Autism awareness....

April is autism awareness month. As a mother of two children on the autism spectrum I like to take any opportunity available to raise awareness and education on this lifelong disorder.
Most people when asked what they know about autism will immediately give the example of the character from the movie 'Rainman', the stereotypical autistic savant. Only a small percentage of people with autism fall into this category.

Autism is best described as a group of characteristics and behaviours that affect communication, social interaction and imaginative thought. Individuals with autism share some similarities but they will all have varying degrees of severity of the disabling characteristics and behavioural traits of autism.This is why autism is called a spectrum disorder. Imagine a line with very low functioning individuals at one end and very high functioning individuals at the other. In between are people who are affected by the impairments of their autism either more severely or less. Some individuals with autism will never live independently while others will go on to lead productive and very successful lives.

** Temple Grandin is a highly successful person with autism. I swiped this photo from Wikipedia. Read about this inspiring lady here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Temple_Grandin

I like to call autism an invisible disability. We cannot tell a person has autism just by looking at them. Sometimes a person with autism may display behaviours that are considered odd or strange or be mistaken for bad manners, rudeness or just bad behaviour. These behaviours are usually due to frustration, anxiety and difficulties with communication and the different way people with autism think about things. (I was labelled a bad mother many, many times before my daughter was diagnosed with autism at almost 8 years old. I still carry the psychological scars from that time in our lives)

Some of the signs of autism are:

• Poor eye contact
• Lack of interest in people
• Poor social skills
• Repetitive behaviours
• Obsessions
• Echolalia (repeating words or phrases )
• Rigidity around routines - intense dislike of even the smallest change
• Flapping or twirling of body parts
• Flat facial expression, lack of smiling or smiling or laughing inappropriately
• Sensory issues - extreme sensitivity to noises, smells, refusal to wear certain clothing

This is of course by no means a complete list and usually there are concerns about a child's behaviour long before autism is diagnosed. Always seek professional advice if you are concerned about the possibility of your child having autism or any other developmental issues.
If you wish to learn more about autism here are some sites to visit. I have no affiliation with any of these sites, they are just sites I think may be useful.

http://www.autismspectrum.org.au/a2i1i1l445l487/welcome.htm

http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Autism

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/autism/detail_autism.htm#173813082

Living with and raising children with autism is very stressful, often on a daily basis. Especially for those who have little family support. It takes a heavy toll on the entire family and the relationship of the parents. My understanding is that the divorce rate for parents of children with autism is higher than the norm. Certainly I know it places extreme stress on the relationship. My observation has been that whilst support services (including respite care) have improved a lot in the last ten years there are still many, many families who continue to struggle with very little by way of practical day to day support. If you know someone with a child with autism learn what you can about how autism affects their lives. If you can offer to babysit and you may well be giving that parent a much needed respite that will give them the strength to get through another difficult day. When my children were very young I was too ashamed to ask for help but I would have gratefully accepted if someone had offered. (I did eventually learn to ask for help, many stress filled years later)

My children are on the higher end of the autism spectrum. My daughters diagnosis is Aspergers syndrome and my son High Functioning autism. Often my children did not meet criteria for support because they were high functioning. This was very frustrating for all of us as they still suffered severe impairments due to their autism. (they still do) My hope is that one day ALL children will get extra support when they need it based on need alone not on ticking certain boxes on beaurocratic paperwork.(especially within the education system) ALL children deserve to have every chance to attain their full potential.

If you have an interest in Aspergers syndrome I highly reccomend reading any of the books written by Tony Attwood

If you have read this far I thank you and I hope you have found this post informative. Please feel free to share it with a friend.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen

Saving Max...

Saving Max by Antoinette van Heugten first attracted my interest when I read a review in "Good Reading" magazine. The reason it caught my eye was because one of the main character's, Max, has Asperger's syndrome. I have two children on the autism spectrum so am always interested to see how characters with autism are portrayed in books.

The book kept me interested from start to finish and whilst some of the plot seemed a little unrealistic to me on the whole this was an excellent book and I would highly reccomend it as a riveting read. I have asked myself if the book would have been so riveting if my own children did not have autism and I believe the plot still holds as a fabulous read.

The basis of the story is how far will a mother of a child with autism go to protect her son when he is accused of murder? The plot contains enough twists and turns to keep the reader turning the pages with baited breath to find out the end result. I'm not going to spoil the book by sharing the ending here but I will say that there were totally unexpected elements in the plot line that kept me guessing to the very end.

I was not surprised to read that Antoinette van Heugten has a child with autism as I felt she did a good job of portraying some of the characteristics of a child on the autism spectrum. If you choose to chase up "Saving max" I think you will enjoy it although part of the plot does cover some distressing and disturbing areas of human behaviour.
wishing you sunshine in your shadows and happy reading
Helen

When all else is grey and gloomy...

It's a drab dreary day here in Geelong today. Since this is my first post on this new blog I thought I would share a photo of the two biggest bits of sunshine in my life. 
My daughter and my son bring joy to my life every day. They will probably never understand how proud I am of both of them and their accomplishments. My daughter was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome when she was almost 8 years old. My son was diagnosed with Autism at age 4. Life has been a difficult journey for them both, a puzzling experience many times over. Despite all the challenges life throws their way they continue to grow and learn with enthusiasm and curiosity.Despite being on the verge of adulthood and well into puberty (my daughter is soon to be 18 and my son turns 14 next week) they will of course always be my babies! I cannot believe how they have grown. Where did those years go?


Wishing you sunshine in your shadows
Helen