Sunday, June 5, 2011
Saturday, June 4, 2011
OUR EXPERIENCE WITH MELATONIN by Lisa Aspie Mum
I was using the over the counter melatonin for my Aspie son for a few months and it did absolutely nothing! I went to our Paediatrician asking for a script telling him I was using the OTC type and he said it is like a drop in the ocean and my son may as well be taking a placebo. Anyway, the compounded melatonin we get on script from the chemist is a complete godsend in this house! My Aspie son was completely was doing my head in over his sleep issues. For the first 3 years of his life he screamed all day and night and hardly slept. We went to the sleep clinic when he was 3 and my next child was about 15 months. My younger one was sorted in that week, but my Aspie son continued on with his screaming. He eventually learnt to sleep through the night after months of us hardening up and ignoring him in the end (which felt like torture), but he still took hours upon hours to fall to sleep. He hated going to bed as he KNEW he wasn't going to be able to sleep. Within 3 days of the REAL melatonin on script he would drop off within 30 mins and he continues to go sleep easily after 5 months on it most nights. He is now happy to go to bed (as he knows he will go to sleep!!) and sometimes asks go to bed, which he never did prior to Melatonin. I could not recommend Melatonin enough in this household. It is liquid gold! I also take Melatonin now for sleep. I have been an insomniac since a child. The melatonin really helps me drop off. I still wake to noise and toilet stops, but go back to sleep a lot easier most nights and don’t wake anymore at the drop of a pin!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Online Communities
Our mission is to allow people who have been affected by autism to share their stories and help other people to overcome. Our goal is to provide the best online autism support group possible. Please join our growing community
The A.S.D. community is brimming with talented, fun and inventive people! People bringing a rich, pure perspective to the landscape of life. AutismHWY.com hopes to empower our community by allowing these people to connect, learn and showcase what each can contribute! Self esteem and fun belong to everyone here at AutismHWY!
We want to find every parent of a special needs child, so that together with one voice we can create positive changes in our communities, in our nation and in the world.
Dele and Greg worked in close collaboration with parents and specialists to create a free online community that would link family members and specialists nationwide who dealt with children diagnosed with autism.
ASD Friendly is a close-knit community of parents and carers of people with Autism and Asperger's Syndrome
A Not-for-Profit organization that reaches out to individuals, businesses and communities to promote Asperger awareness through it's monthly newsletter and presentations
Healing Thresholds is a free website dedicated to healing the lives of families touched by autism. We provide comprehensive therapy fact sheets, daily updates of autism therapy research and news, and a global directory of autism-related therapists and services.
Loaded with practical, up-to-date, and easy-to-use information Parenting Aspergers Community will help you, whatever your situation, to improve the life of your child with Aspergers and the whole family too.
Charity and Fundraising Sites
Tim Minchin is donating the proceeds of this song to autism
Inclusive Kids Community Grants are designed
to:
- Expand the capacity of a family to care for their child with a disability.
- Advance an individual's participation in community life.
- Support an individual to live in a community of their choice.
- Provide equipment that assists with day to day life.
We decided to put some real fun into fundraising! Drawtism is about play and by this we don't mean being childish. Drawtism is about participation and teamwork: being creative, having fun and working together to create options. Working together requires good communication and we believe good communcation is found in play. When we are playful we build rapport and we harness energy. When we play we create possibilities... when we play we draw people with autism out of their isolation.
Asperger & Autism Blogs
Both Hands and a Flashlight is a blog for parents whose children are or may be on the autism spectrum. We believe there's nothing 'wrong' with any of our children. They are just striving to overcome many challenges, and they are perfect just as they are. This is a 'come-as-you-are' kind of blog, where the spectrum of emotions is welcome. We aren't super-parents; we're human. We believe the pursuit of becoming the best parents we can is what matters. We believe in the adventure. We believe in never giving up. We believe in advocating fiercely for our children. And first and foremost, we believe in them.
The sharing of information and experiences in dealing with Autism everyday.
The Thinking Person's Guide to Autism (the website and the book) exists to help people with autism and their families make sense of the bewildering array of available autism treatments and options, and determine which are worth their time, money, and energy. We also want to encourage respectful attitudes towards autistics and people with autism.
