“Communication is life. It is the only vehicle we have for connecting meaningfully with others.” Joseph Grenny, author Our daughter began speaking with words when she was 3. When she was six, she spoke mostly with sentences that she’d memorized or with short words and phrases. She shared requests or comments about what she wanted or was doing in the […]
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RDI Connect offers a podcast series exploring aspects of parenting and teaching children with autism. The following is an excerpt from a reflection of what autism awareness really needs to be, by Dr. Steven Gutstein. “There’s a lot more awareness that there is such a thing called autism, but there is not a great deal of awareness of what […]
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Just before April started, the website The Art of Autism posted a list of 84 or so favorite quotes about autism. Many of them were written by people with autism. It is a great list. I thought that in honor of autism acceptance, this might be an opportunity to play with one of the other things I’m interested in: sketchnoting. […]
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Your child has just been diagnosed with autism. What does that mean? From parents who have walked the road awhile, here are the things we wish we could have known at the beginning: Your child is amazing. Your child loves you. Even if they don’t say it, they do. You’ll find your own, unique ways to connect. Take a […]
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One of ADAPT’s key beliefs is that people are the expert of their own experiences. We advocate to government for a range of autism therapy options because we believe that parents know more about what their kids need than a one size fits all program possibly can – parents have an expertise regarding their children that government officials just can’t […]
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From time to time, I read comments from parents who talk about combining therapies – they hope to be working with ABA and RDI clinicians, for example. Or they are doing ABA but are using developmental strategies to round things out. It’s a goal that seems reasonable, on the surface. Why not pull the best from each approach? There […]
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ADAPT is a small, informal organization, but our only limitation is the time and energy of the people who make things happen. Here are some ways you can help: Share Your Story We’re looking for stories about families who have benefited from RDI, DIR/Floortime, or any developmental approach. Are you willing to share how a therapy helped your child? We’d […]
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Once your child is in school, how do you know what you should expect? Sometimes problems arise. Where do you go for advice? There are several made-in-Manitoba documents that exist to help parents know what to expect from their child’s school, and how to effectively resolve problems that arise. A Parent’s Guide to Inclusive Education – Community Living Manitoba Community […]
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If you’re like me and you follow a number of autism websites, blogs, Twitter feeds and Facebook pages, you will have noticed there is a diversity of feelings and approaches to what is officially called World Autism Awareness Day. Awareness or acceptance? Light it up blue, red, or taupe? Focus on family struggles or on respecting the value of each […]
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Autism isn’t always diagnosed in the preschool years. But if problems become evident after children are in the school system, it can be difficult to get a diagnosis. Here is one parent’s story of the difficulties that can come from misunderstanding the reason for a child’s struggles….
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