Off To The Autism Resources Miramichi AGM!
I am thrilled to be heading off shortly for Miramichi to attend the Annual General Meeting of Autism Resources Miramichi Inc. at 139 Duke St. Starting at 12:00 noon. ARM has been kind enough to offer me an opportunity to speak and provide an overview of the history of autism advocacy in New Brunswick over the past decade and to address our most pressing need .... adult autism care.
Lila Barry of ARM is a former Autism Society New Brunswick president and was one of our most active and effective advocates for autism specific early intervention and school services and accommodation. It will be gre...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 23, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Conor's Autism Diagnosis 15 Years Ago Today
Conor, 2nd Birthday, the day before he is diagnosed with
PDD-NOS (subsequently changed to Autistic Disorder)
Yesterday was Conor's 17th birthday. Today is exactly 15 years since he was diagnosed with an autism disorder, PDD-NOS, the day after his second birthday shown in the pictures above. Shortly afterward he was re-diagnosed with Autistic Disorder, and he was also subsequently assessed with profound developmental delays. I can't say that I am overly impressed with the research into autism causes, treatments or even our understanding of what constitutes autism that has taken place in the last 1...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 20, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Conor's Happy 17 Birthday Smurfday
Conor is 17 today! It's his birthday Smurfday as we ordered a birthday cake at the local Superstore featuring the Smurfs, currently his favorite movie which we have recorded on our television DVR function. (Dad has seen it a few times too, little disappointed Gargamel wasn't on the cake, just kidding!). The "cake" is actually made of 20 cupcakes with an icing layer across the top. Conor's birthday is also known as spoil Conor silly day in our house and he has picked out Greco pizza for supper. (Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick)
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 19, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Ottawa Citizen's Bridge to Nowhere: Canada's Broken Adult Autism Care System
Long time members of the Autism Society New Brunswick, particularly those from the Fredericton area, will recognize in the picture above former NB'er Linda Murphy and her daughter Ashley who has severe autism and is now 19. They are featured in Autism's New Frontiers PART 2: ‘The bridge to nowhere'. A few years ago Linda and Ashley moved from New Brunswick to Ontario. The excellent Ottawa Citizen article looks at the "fractured" adult autism care system in Canada, although personally I think it might be a bit of a stretch to call it a system at all whether looked at nationally or provincially in Ontario (or New Brunswick...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 18, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Talking Autism In New Brunswick With NDP Leader Dominic Cardy
Together with New Brunswick's foremost autism expert, clinical psychologist and UNB Professor Emeritus (Psychology) Paul McDonnell, I enjoyed a visit to NB NDP headquarters on Prospect Street in Fredericton this afternoon for a direct, candid and open minded discussion about autism services in New Brunswick with NDP leader Dominic Cardy and NB NDP Executive Director Amanda Francis. We covered a lot of ground with Paul reviewing early intervention, school and adult care autism services along with the parent advocacy that led to those services being provided. (I chimed in on occasion).
In fact everyone ...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 15, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
The Damaging Impact Of Seizures On Individuals With Autism
Seizures and epilepsy are serious issues for persons with autism and their families as we learned first hand in our home on November 17, 2012 when Conor suffered a very serious seizure. Following is a publicity release issued in respect of Silently Seizing and author Caren Haines, RN (Haines also received input from Nancy Minshew MD) which I am pleased to publish on this site. I encourage everyone to read this release and consider using any media or social media you can to further its distribution and awareness of seizure issues for persons with autism disorders.
The Damaging Impact Of Seizures On Individuals With...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 15, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
No Meaningful Inclusion, No Community Living for NB Youth and Adults With Severe Autism Challenges
Resigchouche Regional Hospital Centre
As an Autism Society New
Brunswick representative I attended a meeting held at the Restigouche Regional
Hospital Centre a few years ago to participate in a meeting to review the
operations of the RRHC and to vote on its future, specifically whether to continue
to operate or to close. I voted to continue to operate the RRHC. There were
autistic adults who had been living there for many years. No alternative
in New Bruns...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 13, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
UNDERdiagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorders in Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities
Conclusions: This is, to our knowledge, the largest sample of individuals with ID that was ever screened for ASD. Our study confirms that a substantial subgroup screens positive for ASD and that the diagnosis is often missed. Late diagnosis, or the failure to diagnose at all, may have unfavorable and long-standing effects for those affected and their families. For professionals in facilities and schools for individuals with ID it would seem important to bear the possibility of co-occuring ASD in mind. The recognition of ASD could lead to a better understanding of the overall problems of the clients and to more appropriate ...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 11, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Medicare's Orphans: Jean Lewis On The Struggle for Autism Treatment In Canada
The video and clip below are from the Medicare for Autism Now web site and feature MFAN co-founder Jean Lewis, one of Canada's foremost autism advocates, providing an articulate, personally informed summary of the struggle for autism treatment in Canada.
