowler - Move EP-

[email protected] - 0419874682

Ron Parkinson - www.ballarat-

taekwondo.websyte.com.au –

0412936978

Uni Sports – Learn to Swim – Ryan.

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Developmental Considerations:

Naomi’s story

I have been asked to write about my

children and how sport has been so very

valuable in their lives; sport is one important

aspect that should be considered for a child

on the Spectrum. I will tell you three separate

stories about my children, some aspects

involve sport, but it is important to realise

that there are many other aspects that

contribute to a child’s development as well.

All children are like sponges,

absorbing information from the world around

them. All children learn differently, and what

they absorb depends on how they learn.

Some children are able to learn

independently, while other children need to

be engaged through various strategies to

enable learning. Children learn in all sorts of

ways, they learn about life and social rules

through interaction, but for some children

these interactions need to be explained. An

explanation isn’t always verbal, it can be

provided through physical prompts,

modelling, role play, as well as through social

stories. On many occasions I have employed

all these strategies to ensure my children have

understood a particular piece of information.

Children need a nurturing environment to

progress; they need boundaries and

expectations to succeed.

I have three children on the Spectrum

and they have all made progress and

succeeded. My children were nurtured, they

had clear boundaries and I have believed in

them enough to ensure I had the same

expectations of them as I would for a

neurotypical child. I had been told in the past

that my children’s’ paths in life would need to

be different than that of a neurotypical child’s

path. Despite this, I did believe my children

deserved the same opportunities as a

neurotypical child would have been given,

although the delivery of those opportunities

were often somewhat more considered and

strategic than they would have needed to be

for many neurotypical children. It was very

hard work and, at times, an emotional roller

coaster ride, but it has been one of the most

valuable journeys I have had in life, that is, to

believe in my children regardless of the

obstacles put before me. I do believe that

children on the Spectrum can achieve, and

because of this belief I have agreed to share

stories about my children and the little thing

that have helped them to achieve.

Story 1:

My eldest son was an anxious child,

he was hypersensitive to noise and tactile

defensive, which basically means that his

sensory areas for touch and hearing were

more heightened. I had decided, from a

safety perspective, that my son needed to

have swimming lessons. He would need

private lessons because he would not cope in

a group situation; he had a fear of water, and

was fearful of anything he was not familiar

with. Initially he sat on a plastic chair, with his

legs contracted into what resembled a foetal

position. He screamed loudly and I felt

terrible, I felt enormous guilt for putting this

child through this. Regardless, I persevered. I

consulted the young female swim instructor,

we gently approached this frightened child

and we used social stories in everyday

language to explain what was happening. We

used cups of water and tipped the water out

on the concrete floor near him. The next

lesson I was more prepared, he was wearing

his bathers before he left the house and I had

explained where we were going and why. On

this occasion he placed his fingers into the cup

of water but remained in a foetal position on

the plastic chair. By week three he was at the

water’s edge and no longer in a foetal

position. At week four my husband came

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along and he put my son into the water. By

week ten my son resembled a shark,

swimming at the bottom of the pool, his lung

capacity was amazing. He is now looking at

becoming a swimming instructor while he

completes VCE. Our long, and at times,

agonising journey was all worthwhile.

Story 2:

All my children had poor motor coordination

and two of them struggled socially. I saw an

opportunity to turn this around. At school

there were parents who were trying to

organise indoor cricket teams, but it was

difficult to get enough children organised to

make up a team. I spoke to my husband and

with my children and then joined them up to

participate along with peers from their school.

The first week each of them played indoor

cricket they looked awkward and

uncoordinated, they played terribly. I needed

to do a crash course on how to play indoor

cricket, I took the boys into our backyard and

practiced with them – how to bowl, how to

hold the bat, etc. I drew pictures and

explained various aspects of the game,

working systematically on one area at a time.

Two of the boys developed ritualistic

behaviours that acted as a calming

mechanism, but this made them socially

awkward. I did social stories and used role

play to overt this ritualistic behaviour before it

became a normal pattern of their behaviour.

My boys had poor spatial awareness, which

meant the bat barely connected with the ball.

I showed them strategies to assist their spatial

awareness. The boys would reach down with

their hand and touch the bat’s flat surface

before being bowled to, this appeared to help

with their spatial awareness skills and the bat

connected with the ball more often than not.

