Winter - Autism Ontario

&
Quotes,
Notes
An ec dotes
This project needs volunteers
to make it happen! A
comprehensive information
package was distributed
at the ASO President’s
Council on October 25,
2003. Copies are available
through all chapter presidents.
It is also available
electronically. If you can
offer assistance, please
contact:
Nancy Cherry
(519) 884-3309 or
nancycherry@sympatico.ca
Message from ASO Board President, Christine
Dade: On behalf of the ASO Board of Director’s
Nominating Committee, I invite ASO members
to nominate individuals for a number of openings
on the provincial Board of Directors.
Please contact the provincial office with
the names of interested nominees by
January 23, 2004.
Education Matters
Teaching Students with Autism. Enhancing
Capacity in Ontario’s Schools
One thousand educators from across Ontario
attended this excellent conference funded
by the Ministry of Education in September
2003,with state-of-the-art information on the
education of students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD). About 50 parents of students
with ASD participated, many as members of
ASO and their local Special Education Advisory
Councils. Dr. Rita Jordan of the UK spoke intelligently
and passionately about what matters
in teaching people with ASD.
ASO featured a striking display of artwork
by students with ASD from across Ontario. A
booklet, As Seen Through Their Eyes, describing
the students and their work was distributed
to every conference participant.
Regional Forums targeted for educators in
the classroom are anticipated in 2004.
ASO was present to hear the much anticipated
report of The Ontario Human Rights
Commission on Education released on October
27, 2003. Last year ASO submitted a report
(check out www.autismsociety.on.ca under
What’s New) to the commission produced by a
committee of parents and professionals which
was presented by ASO Board Member and
Wellington Chapter SEAC representative, Dr.
Mehran Alaee, at public hearings last November.
Check out The Opportunity to Succeed.
Achieving Barrier -Free Education for Students
Emergency Response and Crisis Intervention
Purpose
The purpose of this project is to ensure the safety of our
vulnerable population with respect and sensitivity and to
assist individuals with ASD to achieve a greater level of
independence.
Method
• A “9-1-1 protocol” as a printed guide or a web page as
a resource for families should the primary caregiver be
unable to place an emergency call. (This should also be
available to teachers, etc. who regularly deal with our
population.)
• A provincial communication system network for emergency
response in the event of a missing individual or
other crisis such as out-of-control behaviour. A 9-1-1
electronic alert (attached to the individual) would provide
background information on the person in need.
• A tracking device to locate individuals who wander or
with Disabilities (www.ohrc.on.ca/english/
consultations/ed-consultation-report.shtml).
The Commission’s Guidelines on Accessible
Education are scheduled to be released in
September 2004. The Commission has made
a number of commitments in the following areas:
Guidelines, Monitoring, Compliance, Education
and Communications. For more detailed
information, visit www.autismsociety.on.ca
and click on Education Matters.
Autism the child of social disconnection?
An article by Gabor Maté, appearing in The
Globe and Mail (Friday, October 17, 2003, p.
A21), has raised a storm of reaction. Bradley
and Cynthia Boufford of London wrote, “My
son has Autism. I do not know the cause. I do
know that it is not because the social connections
we depend on have been weakened.... We
have a secure and powerful emotional relationship
with our son. He is still Autistic. We cannot
love him out of it, we have tried.”
Among letters not published, Tracy Simmons
of Peterborough wrote, “After reading Dr.
Gabor Maté’s article …I thought for a moment
we were back in 1948. Of course, the article
does not come right out and say that parents
are primarily to blame; rather, it beats around
the bush with statements like, “Input from the
nurturing environment heavily influences the
chemistry of the brain... The most crucial of
these inputs are the subtle and often unconscious
emotional interactions between the
infant and his caregivers.” Being a mother,
I believe that “nurturing environment” is my
territory and anyone implying that I am not
nurturing is getting close to the ‘refrigerator
mothers’ theory yet again.”
Read the complete letters by Tracy Simmons
and Bradley and Cynthia Boufford on the ASO
website, www.autismsociety.on.ca.
become disoriented would be linked to the communication
system network via an accredited call centre.
