Spectrum Educational Services

Due to renovations at CORE association, ASDreams new session begins Monday, October 17.

My article "Living with Autism Spectrum Disorder" appears in the summer edition of  Bridge magazine . Scroll to page 13 to find a readable version of the thumbnails below. Save Save

Rules , by Cynthia Lord, is the top of my Autism resource list for: siblings fiction Grade 4-7 Read my review here . Other resources I use regularly are listed here .

Do I agree with the definition of "good social skills"? After attending the annual  Children's Autism Services of Edmonton  conference earlier this month, I'm not so sure. Renee Attaway from Michelle Garcia Winner 's team started the day long session with a description of good social skills. "The ability to adapt your behavior effectively based on the situation and what you know about the people in the situation for them to react and respond to you in the manner you had hoped ." (italics mine) I feel uneasy with the last phrase. Is the ultimate goal of using social skills essentially to get what I want? Where does genuine concern for others fit in this description? Attaway mentioned the preteen girl who rises to the position of "Queen Bee" in the classroom as a master of social skills. My experience of queen bees, both as a student and now as a parent, is not positive. Excluding others. Overt putdowns. Yet always surrounded by other girls who...

Lars and the Real Girl (Image via RottenTomatoes.com) Watching a movie about a life sized doll ordered off the Internet was not where I expected to discover community. Yet in  Lars and the Real Girl , community plays a central role as each character decides what to do about Bianca – the doll that Lars believes is real. Can Bianca come in for dinner? Lars' brother doesn't want to be associated with crazy. His sister-in-law, Karin, seems a bit more open. She asks what they can do to help, but recoils at the thought of letting Bianca borrow her clothes. It is a very personal request. Here is where Karin draws the line – Bianca doesn't have the same style. But Lars says Bianca doesn't care about stuff like that.The movie focuses on the community including Bianca so Lars can feel included, too. The community includes her for Lars. Lars, too, faces the challenge of valuing his doll. I think the most powerful moment is when Lars has to decide what he will do about Bianca. ...

A parent requests the disability supports a family member needs. A person on fixed income applies for increased rent subsidy to match increased expenses. Access to mental health services is required. "No" is a word heard repeatedly by people accessing social assistance. As I waited in line to pick up a cheque that could not be mailed because of the current postal strike/lock out in Canada, I heard many forms of "no". I believe it is time for a vocabulary makeover: That's not our mandate:  This response tells me the service provider is system oriented, not client oriented. The potential client is dehumanized as their needs are externalized into a checklist. It is emotionally easier to say no to a piece of paper than a person. For the applicant, it is challenging to not take the rejection personally. Your friend gave you the wrong information:  This typifies the mistrust service providers can develop towards their potential clients. It also undermines the soc...

June 2006. Back on the psych ward for the sixth time. Medications conflicting. Over 200 pounds. Not knowing how to continue living, but not wanting life to end. Dear 34 year old me, Thank you for holding on to Life. I couldn't write to you otherwise. Please read carefully. The state you are in now does not reflect who you really are. Loved: Through losing those you most deeply love, you will discover that your identity is secure. The people who return to your life in addition to the new friends and connections - each one will become a gift to love. You will no longer snatch what love you can from others because your heart has more than enough love to give. Accepted: The severe rejection you face will intensify. Eventually even the system will not want you. When you receive your diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, you will begin to accept yourself. Yet even that acceptance will not be enough. You will trade rejection for acceptance from the one who will never spurn you. ...