Parenting Aspergers is a website designed to help parents everywhere who have children with Aspergers.
I am an Über-liberal, nerdy, feminist/womanist, secular humanist, skeptical, pansexual, overeducated, intellectual, white-tea drinking, loudmouthed, agnostic, politically correct, mordant, autistic Jewess who likes to draw, write poetry, study languages and smell flowers.
I write about the hilarious insanity that is my life. This includes parenting, sensory processing disorder, anxiety, ADHD, allergies, asthma, Asperger Syndrome, and whatever else we have cooking at any given moment. Sometimes I write things that not everyone agrees with, but I'm always honest. Let's face it, if all I ever wrote about was sunshine and lollipops, this wouldn't be a very interesting blog.
Hartley's Life With 3 Boys
The emotional journey of raising three boys, dealing with SPD, Autism, Bipolar, Adoption, Marriage and LIFE while trying to keep my sanity and sense of humor.
Jacob was diagnosed with Autism at 3 years of age, although clearly he was affected since birth. This blog documents our family's journey through Autism Remediation. The story has a happy ending -- Jacob's Autism Diagnosis was officially dropped on September 17, 2009, a month shy of Jacob's 9th birthday.
The goal for this blog is to describe what it is like living with Asperger's Syndrome and to focus on the positive aspects of the condition rather than the negative. This blog is personal, non-medical, (reasonably) non-technical and not affiliated with any religious or other organizations. The overall aim of this blog is to increase the amount of first-hand knowledge about Aspergers.
John Elder Robison, author of Look Me in the Eye (2007) and Be Different (2011). I'm an Asperger and autism advocate, a writer, photographer, and machine aficianado.
The challenges of raising three boys, including one with Autism Spectrum Disorder
news and reviews about Autism, Aspergers, and the whole spectrum, Showing that those of us on the Autism Spectrum are human and contributable members of society. Those of on the Spectrum are here to stay whether you agree or not,if you don't please go back to where you came from! I fight for those who cannot speak as well!
This is our First Radio Show and we are very excited to begin! Colin will sing one of his songs and field any questions that come in from listeners or from the chat room. We will talk about how Colin loves to sing and how his Autism affects his amazing abilities. We will also answer any and all questions from any interested parents about how music can benefit their children on the Autistic Spectrum, and/or answer any questions related to Autism in general. We hope that all musicians from around the world will call in and chat with us as Colin loves to talk to fellow singers and musicians. We invite all of Colin's fans from Colin Brennan Music to call in and/or listen! We hope that this show and our upcoming shows will be a formn for enhanced discussions on music and Autism from all walks of life. We invite all indie musicians to call us and chat with us about their music. We would also love to hear from signed singers and promoters on their thoughts about the music industry! Most importantly, lets have some fun and learn about our talents as a community of people that enjoy music and care about how it affects us and the benefits it brings all of us in our daily struggles in life!
A place where you'll find lots of learning activities and ideas for toddlers and preschoolers inspired mostly by the Montessori method. There's also a good dose of mama made creations and crafty goodness here, too!
My life as a lawyer and mom of a 5 year old with autism.
The story of a family living with lots of love and a little autism!
Welcome to my blog. Let me tell you something about myself. I am the mother of two children with asperger’s syndrome. The oldest infact was diagnosed with PDD-NOS at the age of five. He is now in college. It has been a long road and not so easy all the time. But I never gave up and I never will until my boys have the future of their choosing.
Welcome! This journal is all about our journey in helping J-man learn how to communicate. We are still traveln'... come along for the ride!
An account of our family life and all that goes with it, it will be raw and honest, no holes barred. I am a SAHM mum, aspiring photographer and mum to a 13 year old and a nearly 5 year old ex 26 weeker with special needs. My husband (bless him) works hard to provide whilst I keep the wheels moving at home.
Personal Autistic/Asperger Related Stories and Information
Personal life story about living with Asperger.
We asked Lise Pyles, author of Hitchhiking through Asperger Syndrome to advise
Latitudes readers who are seeking help for their child’s Asperger-like symptoms.
Eric Chen discovered he was an adult aspergers autistic in 2001. He succeeded in connecting with his emotions & instincts, making contact with Humanity.
