In This Issue
The opinions, beliefs and viewpoints expressed in this publication are those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints or official policies of Autism Society Alberta.
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Autism Alberta's Family Resource Centres
Click the poster below to see a larger version
Click here to learn more about the Family Resource Centres
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All-Alberta Virtual Parents of Special Needs Children Support Meetings
As part of Autism Alberta’s Family Resource Centres, our Family Resource Coordinators are hosting a new series of support group meetings.
For more information about any of the upcoming meetings, you can contact our Family Resource Coordinators at FamilyResourceCentres@autismalberta.ca or 587-282-1424.
Thursday, August 12th – 7:00pm
 Google Meet video call link: meet.google.com/uom-skyq-edk
Or dial: +1 647-735-0431 PIN: 662 619 858#
Tuesday, August 24th – 1:30pm
Google Meet video call link: meet.google.com/wim-rcvx-aat
Or dial: (CA) +1 289-315-8549 PIN: 709 263 462#
Thursday, September 9th – 7:00pm
Google Meet video call link: meet.google.com/ima-hwhg-ycg
Or dial: (CA) +1 613-916-8967 PIN: 895 355 537#
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A Paying Job for Eric
Kitty Parlby
It’s not often that we are able to find a paying job for Eric, but in late June he received an opportunity to work for Anthony at Your Service. This is a wonderful company that hires individuals with intellectual disabilities, who often work alongside their community aides to deliver packages, distribute flyers, and do assembly tasks.
 In Eric’s case, he was hired to replace home security signs. In the past, Telus have used Anthony at Your Service many times to deliver flyers/door hangers. After Telus acquired ADT Home Security, they needed the lawn signs replaced in various cities, and sent letters to their customers informing them that someone would be coming to swap out the signs. Eric and his aide Tammy do a page of addresses at a time. Tammy does the driving. Eric knocks on the door, and if someone answers, he says “I’m here to change your Telus sign.” If the resident asks something beyond Eric’s communication abilities, his aide is there to help. Whether anyone is home or not, he leaves a package of Telus Security decals hanging on their door, takes the old ADT sign off the lawn, and replaces it with the new Telus Security signs.
At first Eric didn’t interact very much with the homeowners, but then I spoke to him about how part of doing a good job is being friendly to the customers. For Eric, that means smiling at them briefly, and trying to respond to them verbally if he’s able. Tammy says he’s already getting better at it. She is also able to sense when Eric has had enough for the day – and luckily, this particular job does not have a strict time limit. The sign replacement is a term job that only needs to be completed by the end of the summer. Eric gets paid per address he visits, plus mileage for each route sheet.
 I decided to delve in and ask Eric how he feels about his new job. I asked him about each individual part of his job, breaking it down to make it easier for him to answer: assembling the signs ahead of time, driving to the addresses, talking to the customers if they’re home, hanging decals on the door, and replacing the signs. For each task, he said that he likes what he is doing. Overall, I do feel that the work is a good fit for him: it has a bit of variety, but not too much, and he has always liked getting in the car and going places. The bit of interaction with the customers is of benefit to him, as well.
A friend of mine, Deborah Barrett, and her husband David helped their son Anthony start Anthony at Your Service. It has grown over the years to employ more individuals, even in other cities besides Edmonton and outside of Alberta. Sadly, Deborah passed away a couple of months ago, but it does my heart good to think how pleased she would be that the company is growing, and continuing the dream of meaningful employment that she helped start for her son.
 As I finished writing this article, I stopped and asked Eric, “Now that you have a job that pays, what are you going to do with the money you make?” With raised eyebrows and a big grin, he said, “Go to West Edmonton Mall Water Park!”
Kitty Parlby is the mother of an autistic young adult. She is a former special needs Educational Assistant and an autism speaker and consultant with Autism Inspirations. She currently works as a Family Resource Coordinator for Autism Society Alberta.
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Your Articles Are the Heart of Our Newsletter!
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Study on Work Readiness
Are you an individual diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or an inclusive employer who would like to share your opinions on work readiness?
