Planning for Success: Summer Camp for Your Child with ASD

Inside this issue:

A Parent’s Words 2

Recreation Information 2

Groups 2

Resources: Community, Book, Toy

3

Social Work, OT, SLP 4

Contact Information:

If you would like to receive

further information about any

of the content or services listed

in this newsletter please call

Mei Mei Thoo at

1-866-772-7702 x 4405

Spring, 2011

Volume 2, Issue 2

Make sure the support available is adequate, or provide your own worker.

5. Provide the right information Camps need information about your child’s skills and challenges to put strategies in place to ensure a safe, successful and stress-free week for both your child and the camp. The right camp will welcome everything about them and work with you to create a successful experience.

additional resources www.aut ismontar io .com/calypso

Megan Shirley & Sheryl Dedman Therapeutic Recreationists KidsAbility

Hazlon Schepmyer Leisure skills coordinator &

Instructor Therapist

Summer camp is a great place for children to try new things, learn new skills, develop friendships and have lots of FUN. Organizing a successful camp experience for your child with ASD requires extra planning, but it’s worth the effort! Here are some tips: 1. Start planning early! Many camps offer 1:1 support but these spots fill up quickly. Remember, camp offices get VERY busy in May and June. 2. Choose a camp that is a good fit for your child. Theme: Is there a special theme or activity that would motivate your chid? Routine: Is the camp routine highly-structured or improvised by leaders? Can the camp provide you with the routine

ahead of time so you can prepare your child?

Environment: Consider your child’s sensitivities

when selecting a camp. Camps held in gyms and

arenas can get very loud and busy. 3. Assess the camp’s

attitude towards inclusion. Does the camp provide 1:1 support? Is there space on the registration form to provide information about your child? Are the questions positively worded? Does the camp have an inclusion policy?

4. Consider support needs and options. What support does your child require? Supervision? Toileting? Body breaks? Managing behaviours? Some camps provide trained 1:1 staff, others may match a high-school-aged volunteer with your child.

T h e N e w s S p a c e

social skill, or communication skills a member from our Integrated Supports Team may be available in your area. Please ask your local OEYC for the dates and times for that centre.

Remember to check the Program Information Sheet for times, dates and locations for all our current and upcoming groups!!!

Sandra Pokszywka- Integrated Supports Facilitator, ErinoakKids

The Integrated Supports Team has enjoyed getting to know the Ontario Early Years Centres (O.E.Y.C.) in and around the Central West Region. The staff and families have been very excited to have us visiting in their centers and the parents are finding the extra support “so helpful”!

NEW: We will now be offering our Let’s Play group series at the Turtle Creek

Ontario Early Years Centre (O.E.YC.) in south Mississauga. (Lakeshore and Southdown area) To register for this group please contact Mei Mei Thoo at

1-866-772-7702 x 4405

Also, in collaboration with the OEYC, we continue to provide support to families who would like to get out and attend an OEYC. Whether it’s for the first time or if you’re a regular and would like some support ins the areas of play skills,,

Groups - Ontario Early Years Centres

Designed and Edited By: Sandra Pokszywka

Page 2

hadn’t been diagnosed. But just the look in her eyes told me I wasn’t wrong, because I know I’ve had that look in my eyes too. The look that is vulnerable, that please don’t judge my child look, the defensive yes he like wheels what do you have to say about it look, and the knife to the heart look when you see younger kids behaving “normal”. A few weeks ago I had a similar experience with Tristan. We were playing in the park outside our house and a bunch of trucks had been left out. So of course Tristan made a bee line for the trucks and started to line them up. Another boy and his mom were out too and the boy tried to play with Tristan. Tristan wasn’t having any of it and I made Tristan give up at least one truck to the other boy. I learned that the boy was two and he kept asking his mom what Tristan was doing. This was a knife in the heart moment for me. This kid was a year younger than Tristan and able to communicate with his mom, and did so by asking what was up with my child. I didn’t want them to judge Tristan or make fun of him for how he was playing. And for a split second I wished

