News Video | Policy | GPs | Hospitals | Health care | Mental Well-being | Welfare | Far more Groups Related Tales on Scoop Plunket urges vigilance about kid safety subsequent quake 08032011 Autism NZ Announces Endorsement of Logical Toys 11112010 Scoop Birthday! Now We are Eleven 10062010 Children with autism left behind by training 31052010 Believe Differently About Autism 24052010 Effects driven by search.scoop.co.nz Even more Connected Tales >>> Accepting Autism Wednesday, 3 June 2009, 10:43 am Press Release: Autism NZ
For Immediate ReleaseAccepting Autism1 June
2009This week is Autism New Zealand’s Annual Appeal and
with autism, Asperger’s syndrome and other related
disorders becoming so widespread it’s vital that the
support and services provided by Autism New Zealand are
available to help families cope with the many challenges
they will face in life. Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD)
are still relatively unknown and although there have been
some increased awareness about the widespread need for
support for families over the last few years, autism and
Asperger’s syndrome is still considered to be a growing
wellbeing crisis. Persons with an autism spectrum disorder
look the same as other everyday people but because of the invisible
nature of their disorder it can be quite a bit harder to create
awareness and understanding. A significant step forward
in creating awareness and acceptance is the introduction of
characters on TV who have an autism spectrum disorder (i.e.
Boston Legal, Grey’s Anatomy and just recently NZ’s own
long running soap Shortland Street). Many people today with
autism can have unique talents and skills as portrayed on
these television shows – but because they find it
challenging to develop social skills, so often they are
misunderstood. Autism is a ‘life-long’ disorder. Surveys have shown that parents of kids with autism
suffer the highest stress levels of any condition including
terminal illness. For many families accepting autism will be
part of their life whether they want it or not, can be
difficult. The reality is that parents of small children with
autism frequently become frustrated as they struggle to get
the help they need and are constantly worried about their
child’s future when they are no longer around. And if
that isn’t crushing enough, there are the implications to
society’s lack of acceptance as perfectly. Tantrums in public
are common with youngsters with autism,
Windows 7 Pro Key, and so are the harsh
looks and the unfair judgments that the youngster is a brat or
that the mother is a bad mother. The voice at the end of
Autism New Zealand’s free phone 0800 AUTISM (0800 288 476)
number is the mother of a 9 year old girl who has autism. Marion Johns reveals that all too often she hears the
frustrations and concerns from parents who phone in. Marion
pulls on her own personal experiences with daughter Casey to
help families accept autism and offer coping mechanisms to
deal with the challenges that life will offer them. The
fact is parents must really feel empowered and become the biggest
advocates when they need to be. Marion says,
“Accepting our boy or girl had autism was never an option – it
was a given. We have watched Casey grow and become a very
delightful boy or girl, but this was not something that just
happened. Because people with autism become anxious about
change, we as a family, have become extremely good at
planning very well in advance to help Casey cope with major
transitions”.A person example Marion recalls is when they
decided to move from Timaru to Christchurch. For most, the
process is simple, but for the Johns family it was a long
very well thought out process - taking almost a year. “Our
older daughter Alice was about to start high school and we
felt it was important that the right school was found for
her first,” says Marion. "Siblings can often come to feel left out
or come to feel that they are not part of the family unit as parents
spend so a lot time with their little one with autism. Because
of the school zoning restrictions in Christchurch, this
determined the area they would buy a house in. They then
found 3 primary schools in that area and interviewed the
Principals of each school to find out which an individual was
proactive. Additionally interviews took place with the Special
Educational Needs Co-ordinator (a teacher with
responsibility for co-ordinating special needs support
within a school) and the RTLB (Resource Teacher Learning &
Behaviour) which determined what school would be
selected.“As autism involves specific sensory issues, I
had to rule out one particular school because the uniform had a red
jersey,” says Marion. “Casey won’t wear red and I
didn’t want to have to offer with that battle each day”
she explains.Over the next 3 months, every time they came
to Christchurch there was a series of visits to the schools,
the classroom, and the playground,
Microsoft Office 2010 Professional Plus, meeting the teachers as
properly as visiting their new home and bedrooms. This all
sounds like much of trouble but they wanted to ensure that
the transition was as familiar and calming as possible. “By putting a plan in place and making sure that the
same things were done for both girls, both were able to
accept the changes.” Marion allowed the school to
disclose that Casey has autism and talked to students about
how she was a very little bit different - the young ones have been very
accepting. “I still contact the school to see how things
are going, especially if Casey has a meltdown, to see if we
can determine the trigger. Just like all mothers, I really
just need to know that she is okay.”Autism is often
referred to as living in another world. But for many parents
they would like our world to be a place where their boy or girl
with autism is accepted, where they can go out in public and
not worry about their child’s behaviours, where they can
take their youngsters to birthday parties and shopping without
a label staying put on them for all to see. Because we don't
look at our kids as autistic - we look at them as a
kid first, that just happens to have autism.18 months
on from the move, Casey is now properly integrated in the
school, keeping up with students and in fact,
Office 2010 Serial, loves school. She has good friends and has even been invited to her first
birthday party – positive proof that she has been
accepted.An individual thing that parents of youngsters with autism
learn is to be in the moment, to celebrate the progress
their kid makes every day and accept that first and
foremost they are a youngster who just sees things a minor
in different ways. The other thing is that sometimes you have to
focus on your child’s failings and stress their
differences to get the support and help needed which,
Office 2007 Standard, as a
parent can be extremely difficult to do. Marion
concludes, “to me, acceptance also includes appreciation
and respect – whether a boy or girl has autism or not. By
working together as a family and accepting autism, we're
able to do all we can to help Casey be as independent as
possible and reach her full potential in life.So when you
see Autism New Zealand collectors on the street this week
please dig deep in your pockets and give a donation to help
those affected by an autism spectrum disorder. By giving us
a hand we can help empower families to make informed choices
and help those on the spectrum be accepted and embraced in
the community. As although there is no cure, with support
and understanding many people on the spectrum can lead
fulfilling,
Office 2007 Activation, rewarding lives.Background ABOUT AUTISM Autism is a complex brain disorder that
inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop
social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme
behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are
diagnosed in one in 100 young people in New Zealand, affecting
four times as many boys as girls. ABOUT AUTISM NEW
ZEALAND Established by parents, Autism New Zealand is
the leading not-for-profit organisation on Autism, Including
Asperger Syndrome and Linked Disorders. Our mission is to
improve the quality of life for folks with autism,
Asperger’s syndrome, those with involved conditions,
their familywhanau and those who support them.Our main
purpose is to provide information, support, resources and
schooling on autism spectrum disorders. We focus on
developing an understanding of individual’s needs, of the
autism spectrum and of how well-being and training
professionals, caregivers and parents can provide support to
enable the person affected by an ASD to be inclusive in the
community. We promote that acceptance and compassion is
necessary for young children with an autism spectrum disorder to
grow up with opportunity and support.For significantly more information
visit www.autismnz.org.nzAutism New Zealand Incorporated
is registered as a charitable entity under the Charities Act
2005, Registration number
CC21220ENDS
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