If so, the Autism Spectrum Research, Education, and Training Team at the University of Calgary would love to hear from you!
We are conducting a study to learn about perspectives and opinions of autistics and inclusive employers on work readiness to improve this for those on the autism spectrum. Our goal is to help support agencies and employers understand how individuals on the autism spectrum perceive work readiness and how they think we can improve individuals' work readiness on the autism spectrum.
 If you are an individual diagnosed with ASD (or autism, Asperger's, or PDD-NOS), over 18 years old, do not have an intellectual disability, and have not participated in a work readiness program, you may be able to participate in this research!
Alternatively, if you are an employer who has hired individuals on the autism spectrum (or autism, Asperger's, ASD, or PDD-NOS), you may be able to participate in this research!
Participants will receive a gift card for participation in this study!
If you would like more information about the study or are interested in participating, contact Keelin McKiernan at keelin.mckiernan@ucalgary.ca
Click here to view the poster
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Thoughts
Terri Robson
Within the vastness of my mind
Lay the seeds of many thoughts
Over-watering, over-pollenization
Permit the blooming of thousands of too many musings
Does it end
This bombardment of creative expression
And diversity of thought
Questions related to nothing in particular or something specific
Answers unrelated to anything
How do I follow the streams of thought
Without perseveration, without falling off the rails
Can I follow one idea to its end and reach a satisfactory conclusion
Or do I try one of the many different forks of thought that threaten my goal
Where, when does this end
It doesn’t
This is the journey of my mind
Every hour, every day
I try to find my peace within the jumble
I ask that you try, too, so as not to get caught
Within the convolutions and lose your tolerance for my differentness
Terri Robson is an autistic woman and owner of Awkward Spirit. She is also on the editorial board of the Canadian Journal of Autism Equity.
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Promoting Self-Determination in Everyday Life: Practical Strategies
FREE WEBINAR
Jackie Ryan, MA, CPA, CMA
PhD Candidate, Rehabilitation Sciences
 Self-determination refers to the ability to be in charge of your own life. It can include choosing what to eat for breakfast, choosing your leisure activities, or choosing where to live, among many other choices we make everyday. However, research shows that autistic people are less self-determined than their peers. This workshop will provide a brief overview of self-determination theory and factors that support its development. Participants will leave with practical strategies to embed into daily routines that will enhance self-determination for autistic teens and young adults.
Click here to register
This session is presented by the Community Education Service of the Mental Health & Substance Use Collaborative Initiatives, Child & Adolescent Addiction & Mental Health and Psychiatry Program (CAAMHPP) of Alberta Health Services, in partnership with the Sinneave Family Foundation.
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Letter to Myself
Karla Power
I follow a lady named Kate on a Facebook page called Finding Cooper’s Voice, which is all about her family’s journey with her oldest son Cooper, who has autism. She recently posted a video of herself reading a letter that she wrote to herself, giving the former version of herself advice. I was very moved and inspired by the video, so I thought I would try to write one to myself from 10 years ago. So here it goes:
Dear Karla,
You are 28 years old, which feels like a grown-up age, but you still have a lot of growing to do. You will grow as a teacher, a wife, a mother and friend. You will also grow as a human.
 You are just a few years into your teaching career, and already, you have tried on many hats. You have taught in a foreign country, in your hometown, and now in a place where you will meet some of the most important people in your life. As a new teacher, you worried about lesson plans, getting materials ready, and making sure you had good classroom management. In the future, you will learn that none of that matters if you don’t have good connections with your students. You will need to learn to be flexible and adjust your expectations, and every year you will have at least one student who challenges you more than you ever thought possible. You will never forget these students, because they will help you to grow.
You don’t know this yet, but the man you met when you took a risk and moved to Norway House by yourself, will be the man you will marry. He will be your lighthouse in the fog and your sunshine in the rain. You will go through many difficult times together and build wonderful memories, too. You will cry together and laugh at inside jokes that nobody else will get. You will hold each other’s hands and hearts and grow as a couple each and every day.
