Connecticut massacre & possible Aspergers

Today’s violence was the act of an individual. We urge media, government and community leaders to speak out against any effort to spuriously link the Autistic or broader disability community with violent crime.

http://autisticadvocacy.org/2012/12/asan-statement-on-media-reports-regarding-newton-ct-shooting/#.UMzNf6PlQwU.facebook


Connecticut school shooting thrusts autism into national spotlight

http://www.examiner.com/article/connecticut-school-shooting-thrusts-autism-into-national-spotlight



Connecticut school shooting: massacre at Sandy Hook leaves 20 children dead

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/9746051/Connecticut-school-shooting-massacre-at-Sandy-Hook-leaves-20-children-dead.html

Autism Links

Secret Agent Society

http://www.sst-institute.net/au/index/


Autism: parents make the difference

http://www.west-info.eu/autism-parents-make-the-difference/


Autistic Child Defended in Cafe - video

Autistic Child Defended in Café | Video - ABC News


Does The Brain Come Unglued in Autism?

http://psychcentral.com/news/2012/12/12/does-the-brain-come-unglued-in-autism/49001.html



Boy With Asperger’s Lands ‘Jeopardy!’ Tryout

http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2012/12/11/boy-aspergers-jeopardy/16926/

The Impact of Stress and Anxiety on Individuals with Autism and Developmental Disabilities

http://thesciencenetwork.org/programs/music-science-medicine-at-the-new-york-academy-of-sciences/the-impact-of-stress-and-anxiety-on-individuals-with-autism-and-developmental-disabilities

Dr. June Groden is considered one of the pioneers in the field of autism and developmental disabilities. Her primary areas of interest are stress and anxiety and procedures to reduce stress. She has focused on the development of relaxation and imagery based procedures for a population with autism and developmental disabilities. Dr. Groden is the Director of the Groden Center in Providence, Rhode Island.

The Autism Advantage

To his father, Lars seemed less defined by deficits than by his unusual skills. And those skills, like intense focus and careful execution, were exactly the ones that Sonne, who was the technical director at a spinoff of TDC, Denmark’s largest telecommunications company, often looked for in his own employees. Sonne did not consider himself an entrepreneurial type, but watching Lars — and hearing similar stories from parents he met volunteering with an autism organization — he slowly conceived a business plan: many companies struggle to find workers who can perform specific, often tedious tasks, like data entry or software testing; some autistic people would be exceptionally good at those tasks. So in 2003, Sonne quit his job, mortgaged the family’s home, took a two-day accounting course and started a company called Specialisterne, Danish for “the specialists,” on the theory that, given the right environment, an autistic adult could not just hold down a job but also be the best person for it.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/02/magazine/the-autism-advantage.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&ref=general&src=me&

2 Canberra Positive Partnerships case studies!

Adrienne's
http://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/public/index.cfm?action=showPublicContent&assetCategoryId=1151

wonder whose this could be?
http://www.positivepartnerships.com.au/public/index.cfm?action=showPublicContent&assetCategoryId=1157

and seeing as we both recommended CASPAR here it is :)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/casparcanberra/

APAC 2013

http://www.apac13.org.au/

Asia Pacific Autism Conference, 8-10 August 2013

Survey for people with autism about the conference:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/APAC13

Speakers:
http://www.apac13.org.au/speakers

Register your interest:
https://webserver.aomevents.com/ei/getdemo.ei?id=199&s=_5GW0XS1Y1

Call for Abstracts:
http://www.apac13.org.au/call-for-abstracts

Autism Links

Nature Outlook has published an edition dedicated to Autism

http://www.nature.com/nature/outlook/autism_2012/index.html


2 stories on the same boy in NSW:
Not all disabilities are created equal

http://www.smh.com.au/opinion/politics/not-all-disabilities-are-created-equal-20121109-29313.html

Students with autism and emotional disorders exiled for disorderly conduct

http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/students-with-autism-and-emotional-disorders-exiled-for-disorderly-conduct/story-e6freuy9-1226510166376


TED: A New Way to Diagnose Autism

http://www.ted.com/talks/ami_klin_a_new_way_to_diagnose_autism.html?utm_source=facebook&source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=ios-share&ref=nf

So you just got an ASD diagnosis, Part 3

I'm hoping to  make this a series of tips and information for parents of children with autism - however I'm sure a lot of the information would apply to children with other disabilities! Please feel free to post comments or share your tips, or ideas for further parts to the series. If your child has another disability and you're interested in writing a similar post or series please contact me!