My boys developed friendships, improved

their social skills and their motor

coordination; their indoor cricket teams

began winning. They were learning about

how to be competitive, to strive for

something and to achieve.

Story 3:

My youngest son had a regression; he

lost all his speech and some of his motor

coordination. I was told he may not speak

again. It was that uncertainty that was so

emotionally difficult. My working background

helped, I had worked in the area of

rehabilitation early in my career. I had

worked alongside some amazing professionals

in the area of disability; they had believed in

the capacity of each child enough to push

their boundaries and extend these young

individuals. I also had knowledge of the idea

of brain plasticity – whereby, experiences

reorganise the neural pathways in the brain. I

had known people who had progressed when

all had seemed hopeless. I utilised experts to

learn how to help my son to speak again. I

have always believed that if a child could learn

even the simplest thing that there was no

reason they could not learn more things. I

was prepared to be patient and I revelled in

each of his achievements, no matter how

small. I remember running around in the

backyard with my youngest son mimicking

him as he flapped his hands and made

whooping noises; this is how I began to

engage with him. I did a course in Behavioural

Intervention Therapy in Melbourne and

utilised all that I had learnt, slowly my sons

noises turned to words. He had two years of

limited access to a speech pathologist under

the public umbrella, until I was told that they

could do no more for my son. My husband

and I decided to move our son to a private

Speech Pathologist, who he was with for eight

years. My son has always been in main

stream schooling; he now speaks reasonably

well and has a lovely singing voice. My son

has a large social circle of friends and has

achieved against everything we were told.

The sports he has been involved in have been

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indoor cricket, swimming, running, bike riding

and umpiring. These activities have helped

with his confidence and his motor

coordination.

All my children have participated in a

number of activities, such as music, the arts

and sport. Sport has helped them in many

ways. They have improved their motor

coordination skills, their physical fitness

levels, their confidence, and they have made

numerous friends. One of my children has

represented the State at both Junior and

Senior National Championships for sport, and

all of my children are doing very well. I hope

these stories inspire the parents/guardians

and grandparents of children on the Spectrum

to believe in their children.

Ballarat Autism Network–((BAN)

Raising awareness and promoting

understanding in our community about

autism spectrum disorder- a voluntary group

of parents who plan events, autism

information sessions & family activities

Meetings monthly on the 2nd Monday of the

month at Eastwood Leisure Centre.

Interested parents are welcome to join

anytime Contact Kris for future meeting dates

on 5341 2768 or email:

[email protected]

Pinarc Parent Support Coodinator:

Melissa Delaland-Desfosses 5329 1361

Ballarat Autism Spectrum Disorder Support

Group (BASDSG)

A support group for families to share

experiences and learn from each other

Meets monthly on the 3rd Monday of the

month

At: Eureka Family Resource Centre at 507

Humffray St Sth.

Time: 1-3pm

contact Emma on 0417 136 517

[email protected] Also

on facebook

_____________________________________

Bacchus Marsh Autism Awareness Group

Contact Deb Doyle on 5367 4460 or

email:[email protected].

_____________________________________

Myrniong EMBRACE ASD –Parent support

volunteer Amber Durante

Phone: 5368 7549 or Mobile: 0430 343 473

Email: [email protected]

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Tips on Advocating for your child:

Be clear about what you want to achieve and what is an acceptable outcome

Find out who is responsible for the outcome you seek

Don’t always expect conflict, as others may agree with you

Be firm and persistent

Think about what you want to say and how you will say it

Write down points you want to cover

Think about points that others may raise and how you might respond

Agree on an appropriate time and place for any discussion

Stay focused on getting the best outcome for your child

Be open to others solutions that may be just as effective

Negotiate and be open to compromise

Keep notes about what was discussed

Follow up on agreed actions

Try to stay calm

If you need support as a friend or family member to help you

These tips are taken from the Positive Education Planning booklet for parents

developed by the Association for Children with a Disability. www.acd.org.au

Resources and other stuff:

Don’t forget BAN has books

and DVD’s available for loan.

They are still based at Pinarc

Disability Services in King St

BAN will be

organising

another

Mini-Golf family event for next term –

Friday 10th May at 5pm -details to follow

at a later date