• Registration of crisis plans at crisis clinics and/or
emergency departments to assist triage when admitted.
The location of this plan would be included in the
electronic alert. The admitting facility must have access
to the individual’s pharmacological profile. A wallet card
would be used if travelling out of town to signal the need
for further investigation.
An information package is available outlining the research
done on tracking devices, security systems, emergency response
capabilities, crisis plans, types of medical records,
and technological possibilities. We hope that this will be an
inspiration to other support groups to advocate for similar
systems. Because we deal with such a broad range on the
autism spectrum, a provincial system must be flexible to
accommodate varying needs.
CAIRN Review helps parents
“navigate the research maze”
Finding it hard to sift the wheat from the chaff
when it comes to information on autism?
Help is on the horizon in the form of a new
publication produced by The Canadian Autism
Intervention Research Network.
The CAIRN Review of Evidence-based Diagnosis
and Treatment in Autism is designed to
help both parents and professionals make sense
of all the conflicting research on autism so they
can make better choices around treatment and
services.
“An important part of our role is helping parents,
clinicians and others in the autism community
navigate the research maze,” says Sherry
Cecil, who directs public outreach activities for
CAIRN, a network of parents, researchers and
professionals dedicated to promoting evidencebased
practice in autism.
“There is so much information out there that
it’s overwhelming. We search the research and
let people know what the evidence is so they can
make informed choices,” says Cecil.
The first CAIRN Review is hot off the press and
includes articles on how to spot early markers for
autism, new developments in drug therapy, and
the increased risk of depression and anxiety in
adolescents with ASD.
Five Awards Given for
New Sibling Scholarship
At ASO’s annual general meeting, the
newly formed Jeanette Holden Post
Secondary Scholarship for Siblings of
Students with ASD was awarded to five siblings
of a brother or sister with an Autism
Spectrum Disorder (ASD). These young
people all applied with acceptance letters
to various universities in Ontario in order
to continue their academic pursuits. Each
successful applicant was awarded $1,000.
This year’s recipients were:
Jennifer Kloosterman, Hastings
Alicia McPhail, Pickering
Joanna Northover, Ottawa
Holly Pearce, Burlington
Kent Randall, Peterborough
Congratulations!
The following is reprinted from the CAIRN Review
of Evidence-based Diagnosis and Treatment in
Autism, November 2003.
RISK MARKERS (‘RED FLAGS’) FOR AUTISM
Failure to achieve any of the following milestones:
• Babbling by 11 months
• Simple gestures (e.g. waving) by 12 months
• Single words by 16 months
• 2-word phrases (a noun and a verb) by 24 months
Loss of any language or social skills at any age
Doesn’t respond when name is called
Rarely makes eye contact when interacting with other
people
Doesn’t point to show things he/she is interested in
Doesn’t smile socially
More interested in looking at objects than at people’s
faces
Seems to prefer to play alone
Doesn’t make attempts to get parents’ attention
Seems to be ‘in own world’
Doesn’t respond to or avoids parents’ attempts to play,
even if relaxed
Avoids or ignores other children when they approach
him/her
Has odd or repetitive ways of moving his/her hands
and/or fingers
Seems oversensitive to certain textures or sounds
Lacks interest in toys, or plays with them in an unusual way
(e.g. ‘lining up’, spinning, opening/closing parts rather
than using the toy as a whole)
Has compulsions/rituals (has to perform activities in a
special way or sequence)
p Scholarship recipient Alicia McPhail with Dr. Jeanette
Holden
Kent Randall who was one of the recipients through this
scholarship wrote, “It is an honour to receive this award.
My youngest brother who lives with autism, has taught
me patience, understanding and tolerance. He has
inspired me to set high standards and goals for myself,
and I am sure that inspiration will follow me.” u
The articles can be viewed
on the CAIRN website,
www.cairn-site.com.
Free subscriptions to the
newsletter, which will be
published three times a
year, can also be ordered
directly from the site or by
contacting the Editor at
info@cairn-site.com.
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