You will have two beautiful children who are nothing like what you expected. People will tell you that you are strong and a super mom, but the truth is that you will love those kids the only way you know how, with your whole heart. You might not realize it, but you have been preparing your whole life to be a mother to these extraordinary boys. You have been preparing from the  moment you decided that reading to the special needs kids in your high school was more important than spending another lunch with your friends, to volunteering every Saturday during your BEd at the SMILE program, to fighting hard for the vulnerable students throughout your career. These boys will redefine motherhood for you, and you will grow exponentially because of it!
You may think now that having lots of friends and being likeable is really important, but in ten years those priorities will change. You will still crave likeability, but it will not be as important to you as setting boundaries and standing up for what is right. Friendships will become distant as your life gets busier, and that’s okay. The friendships that you will need the most will be the ones in which people ask you “how are you doing?” and stick around for the answer. You will need people that you can be real with, ugly cry with, and that try to gain an understanding of what your life is really like. These people will be willing to walk beside you on your journey, and they will grow with you, as well.
 Lastly, Karla, you will become a fierce advocate for autism acceptance, and acceptance of everyone with special needs. You will speak out against injustice, and not everybody will appreciate that, but that’s okay. You will wonder if you are “too much” and question if you are “enough”, all in the same day. You will learn to rely on those that you love to remind you that you are exactly who you need to be. Ten years from now, you will hardly recognize yourself, but the new you will be even better because you have grown, so therefore you have changed.
Autism has changed you. Life has changed you. Love, friendships and motherhood has changed you. But trust me, I think you will like the new you.
Sincerely,
Karla (age 38)
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Premier's Council Award Nominations and Grant Applications
The Premier's Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities is pleased to share that nomination forms for the annual Premier's Council Awards and applications for the International Day for Persons with Disabilities event grants are now available on our website.
The annual Premier’s Council Awards publicly acknowledge the efforts and accomplishments of individuals, groups, businesses and organizations to  develop barrier-free, inclusive communities in Alberta.
2021 nomination forms can be found here.
The United Nations recognizes December 3 as the International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD). The Premier’s Council provides grants to help community groups hold IDPD events that raise awareness about the importance and value of respecting differences, accepting and including persons with disabilitiess, and that align with the guiding principle of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
2021 grant applications can be found here.
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Occasio Summer Programming
Autism Edmonton’s Occasio summer programming is in full swing, and spots are filling up fast.
 “Occasio has been life-changing for my son and family. Jacob struggles with noise sensitivity, and outings in the community can be very difficult. With the support from the amazing and well-trained staff, Jacob has been able to tolerate activities in the community he wouldn’t otherwise be able to participate in. Occasio has become like a second family to us, and we’re not sure what we’d do without the wonderful staff and activities.”
We are thrilled that many families, like Jacob’s, got to create fun memories with Occasio this summer, and we are looking forward to welcoming more children and youth to our events.
Until August 28, we offer a variety of weeklong, full-day and half-day activities, including Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday afternoons, for ages 7 and up. We provide a maximum 4:1 to 1:1 positive support from well-trained professionals and graduate students. Once our summer programming ends, we will resume evening and weekend programs on September 4, with events happening on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Thursdays.
We have planned a mix of events happening at various locations across the city, as well as some site-based activities at Winnifred Stewart. Participants will get to participate in games, hands-on learning, craft activities, skill development, and more. The emphasis is to have fun, meet peers, and become active.
New this year! DiversiFIT by Action Potential Fitness is a weekly site for Occasio to help further develop physical literacy and fun fitness on Thursday mornings.
 For a sneak preview of what Occasio will be up to next, check out Autism Edmonton's event calendar.
To access programming, families must first complete a free online membership application. Program fees vary depending on location, program structure, and staffing requirements. Fees may be covered by Family Supports for Children with Disabilities (FSCD), Child and Family Services (CFS) or Persons with Developmental Disabilities (PDD) funding. For those without funding, there is also an option to pay up-front to use the program. Anyone looking to sign up can visit autismedmonton.org/occasio.