Helpful Associations and Pages
The Fragile X Association of Australia is a non-profit organisation made up of family, friends, therapists, doctors and carers of people with Fragile X Syndrome.
Our aims:To help people with Fragile X to realise their full potential, provide information and support to those people whose lives have been affected by Fragile X, promote acceptance and integration of people with Fragile X into the community and to raise public awareness of Fragile X Syndrome.DKD is a small business based in Victoria helping families train their own companion dog for a child with a disability.
We provide support and training to families and children with special needs who want a companion dog.
Disability Information Service
Disability Information Service links you to disability information and resources. You can contact this free, statewide service by phone, fax, email or telephone typewriter (TTY), or use
“The provision of quality of life care for all with an intellectual or multiple disability who live in supported accommodation, and that families need the support to be carers for as long as they wish to be, in the knowledge they have the right to a quality of life care accommodation and support package for their family member with a disability whenever they choose".
We provide care, support, information and referral services to members of the community including:
- Carers of a person who is frail aged and
- Frail aged persons who live independently and care for themselves, need some assistance and they have a neighbour, friend or family member who checks in on them
- People of all ages with a disability and their carers
- Individuals and their carers requiring nursing or allied health support following release from hospital
- Individuals and carers who are in need of mental health support and education
The Listen And Learn Centre provides services to people with a wide range of needs, from those facing particular emotional, behavioural or cognitive difficulties or disorders through to those who wish to enhance their performance, well-being and engage in personal development.
Parent to Parent offers a range of person centered planning and skill enhancement options for families and people with a disability. These activities are facilitated by Family Facilitators who are based in Local Networks Professionals are provided with information, referral and fee for service professional development opportunities.
Camp Autism Inc is about uniting families dealing with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). We create camps for families coping with family members who have an ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). The aim of Camp Autism Inc is top provide respite to these families as a family. We hope families will build support networks with other families for mutual support, information sharing, and fellowship.
Autism Behavioural Intervention Queensland (ABIQ) Inc. was formed to enhance the treatment of children with Autism in Queensland, Australia and to promote the use of Applied Behavioural Analysis (ABA) to achieve this.
The AWAARE Collaboration will work to prevent wandering incidents and wandering-related deaths within the autism community through the use of collective organizational resources, and by establishing and monitoring objectives, guidelines, policies, and tools that will promote awareness, education, prevention and safety.
Non profit organization founded by Raymond Nolan Andrews to help people with neurological differences that include: Dyspraxia, Dyslexia, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Dyscalculia, Autistic Spectrum, and Tourette Syndrome. Neurodivergence can also include related conditions like Auditory Processing Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, and other things that tend to overlap with 6 main neurodivergences.
Social thinking is a term for social cognition. Social thinking is required prior to the development of social skills. Successful social thinkers consider the points of view, emotions, thoughts, beliefs, prior knowledge and intentions of others (this is often called perspective-taking - considering the perspectives of others).
Famous people with Aspergers
Shut up about your Perfect Kids Facebook page
Don’t Mourn for us
Education Related Sites
The Students with Disabilities Program supports the education of students with disabilities in non-state schools and aims to promote the educational outcomes of these students.
Education Queensland provides equitable educational opportunities to ensure that all students have access to, participate in and gain positive outcomes from schooling through a range of curriculum options delivered across primary, secondary and special schools. To support this commitment, a flexible model of delivery of educational services is essential.
The Department of Education and Training (DET) is committed to the provision of quality education services for students with disabilities and special needs in communication.
Availability and Access
Enrollment and Attendance
Curriculum and Learning
As a parent, you have responsibility for providing or arranging your child's transport between school and home. If you are experiencing difficulty in getting your child to school, you are able to request that an assessment be undertaken to determine eligibility for transport assistance. This is a formal assessment undertaken at the school by a trained school transport assessor.
The Queensland Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting (QCAR) Framework informs the learning programs for all state school students in Years 1 to 9.
The Education Adjustment Program (EAP) is a process for identifying and responding to the educational needs of students with disabilities. Adjustments are made for students with disabilities to enable them to access the curriculum, achieve curriculum outcomes and participate in school life.
Using a child’s interest in learning
Information for teachers
Positive Partnerships and autism at school – ABC Life Matters segment
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