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Family in Remote Area Seeks Autism Treatment Guidance… and playing with your child. It will help your child if you all try to be consistent in the way you teach skills. Create a support and advocacy group.  Find other parents of children with autism in your area. We’ve watched communities in remote locations around the world develop parent networks to assist and support each other. Your local parent network can also advocate for better services in your region! There is no easy answer …
COVID-19 survey reveals widespread challenges for autism community and wider disparities for minority communities … community are struggling even more, particularly with basic needs.”  Minority respondents, who made up about half of the group surveyed, reported more struggles with a variety of needs related to the pandemic, basic needs, daily routines and education.  The largest disparities were in the areas of food insecurity and receiving distance learning supports, with nonwhite respondents experiencing twice the food insecurity of white respondents and twice as likely to not receive any distance learning supports. Food insecurity was measured as food for the household having run out and families not having enough money to buy …
Pool and Water Safety for Lifeguards … way of communicating, that can help keep them calm them in an unsafe situation or if they have wandered away from their group. This  first-responder toolkit  has communication techniques in addition to a lot of other useful information for … the pool or have other communication differences, so they may not hear the whistle.   Swimming facility owners can support autistic swimmers as well by communicating safety rules in different ways to ensure understanding, … are visual learners understand the rules.   Teaching their lifeguarding and other staff about supporting an autism-friendly swimming experience can help make sure their pool is a safe and comfortable environment for …
Advocacy Perspective: During Black History Month, A Call To Action To Advance Health Equity … adverse health challenges.   Autism Speaks was a frequent flyer in my office on the Hill. I often met with a very diverse group of AS ambassadors. They not only advocated for the autistic community but for health equity generally. I saw as they … services. These data indicate that too many Black autistic children are going undiagnosed - without the services and support they need and deserve.  Our approach to change this is through community-based services that empower those who are … with autism and developmental disabilities or delays how to use their everyday routines and home activities to best support their children’s communication and behavioral health needs. Our Public Health Team’s work – which has impacted lives …
Expert Q&A: Dr. Ryan Adams shares tips and resources to end bullying… in the UC Department of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, a member site of the Autism Speaks-supported Autism Care Network . His research focuses on adolescents, peer victimization, bullying and depressive symptoms.   … some examples of strategies you offer in the guides?  We know the most effective way to stop bullying is giving the larger group of bystanders the tools they need to recognize when it’s happening and get involved. A lot of times, people get away … with bullying by saying they were kidding, so we teach kids that doesn’t matter. Then, we give them different strategies to support the person being bullied. For example, the easiest thing to do if you witness bullying in school is not to laugh. …
Spanish resources help bilingual families in the autism community overcome language barriers … appointment, Berlina Felipe did her research. She had a year during that wait, reading about what to expect and how to plan supports for her son, Alex. “When he did get diagnosed at age 4, even though I was already prepared, it was still hard,” … Both of Jair’s grandmothers, who took care of him when he was young, attended the Spanish classes as well to learn how to support him. “Years later, my mom told us she is so glad that we got all the early intervention,” Gaby said. “And that we … their classes and resources in Spanish. Based on participant feedback, they also sometimes separate dads and moms into two groups to encourage each group to talk more openly. Alex’s family made sure to learn from his providers and school contacts …
Recognizing and preventing sexual abuse… to stay calm, listen carefully, and NEVER blame the child. Thank the child for telling you and reassure him or her of your support. Call for help immediately. If you know or suspect that a child is being or has been sexually abused, please call: … There are a number of treatments for children who have been sexually abused, including: Individual therapy Family therapy Group therapy Trauma-focused cognitive behavioral therapy Child-centered therapy From  American Psychological Association   …
Travel & autism: Five tips for success with toilet issues while on the road… etc. But they may still commonly fail to use these skills at the right times. This seems to be particularly true for two groups of children: Those who have recently learned the skill of toileting but for whom it’s still not yet an established … a public restroom or otherwise following a vacation schedule. Here are some techniques for doing so: #3 Consider visual supports On your next vacation, it may be helpful to use a visual support such as a schedule board with bathroom breaks listed or “First-Then” boards (e.g., “First bathroom, then trip to the …
Autism and taking turns… to process a lot of verbal instruction. In these situations, it’s important to create an environment that encourages and supports turn taking. (More about that below.) Explaining how and why to take turns can work well with many older children and those on the less-severely affected end of the autism spectrum. With these groups, we can also teach higher-level turn taking skills. (Also described below.) To put it another way, learning how to … with turns that involve rolling dice, spinning a wheel, picking up a card and so on. You may find it helps to use visual supports as a reminder or signal for when it’s someone’s turn. For example, consider giving each player a card that’s red on …
International Autism Organizations… your child may have autism, you may also have an autism organization in your country that could provide additional support (listed alphabetically by country). If you would like to have your organization added to this list, please email  … (Quebec) H2R 2W3 Canada Phone: (514) 270-7386 Fax: (514) 270-9261 Email:  secretariatfqa@contact.net   Autism Working Group Yukon 508 F Main Street Whitehorse, Yukon Canada Y1A 2B9 Phone:  867-667-6406 Fax: 867-667-6408 Email:  …