Today was a gorgeous fall day so we took the kids for a walk in the wagon. On our walk we came across a mom and her son on their way to the playground. As soon as the boy caught sight of the wagon he came running over. He crouched real low walking behind the wagon and watched the wheels as they turned. And when we stopped to say hi the boy started to push the wagon to keep it going and didn’t make any effort to say hi. He followed us for a good ten minutes just watching the wheels. The whole time the mom was trying to persuade her son to go to the park to no avail. To me it seemed like the boy may have had autism or a sensory seeking issue like Tristan. I tried to make a little conversation saying “oh he really likes wheels”. And she said “ya he loves watching wheels”, in an effort to let her know I understood I told her Tristan loved watching wheels too. I really wanted to chat and ask this mom if her little guy had autism, but I didn’t want to offend her if I was wrong, or if he

More Canadian youth play soccer than any other sport. If you are interested in having your child with ASD play soccer this summer, here are some things to consider. Break it down. Soccer has many complicated steps and rules, so start working on the basic concepts with your child. Try teaching these three rules first: 1. Use your feet not your hands 2. Kick the ball to a friend or in the net 3. A whistle means stop and listen

Those three rules should keep your child

have any older players looking for volunteer opportunities? * Share your goals and expectations for your child. Start small and be realistic. Do you want them to stay on the field? Kick the ball in the right direction?

Megan Shirley & Sheryl Dedman Therapeutic Recreationists KidsAbility

safe and in the game. Once those are mastered, you can begin to work on other concepts.

Communicate with the coach. * Be open about your child’s special needs. Share their strengths and challenges * Provide simple strategies that the coach can use to help your child (e.g., clear, one-step instructions, demonstrations, etc.) * Does your child need additional support? Should a parent or sibling be on the field? Does the soccer club

Recreation Information Station - Soccer: The Sport of Summer

A Parent’s Words - Excerpts from “A Moment in the Life of an Autism Mom”

that Tristan would be able to share the trucks and play with another child. Don’t get me wrong, I know Tristan will get there and if he’s lining up trucks until he’s 20 that’s fine with me, I love him unconditionally. I’m just writing to give you an insight into what us parents with kids with autism go through. So if you see a child at a park or wherever and they are doing something a little unusual, have an open mind and open heart. What they’re doing may be soothing to them if they have sensory issues, they might not have learned some social cues yet and they may still be working on some self-help skills. What they’re doing isn’t bad or wrong or weird it’s just a bit different than what you’re used to. As parents we all want our children to be accepted and understood and this couldn’t be truer for parents of kids with autism. I think next time I see that mom I’ll say something so she knows that I know and that Tristan and I think watching wheels is the coolest thing in the world to do.

Andrea

For some children with ASD, sounds and words can be difficult to get out. Remember communication takes many different forms. Your children

may use their facial expressions or their behaviour (e.g., lead/ pull others to get what they want), or they may just point or reach. While

we wait for the words to develop, it is important for us to be the detective for your children. Be the detective to figure out what your child is trying to communicate.

While we wait for the words to develop, we may use augmentative or alternative communication (AAC). AAC can include gestures, pictures, sign language and speech devices. AAC is shown to help children with ASD communicate and help their speech develop. If you have any questions about AAC do not hesitate to ask your Speech-Language Pathologist. The Speech-Language Pathologist

will help select a device that fits your child’s language and communication skills. An Occupational Therapist will help select a

device that best matches your child’s fine motor abilities. Your Speech-Language Pathologist and Occupational Therapist will work

with you to help find AAC solutions that work for you and your child. Anne Cooper-Worsnop OT and Tanisha Ramnarain SLP,

Autism Services, ErinoakKids

While many families are fortunate to have supportive family and friends, some are not. Mothers of children with autism helped to write the following advice for family and friends based on personal experiences. Sometimes it is helpful to have an information sheet to give to friends and family. When you see them the next time, you can give them the sheet and say “oh, I almost forgot, the Autism Services worker gave this to share with my family and friends, check it out.”

Family and Friends How You Can Support Parents of a

Child with Autism

What you need to know… 1. Autism is not related to parenting. It is a disorder with which a child is born. Researchers around the world are studying why autism rates are increasing. They are looking at both environmental (i.e., toxins) and genetic triggers. (Geneva Centre Symposium, 2008) 2. Children with autism are often sensitive

Social Work Corner Dealing with Opinions from Family and Friends

Page 3 Volume 2, Issue 2

OT/SLP Space

autism impacts on the family.

