The things they say...

Oneson was charging through school when he tripped and landed on the concrete path on all fours.

"Huh! Good job the concrete was there to catch me!"

Threeson (age 2) was standing right behind a family friend's racing motorbike when he started it up to park it in the garage.

"Wow! Cooool!"

Solutions for Life Social Skills Group, Ages 4-6

Social Skills Training (SST) for children aged 4-6 is being conducted by Solutions for Life during Term Two. The program will be run for 8 weeks in total. The group will be tailored to the individual needs of each student, however, possible skills to be taught in the program include making friends, initiating and maintaining conversations, group entry skills, friendship skills, and social problem-solving. The theme for the 4-6 years group is a circus theme with all activities based around the circus. Parents will receive important information on how to maintain and facilitate further gains through out the schooling year. Please book early as places are limited (contact details below).

Proposed Group Schedule

Week 1— Roll up! Roll up!
Getting to know you

Week 2—Hear Ye! Hear Ye!
Listening Skills

Week 3— Hanging Around
Turn Taking and Cooperation

Week 4— Balancing Act
Recognising You Own Feelings

Week 5— Clowning Around
Expressing Feelings

Week 6— Snake Charmer
Problem Solving

Week 7— Lions Den
Social Entry

Week 8—Grande Finale
Recap

Cost: $50.00 per week for 8 weeks OR $360.00 paid upfront in full

More Info:-

Solutions for Life, Suite 3B Cottonwood Plaza, 5 Cottonwood Place, Oxenford
Phone: 5580 4999

Photography Club for people with a Disability

FSG (Family Support Group) Photography Club

Their will be 2 groups that will run once a month. The first group would be from the ages of 12 till 16yrs of age and the second from 16yrs and on wards.

They will be on a Sunday from 10am till 2pm, starting in May 2008 at Coomera Family Central, 3 Jowett St, Coomera QLD

If you are or know someone with a Disability that maybe interested in participating or a person who would like to volunteer within the program. Please contact Kylee Stenos. ph: 0405386848 or email: kyleeb@fsg.org.au

Info evening - Biomedical Intervention for ASD

DSQ are hosting an information evening:

“Biomedical Intervention for Autism Spectrum Disorder”

Please join us for a wine and cheese evening with a guest speaker Dr David Paterson. David worked as a GP for 30 years and became interested and involved in the management of Autism. He then returned to study and qualified as a Naturopath. David now uses natural therapy in the management of the bio-medical issues that people with Autism have.

David will present information about the bio-medical intervention available to people with Autism and will then be available for questions.

Past parent evenings have been well attended and this is a great opportunity to meet with other families who have children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

When: Monday 17^th March 6.30-8.30pm

Where: Meeting room, Ground floor, Zurich House. 8 Karp Court, Bundall.

Cost: Gold coin donation
(to cover wine & cheese)

RSVP: Shannon Downey on 55 318 055

Alison Ouellette 2 half-day workshops - 19 March 2008

Part 1: Everybody wants a place to call home

This event will be most helpful for people with a disability who are considering or have just made the decision to move into a home of their own and for family members, friends, support workers and others who are assisting the person to achieve this.

Part 2: How to help you son or daughter start a small business

This event will be most helpful for people with a disability who are considering or have just made the decision to set up a small business and for family members, friends, support workers and others who are assisting the person to achieve this.

Cost for either workshop $20 for people with disabilities or their family members.

If you have any queries, please do not hesitate to contact Adriana Taufik on 3211 5700 or admin@cru.org.au.

PECS rocks; now I need Boardmaker software

My son's advancement teacher suggested we start using PECS symbols to create visual schedules for Oneson. I really didn't think he needed them, in much the same way as I resisted using a PECS book 3 years ago - he's fully verbal, so why do I need to use symbol/picture communication systems?

Thankfully, his teacher's very cluey and simply left me in the company of her textbook (''Visual Strategies For Improving Communication, Vol1" by Linda A. Hodgdon) on the subject for an hour or so. I quickly did a 180 on my opinion and was keen to get started.

The teacher armed me with some symbols, which I cut out and laminated and I used for the first time last night. Within 24hrs of having these symbols, they have already completely averted one melt down, curtailed a second in a matter of seconds and dramatically reduced my frustration and stress from the amount of time spent on constant direction and re-direction of Oneson. Even his siblings are benefiting - less time and attention spent on direction of Oneson means more time and attention for them and their needs.

The problem:-
I need to be able to create and print different sized PECS symbols for myself quickly and easily and clipart just doesn't do it because there are insufficient symbols available in the same style. The best software for the job is Boardmaker by Mayer-Johnson. It costs a whopping AUD$700 for the one I feel I need. I just don't have that money.

All donations greatfully received!

I've contacted Meyer-Johnson to ask if there's any chance of a special price or if they can offer any kind of solution.

I'm applying to Disability Services Queensland for a funding and support package, but the next round of those doesn't come out for some months.

I will be speaking to other community groups suggested by DSQ to see if they would be willing to help fund the purchase of this software for our family.

Movie: The Black Balloon - opening Thurs, March 6, 2008

MOVIE: The Black Balloon – opening Thursday, 6 March 2008

At Birch Carroll & Coyle, Pacific Fair
Also, Reading Cinemas, Harbour Town.

The film depicts a teenage boy (Rhys Wakefield) falling for a girl (model-turned-actor Gemma Ward) while struggling to deal with his severely autistic brother (Luke Ford). Toni Collette plays the boys' pregnant mother.

Senior staff of the country's largest autism organisation, Autism Spectrum Australia, are already convinced of the film's educational worth - having seen an advanced screening of the movie earlier this year - and plan to include it as part of the company's induction program for new staff.

ASA spokesman Anthony Perl said that given the "broad spectrum" of the condition, it was impossible to portray a one-size-fits-all example of the life of an autistic person. "But the film's great strength is that it demonstrates how autism affects the lives of others."

The 1988 film Rainman brought autism to public attention but dealt with a character - portrayed by Dustin Hoffman - who was an autistic savant, an extremely rare condition.

Autism experts believe that the portrayal of an autistic character in The Black Balloon is a far more authentic representation of the wider autistic experience.

Coffee'n'Chat Meeting : 5th March

The March Coffee’n’Chat

ASD Support Group Morning Tea

will be held this coming

Wednesday 5^th March, 10am – 12 noon

Currumbin Community Special School

Exit 95 – Stewart Rd – off the M1

(exit from right lane)

Turn left into Currumbin Creek Road, then take the first left into Villiers Drive (new Traffic Lights) and

Then right into Hammersford Drive into the school carpark