___________________________

Part 3

Funding
If you're lucky enough to get an ASD diagnosis before your child is 7 years old you may be entitled to a significant amount of funding to assist with therapy, equipment etc.

We weren't lucky enough to get any of this funding so I don't know a lot about it but thanks to many people on the CASPAR facebook group, and the Essential Baby forum I have many links to share with you :)

There are also a few other kinds of funding that may be of use over time.

Helping Children with Autism Package
The Enhanced Primary Care Program (EPC) scheme is for children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder who need help in any of the allied health areas including speech pathology, psychology, and occupational therapy. Talk to your GP about putting together an Enhanced Primary Care program for your child. (From AAACT)

Information on the Dept. Health & Ageing website, including Fact Sheets
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/autism-children

Information on the FAHCSIA website
http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/program-services/for-people-with-disability/helping-children-with-autism

Better Access to Mental Health Care (Medicare Rebates)
The Better Access to Mental Health Care program provides up to 10 clinical psychology sessions per calendar year as part of a Mental Health Care Plan developed by a GP
http://www.autismunderstanding.com.au/index.php/fees-a-services/medicare-rebates

Chronic Disease Management Items (Medicare Rebates)
The Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Medicare items on the Medicare Benefits Schedule (MBS) enable GPs to plan and coordinate the health care of patients with chronic or terminal medical conditions, including patients with these conditions who require multidisciplinary, team-based care from a GP and at least two other health or care providers.
http://www.health.gov.au/internet/main/publishing.nsf/Content/mbsprimarycare-chronicdiseasemanagement

Carer Allowance
A diagnosis of Autism or Asperger Syndrome means you are automatically entitled to Carer Allowance (just over $100 per fortnight, plus an annual payment of around $1K). a diagnosis of PDD-NOS will require you to prove the child's needs - your GP, paed or psych will need to complete the form with you.  Here is the list of recognised disabilities.  Carer Allowance is not means tested.

Carer Allowance is a supplementary payment for parents or carers who provide additional daily care to an adult or dependent child who has a disability or medical condition or is frail aged.
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/carer-allowance

Carer Payment
Carer Payment provides financial support if you are unable to work in substantial paid employment because you are providing full-time daily care to someone with a severe disability or medical condition, or to someone who is frail aged.
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/carer-payment

Carer Adjustment Payment
Carer Adjustment Payment is a one-off payment that helps families deal with the increased care needs of a 0 to 6-year-old child who has had a sudden and severe illness or accident.
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/carer-adjustment-payment

ACT Government Grants
http://www.grants.act.gov.au/

Quality of Life Grants
Quality of Life Grants will be offered for small, person-centred initiatives that will make a real difference to the quality of life of people with a disability. Applications for grant funding are invited from people with disabilities aged under 65, and the families, carers and services who support them. Grants awarded are between $500 - $5000 - total of $100,000
http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/home/grants#qol

Good Life Planning Grants
Good Life Planning Grants are for people who are not linked to government-funded service providers that provide assistance for the development and implementation of their good life plan.
http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/home/grants#glp

ABA Therapy as a Tax Deduction
I can't say this is definite, but save your reciepts and check with your accountant :) some parents have been able to claim in recent years.
http://www.ato.gov.au/rba/content.aspx?doc=/rba/content/4119.htm

Conveyancing Allowance
I haven't been able to find anything about how this works in the ACT but it is mentioned on the ACTION website on their privacy page. If anyone finds out more let me know! this is the basics of what it's all about:

The allowance is available to eligible students attending government and non-government schools in all country and outer metropolitan areas. It applies to travel by public transport, private bus and private car. The Allowance is available to students aged between 5 and 21 who live more than 4.8km by the shortest practicable route from the nearest school and do not have access to the free school bus service.

Autism Links

A Modest Proposal for Autistic Employment

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/my-life-aspergers/201210/modest-proposal-autistic-employment


Online Resource Transition Package:
The online resource package has been developed to assist early intervention service providers (e.g. AQ and AEIOU), parents and teachers (Kindergarten and Prep) by providing information and resources to support children with ASD transition into Queensland schools.

http://education.qld.gov.au/asd-online-resource-kit/


Autism researchers unpack the tangled role of genetics

http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/174494281.html


Key Points For Understanding Autism

http://mamabegood.blogspot.com.au/2012/10/key-points-for-understanding-autism.html

So you just got an ASD diagnosis, part 2

I'm hoping to  make this a series of tips and information for parents of children with autism - however I'm sure a lot of the information would apply to children with other disabilities! Please feel free to post comments or share your tips, or ideas for further parts to the series. If your child has another disability and you're interested in writing a similar post or series please contact me!

