World Autism Awareness Day April 2, 2011

If you're in Melbourne please come along.
If you're not - please feel free to Tweet this event far and wide as VERY LITTLE media coverage was given to it last year.
Aspie teen LOVED the walk the last year and we'll be going along again this year.



Are you interested in volunteering for a fun-filled day to raise awareness
of Autism Spectrum Disorders?

On Saturday 2nd April 2011, Autism Victoria will be celebrating World
Autism Awareness Day to raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Following the success of our Autism Awareness March to the State Library
last year, we are now taking to the streets again and ask all our Autism
Victoria members and eSpectrum subscribers to come along and support this
event (and bring your friends and family!). This year we will be marching
along St Kilda Esplanade to the Beachcomber Cafe in St Kilda where we will
release 3000 multi-coloured balloons at St Kilda Beach.

Autism Victoria is seeking volunteers to assist with the walk and the 3000
balloon release on this day.

Tasks include:
* Assisting with the organisation of the formal assembly area
* Helping families and individuals congregate in the one main area
* Handing out balloons
* Helping families/individuals/children to complete the walk
* Ushering attendees
* Maintaining road safety
* Crowd control
* Maintaining a clean and tidy area

If you are interested in volunteering and would like to dedicate your time
to help make this a successful and exciting event on Saturday 2nd April,
please contact Stacey Aroutzidis via email at
stacey.aroutzidis@autismvictoria.org.au with your name and contact
details for further communication.

Let there be light

Rang Autism Victoria and got some help at last!
Some plainly spoken, commonsense suggestions to help us navigate the maze of puberty and the spectrum with Tourette's, OCD, ADHD and Goddess knows what else the kid has on board.
Had some blunt conversations with Aspie teen, also, and sorted out a system for him to learn to recognise the stress indicators in his own body - like sweaty palms, toes/fists clenched, frowning, heart racing, breathing faster, snapping or speaking rudely, etc.
He claimed to know what the indicators are at first but when we sat him down and got him to discuss it properly he admitted that he didn't really know, that he just finds himself exploding without warning, scaring himself into the bargain which feeds his stress and anxiety even more.
He's a clever clogs and knows what the 'correct' or expected answers to most questions are so he rattles them off, yakking on about things that never happened, conversations that never occurred and events that are very different in everyone else's memory to that of his.
The 'correct' answers thing is ingrained from mainstream school where he wanted to fit in desperately so...you give the expected answer and fudge your way through so that you don't stand out, that you're the same as the rest of the herd.
Like claiming to know, at first, what the stress indicators are; he told me what he thought was the 'correct' answer and what he thought I wanted to hear rather than admit he was as lost as the rest of us.
He's gone from a great communicator to a kid who babbles incoherent prattle in the midst of a meltdown and who cannot remember clearly what happened.
Which is common.
He claims to remember - cos this is the 'correct' or 'expected' answer - but he has great gaps missing in his memory.
And It Is Common!!!!!!
The stress and anxiety that causes the meltdown feeds the fear and it continues to build - and not recalling all of it is very common due to the high anxiety levels, even in the aftermath when he might appear settled and calm.
Autism Victoria is a bloody wonderful body who have helped us out several times and may have given me a little bit of sanity back.

Mental Health Week 10th -16th October Info sessions

Let's face it, boys and girls, ASD can often go hand-in-hand with mental disorders.
Just for that little bit more fun in our lives.
That extra sprinkle of goodness we can choke down along with our gluten-free cornflakes before we start the daily madness of running around to therapists and early intervention and speechies and sensory integration and drama and swimming and football and cricket and language classes and science club and gem club  and and and....*splat*
For those in Victoria, Autism Victoria is running some information sessions on the relationship between ASD and mental health.
For details click HERE.
We shall be trotting along, at the request of Aspie teen who wishes to learn more.