3. Listen. Show compassion. Invite the family over for family gatherings. Invite the child to birthday parties.

4. Extended family and friends can play a special role in the life of a child with autism by providing babysitting to the family, being a special friend/relative to the child and/or a sibling. Research has shown that children who are taught to engage children with autism, score higher on social skills in all settings. (Phil Strain, 2008)

5. Children with autism can appreciate simple gestures including smiles, being shown toys, hugs, treats, having someone listen to a story or to be told a story etc.

Most importantly, try to accept and love the child for who they are!

Caroline Duimering - Social Worker KidsAbility & The many amazing mothers that contributed their ideas!

to people’s reactions to them. They often know when they are liked or not liked by people. Anxiety and behaviours can increase in situations where they do not feel comfortable and/or accepted. 3. Common struggles for children with autism can include difficulty with communication, social situations, feeding, sleeping, toileting, repetitive behaviours, hitting, spitting. These behaviours may be present even with extensive professional intervention. What you should not do…

1. Be careful not to judge or blame the parent or the child for the child’s behaviour. 2. Don’t assume the role of an autism expert after watching a show, or talking to a parent about a child with autism (unless you are an autism expert!). Autism presents itself uniquely for each child.

What you can do… 1. Ask the family how you can help. 2. Ask about the child and how the child’s

To play the game Ned’s head you must pick a card from the pile, then reach into Ned’s cavernous head (where the game pieces are hiding) and locate the items by your sense of feeling only. This is a silly game with a large gross factor, since the game pieces consist of putrid items like a dirty diaper, a used q-tip or even bird poop; however, that is not the reason this game is recommended. If you look beyond the repulsive nature of this game you can see countless

-use Ned’s head to teach life skills, receptive language skills or even imitation with objects by encouraging your child to act out blowing Ned’s nose, brushing his hair, cleaning his ears, brushing his teeth, or washing his face To go from disgusting to developmental, all you need is to think outside of the box and the possibilities will be endless.

Have Fun!!!

Heidi Olson Integrated Supports Facilitator (and a big kid at heart!) ErinoakKids.

opportunities for modifying this game for maximum learning potential. By replacing the original items in Ned’s Head to Common household items you can: -promote object to picture matching; (identical or non-identical) -locate or sort by colours, function feature and class, rhyming words, initial consonant sounds, opposites, number or even items that go together (shoe and sock) -use Ned’s head to teach body parts

Page 4 Volume 2, Issue 2

Toy - What’s In Ned’s Head: From Disgusting to Developmental

FREE !

For more information, please contact Jeannie Skeggs, Youth Programs Developer for Special Olympics Ontario. Her e-mail address is jeannies@specialolympicsontario.com (1-888-333-5515 ext. 249).

Hazlon Schepmyer - Leisure Skills Coordinator and Instructor Therapist, ErinoakKids

Did you know that Special Olympics Ontario has recently launched new programs to focus on athletes under 21 years of age? The Active Start Program for young children (ages 2-6) supports the rationale that if children with intellectual disabilities are provided early instruction in basic motor skills and developmentally-appropriate play, there is an excellent opportunity for improvement in physical, social and cognitive abilities. The FUNdamentals program for children and youth (ages 7-12) strives

to provide young athletes with a more in-depth introduction to sport-related motor skills in a fun and interactive atmosphere. In addition, participants learn about nutrition, physical fitness and the importance of the family unit in developing a healthy athlete. The curriculum for youth and young adults (ages 13-21) will be available in the coming months. Each program comes with a Program Leader’s Guide, t-shirts for athletes, and training for parents/guardians/teachers/volunteers where required. These resources are

Book - “Understanding Applied Behaviour Analysis”

He chooses a couple of fictional friends, to play the parts of the children (and occasionally adults) in the examples used to help bring various points to life. Recommended readings - (e.g., tip sheets, data sheets): Quick Reference A – Z Summing it up chapters Appendix: What else you can

read about ABA? Jackie Gorven - Integrated Supports Facilitator Erinoakkids

Clear, accessible, and a structure that is easy-to-follow, this book provides a great introduction to the discipline of ABA and its

applications for parents and professionals.

“Understanding Applied Behavior Analysis” is also a user-friendly translation of professional

terminology into plain English.

Rather than providing formal definitions of terms, Albert J. Kearny tries to provide explanations of ABA terms and concepts in everyday common-sense language. You can acquire a pretty good understanding of basic ABA vocabulary.

The author uses numerous examples to illustrate the concepts presented.

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