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A Cautious, Open Summer in the Age of COVID-19
Maureen Bennie
From the Autism Awareness Centre Inc. Blog:
 Many restrictive measures around the world are being relaxed. With vaccination programs in high gear, life is starting to feel safer. Entering back into a more free world can also cause anxious feelings. This summer will be a different one from 2020, but not everything will be back to normal. Here are some things to think about.
Separation Anxiety
This may be the first time since the pandemic began that parents can return to work or that children can participate in summer programs. To ease this transition, take small separation steps. Start by sitting out in the backyard or walking down the block and back, just to have your child get used to you being away for short periods of time. Gradually lengthen the time away.
Always say where you are going, when you’ll be back, and what you are going to do. A Social Story™ may help create predictability and take the mystery out of what you are doing when out of the house. It can also give your child some ideas of what they can do in your absence.
Visiting Attractions – Do Your Research
If you plan on visiting any attractions such as an amusement park or fair, check their website or call ahead. Crowded indoor spaces may still require mask use. You may have to arrange for a timed entry. Capacity may be restricted. Some attractions may not be open, or may be temporarily closed.
Spend Time Outdoors
When you think of your fondest childhood memories, they are probably about something you did outdoors. Playing outdoors builds physical health, provides exposure to vitamin D, supports cognitive and emotional/social development, improves sensory skills, increases attention span, and contributes to a better mood and a sense of well-being.
 Being outside reduces anger, fear and stress, and contributes to physical well-being by reducing blood pressure, heart rate, muscle tension, and the production of stress hormones such as cortisol. Outdoor activity can also support a better sleep at night.
For ideas on what to do outdoors, please read my past blog on this subject.
Make Time for Daily Physical Activity
Regular exercise lessens anxiety, improves sleep, increases endurance, builds muscles, develops motor skills, and offers opportunities for socializing. Whether being involved in organized sports or solo activities, physical activities offer the chance to grow stronger, expand interests, and add to the enjoyment of life.
It can be as simple as going for a walk with a goal in mind, like going to the corner store for milk or a treat. We sometimes take our cat for a walk in his cat backpack. Or, you could walk to the local playground and shoot some hoops.
For more information on physical activity and physical literacy, please read my blog post on this topic.
Explore Locally
With some travel restrictions still in place, staying close to home may be the best option for some families. Check out what your own hometown has to offer. There are usually special events throughout the summer, such as music festivals or theme days. We have a historical village that hosts Railway Days centered around trains. I discovered a local walking tour led by an Indigenous woman who will talk about the healing properties of plants in the area. My son will love this!
Check out the library, because they usually have a summer reading incentive for children and other interesting courses. Visit a farmer's market and try something new. Explore a garden. Have a picnic in the woods or by a lake.
Keep Informed
The COVID situation can change at any time, so keep up with the news. Relaxed measures can suddenly tighten. Let children know what they can continue to do to keep safe, like handwashing, social distancing, wearing a mask in indoor spaces, and socializing outdoors, which is safer than indoors. Emphasize the things we can control, such as:
- Turning off the news if it gets too overwhelming.
- Limiting social media.
- Our own social distancing.
- Following health recommendations.
 Eating healthy.- Exercising.
- Finding interesting and fun things to do at home.
- Our attitude and response to situations.
- Our kindness towards other people.
Even with limitations, you can still have a fun summer filled with great memories. The best times in life are often the simple ones, like roasting marshmallows or going swimming. Have a wonderful summer, and stay safe and well.
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Au-Some Conference 2021
Free and virtual, Au-Some is a day of sharing, education, acceptance and inclusion. Join us for a series of presentations created and presented by individuals on the Autism Spectrum.
Presenters include:
- Wanda Deschamps - Autism Advocate, Founder Liberty and Co.: Keynote
- "Super" Sam Holness - Autistic IRONMAN Triathlete: Raising Autism Awareness through Sport
- Vicki McGrath - Autism Advocate & Business Owner: Extra Sensory Perception
- Bruce Petherick - Autism Advocate & Musician: How to Deal with Authority Figures
- Minni Ang - Autism Advocate
- Kieran Rose - The Autistic Advocate: Autistic Burnout
- And more to be announced!
Click here to learn more and register.
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