___________________________

Part 2

School
You'll most likely want to let your school know and they will start looking at what your child's needs might be and you'll go through several processes to determine what support they might get. Unfortunately there isn't much consistency across schools as to exactly how these processes take place, but here are the basics:

http://www.det.act.gov.au/school_education/disability_education

You'll do a Student Centred Appraisal of Need (unofficially known as a SCAN) with the school.  These can feel quite negative as you spend the time highlighting your child's needs and deficits, but they're necessary to identify needs so that appropriate support can be put in place.  SCANs are also done at key times - I think years 3, 6, 7, 10, 11

http://www.det.act.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/20127/Student_Centred_Appraisal_of_Need_-_Appraisal_booklet_for_Parents_Carers_and_Staff.pdf

Each year you'll work on an ILP (Individual Learning Plan) with the school, and a review later in the year. Ideally the ILP should happen early in term 1 and you should receive a draft before the meeting time (if you don't get one you may have to ask for this). You will be able to have input into the ILP and it can be adjusted at any time as your child's needs change. The ILP should contain goals with specific strategies as to how these goals will be reached.  Areas of need identified in the SCAN will inform the areas in the ILP and can include things such as communication, learning, personal care needs, social etc

Sue Larkey
Sue Larkey is an educator turned autism education expert - she is down to earth and realistic about what issues there might be at school and how they can be dealt with.  If you or your child's teacher have the chance to attend any of her workshops i definitely recommend you do so!
http://www.suelarkey.com/
link to her workshops http://suelarkey.com.au/index.php?pr=Workshops
link to her free resources http://suelarkey.com.au/Tip_Sheets.php

Positive Partnerships
positive partnerships has been developed to provide parents and schools with skills to work with children on the spectrum, and have a great relationship with each other. It's free training (this is where the govt's funding for children over 7 has gone to) and very worthwhile.
the training doesn't happen that often though - hopefully once a year in Canberra, but it's possible to do all the units online (honestly the best thing about the workshops is the people you meet - the other parents and educators!)
http://www.autismtraining.com.au/public/index.cfm

AAACT also has several support groups for parents of school age children (these may not be running at the moment, but check with them)
http://www.autismaspergeract.com.au/

Autism Links

Study in Korea Puts Autism’s Prevalence at 2.6%, Surprising Experts

http://www.nytimes.com/2011/05/09/health/research/09autism.html?_r=1&


Dude, I'm an Aspie

http://www.dudeimanaspie.com/2012/04/dude-im-aspie-kids-edition.html


Large DSM-5 Study Suggests Most Children Will Keep ASD Diagnosis

http://www.autismspeaks.org/science/science-news/large-dsm-5-study-suggests-most-children-will-keep-asd-diagnosis


Blog: Autism: in our own words

http://autismourwords.com.au


Silencing Ourselves- A Plea for Civility in the ASD Community

http://flappinessis.com/2012/02/01/silencing-ourselves-a-plea-for-civility-in-the-asd-community/

Managing eating issues in children with Asperger Syndrome:

Researchers at UQ have developed a set of food and nutrition resources that aim to provide strategies for managing selective eating in children with Asperger’s Syndrome. You’ll find hypothetical case studies developed from discussions with parents of children with Asperger’s, activity sheets, and a comprehensive selection of supporting materials.

http://www.autismqld.com.au/userfiles/Appendix%206_4%20Booklet.pdf

Autism Links

California unprepared for wave of autistic children headed toward adulthood

http://www.vcstar.com/news/2012/sep/22/california-unprepared-for-wave-of-autistic/


‘What are you doing?’ A film about autism

http://www.autismawareness.com.au/what_are_you_doing_a_film_about_autism2


Linden eighth-graders form special friendship with two special needs students

http://www.mlive.com/fenton/index.ssf/2009/06/linden_eighthgraders_form_spec.html


Linden High School Seniors Pick Special-Needs Student for Homecoming Court

http://wcrz.com/linden-high-school-seniors-pick-special-needs-student-with-autism-aspergers-for-homecoming-court/

Rugby league great gets behind autism school

The Canberra Liberals have based their plan for an autism-specific school on a Queensland model that charges families fees in excess of $20,000 a year.
But the opposition, whose proposal was endorsed yesterday by former Canberra Raiders rugby league champion Ricky Stuart, said that they will be able to keep fees for their school lower than the $23,000 per year charged in Queensland.
The amount families pay for the Queensland schools, operated by the not-for-profit AEIOU Foundation, is higher than the fees charged at Canberra Grammar School.