Jean keeps the discussion on a non-partisan level and discusses the fight to end Canada's inhumane and discriminatory exclusion of treatment for those with autism disorders in the context of other historic struggles for liberation from discrimination based on race and gender. A very important point to remember in Jean's message is that such struggles are ne...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 9, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Autism Society New Brunswick Invitation to Premier Alward, Ministers, Opposition Leaders to Attend ASNB AGM
February 7, 2013
Dear Honourable Premier Alward,
Honourable Ministers,
Respected Leaders of the Liberal, NDP and Green Parties of New Brunswick
You are all respectfully invited to attend the 2013 annual meeting of the Autism Society New Brunswick scheduled for March 23, 2012 commencing at 12:30 at MacLaggan Hall, UNB Fredericton. The meeting will be open to anyone in New Brunswick affected by or with an interest in autism spectrum disorders.
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in the United States currently estimates that 1 in 88 persons will be diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder (...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 7, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Autism Society New Brunswick Meeting March 23 MacLaggan Hall UNB Fredericton
Autism Society New Brunswick
Annual General Meeting
March 23, 2013, 12:30 pm
MacLaggan Hall, UNB Fredericton
Room 53
Anyone with an interest in, or affected by, autism in New Brunswick is invited to attend the annual general meeting of the Autism Society New Brunswick. The meeting is being held at MacLaggan Hall, UNB Fredericton, Room 53 beginning at 12:30 pm.
If you are interested in attending please indicate at your earliest convenient opportunity by emailing me at AutismRealityNB@gmail.com.
Look forward to seeing you on March 23!
Harold L Doherty
Acting President, ASNB
MacLaggan Hal...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - February 2, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
Conor's Quiet Joy
Autism is a spectrum in many ways including the ways in which it is presented through various media. Everybody, particularly the main stream media, loves the feel good stories of accomplishment. We all suffer when we see images of self injurious behavior: common occurrences in severe autism although rarely reflected in the mainstream media or in autism research accounts. The photos of my son Conor in the composite above show him during the recent holidays in a calm, happy mood that is seldom depicted in portrayals of autism.
Despite the hustle and bustle that comes with the season Conor, who can ...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - January 28, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
The Harsh Reality End of the Autism Spectrum
If you believe IACC Neurodiversity advocates present and past, Ari Ne'eman and Matthew Carey, autism is not something that should be cured. You won't see much about the harsher aspects of life with autism disorders if you read their writings. In their view autism is nothing more than a different way of thinking, not a ... disorder ... or group of challenging symptoms for which cures are needed.
No, the enlightened Neurodiversity thinkers who are selected to represent the mythical "autism community" at the IACC see autism in the image of the members of the ASAN Board of Directors, rese...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - January 25, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
IACC Neurodiversity Member Matt Carey Single-Handedly Reduces Intellectually Disabled To A "Small Segment of the Autistic Population"
The Interagency Autism Co-ordinating Committee (IACC) plays an important role in autism research and understanding. It is unfortunate that sitting as a public member of the IACC is lbrb blogger Matthew J. Carey, a member of the Neurodiversity movement which, at its core (1) portrays autism as a different way of thinking not a disorder or disability and (2) belittles efforts to seek cures for autism. His official bio posted on the IACC web site emphasizes his considerable background as an industrial researcher and his deep commitment to "communicating the importance of getting the science right for autism"...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - January 24, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
TPGA Aghast and Angry: Slate Dares Print Autism Parent Critique of Neurodiversity Ideology
TPGA guru Shannon Des Roches Rosa (SDDR) is aghast and angry because Slate.com has dared publish "Is the Neurodiversity (ND) Movement Misrepresenting Autism?", a gentle critique by autism parent Amy S.F. Lutz, of the harmful, irrational Neurodiversity ideology embraced by the leaders of the ironically named "Thinking" Person's Guide to Autism. Self labelled as a guide for "Thinking" Persons the TPGA is harshly critical of anyone, especially autism parents, who disagree with them; anyone who portrays autism as a disorder or as a group of disorders, deficits or symptoms. In the Neurodiversity world o...
Source: Facing Autism in New Brunswick - January 22, 2013 Category: Autism Authors: Autism Reality NB Source Type: blogs