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/rugby-league-great-gets-behind-autism-school-20120926-26lvr.html

Ricky Stuart supporting Lib's promise of Autism School

ACT Opposition Leader Zed Seselja has welcomed today’s funding pledge from Ricky Stuart for the autism school that the Canberra Liberals have committed to if elected. The Ricky Stuart Foundation was established last year to help raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorder.

http://www.canberraliberals.org.au/LATEST-NEWS/ZED-SESELJA-MLA/ZED-WELCOMES-RICKY-STUARTS-SUPPORT-FOR-LIBS-AUTISM-SCHOOL.asp

So you just got an ASD diagnosis, what next?

I'm hoping to  make this a series of tips and information for parents of children with autism - however I'm sure a lot of the information would apply to children with other disabilities! Please feel free to post comments or share your tips, or ideas for further parts to the series. If your child has another disability and you're interested in writing a similar post or series please contact me!

___________________________

Part 1

the best starting point would be to look at AAACT's fantastic info book (that's Autism Asperger ACT) http://www.autismaspergeract.com.au/whatdowedonow

If your child is under 7 you should be entitled to the Helping Children With Autism package
http://www.fahcsia.gov.au/our-responsibilities/disability-and-carers/program-services/for-people-with-disability/helping-children-with-autism#2
the best way to find out more about this is to contact AAACT and speak with an Autism Advisor.

 If your child is over 7 unfortunately there is no funding available, however you can attend the free (and highly recommended) Positive Partnerships courses, or work through the modules online.
http://www.autismtraining.com.au/public/index.cfm

If you have a diagnosis of Autism or Asperger Syndrome you should be able to apply for and be eligible for Carer's Allowance (just over $100 per fortnight), if the diagnosis is PDD-NOS you will have to prove your need for it.  when you do this application you should be sent out a Health Care Card - if not contact Centrelink for further information.
http://www.humanservices.gov.au/customer/services/centrelink/carer-allowance

Various  types of therapy can be useful for your child, your family and yourself. A starting point can be to contact Therapy ACT (TACT) for a multi-disciplinary assessment and to access therapists including social workers, psychologists, speech therapists and occupational therapists.
I believe before you can access their services you will need to attend a series of workshops as an introduction to Autism. unfortunately the days and times for these are very limited and as a working parent I was unable to attend - however my mother was able to attend on my behalf.
http://www.dhcs.act.gov.au/therapyact/about_us/TAS

AAACT also run support groups of various kinds including for parents of young children and school age children, as well as a number of activities for kids and families.  If you become a member of AAACT (free) you will have access to their extensive and free library, member newsletters and updates and any workshops etc they run.
http://www.autismaspergeract.com.au/

Online support groups are common to and one of the best ACT region groups is CASPAR (Canberra Autism Spectrum Parents and Relatives)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/casparcanberra/

this newsletter by Anna Tullemans might help with who to tell, how to tell and what to do yourself
http://www.annatullemans.com/assets/documents/newsletters/meeting_the_needs_newsletter_no14.pdf

ASD Diagram

this was emailed to me so I'm not sure of the original source I'm sorry.

Autism Links

Famous Autistic People

http://www.myaspergerschild.com/2008/09/famous-autistic-people.html 


Defining Autistic Lives

http://www.raggededgemagazine.com/reviews/ckmontrubin0605.html


TMS Study Explores “Brain Plasticity”, Adaptation in Adults with Autism

http://catalyst.harvard.edu/pdf/hccrc/CRC_Newsletter_Issue_4.pdf


Morgan's Journey: My 16 year old son's journey through the criminal justice system, while living with Asperger's Syndrome

http://meredith-morgansstory.blogspot.com.au/

ACT Liberals pledge to build autism-specific school

The Canberra Liberals will officially launch their election campaign today with a promise to build Canberra's first autism-specific school.
The policy will be part of the Liberals' campaign launch at the National Convention Centre.
The 40-place early intervention centre would provide full-time intensive programs for children aged between 2½ and six years who have been diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.


http://www.canberratimes.com.au/act-news/act-liberals-pledge-to-build-autismspecific-school-20120921-26cpj.html

Autism Links

Social tips for young people and adults with Aspergers

http://www.autism.org.uk/living-with-autism/communicating-and-interacting/social-skills/social-skills-for-adolescents-and-adults.aspx


School Bullies Prey on Children With Autism

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/09/03/school-bullies-prey-on-children-with-autism/


It’s an absolute nightmare: maternal experiences of enrolling children diagnosed with autism in primary school in Sydney, Australia

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09687599.2012.717882