Yogathon For Autism Awareness
On March 24th at 9:00 AM, UNCG's National Speech Language and Hearing Association and UNCG Recreation Center is holding a yoga fundraiser for ASNC-GC! Cost is $5 and there are three different types of yoga available: kids' yoga with parent or student helper, parent and child yoga, and adult Power Flow yoga (Vinyasa). For more information, contact or
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Putt-Putt Golf And Games
Please join us on Sunday March 25th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM at Putt-Putt Golf And Games at 2418 N. Main Street in High Point for two free hours of miniature golf. Due to the limited number of spaces, only children will be able to golf. Video game tokens will be sold at a discounted rate should you wish to purchase some. RSVP with the number of children playing by Thursday March 22nd to Marcy Morris at or
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 The HangoutThe Hangout is a respite program that allows families the opportunity to enjoy some time away while their son/daughter with ASD receives support from qualified staff. This program accepts individuals aged 3-22 who are on the autism spectrum. Siblings are also welcome to join in on the fun! We are currently taking reservations for March 24th. Drop off time is from 6:00 PM to 6:15 PM and pick up time is from 9:45 PM to 10:00 PM. For more information about The Hangout or to reserve a spot, please call Tom Anderson at |
Understanding Autism: Spotlight On The Spectrum
The Autism Society of North Carolina, Guilford County Chapter is proud to announce that we're holding our first conference! Entitled Understanding Autism: Spotlight On The Spectrum, the event will be held at the Greensboro Coliseum Complex on April 19, 2012. Aimed at parents and professionals alike, Understanding Autism: Spotlight On The Spectrum will have sessions on CAP, technology and apps, medication, social skills, behavior modification, building independence, how to write effective IEPs, and more! Attendees will also be able to speak with area businesses that cater to the autism community. Best of all, we have worked very hard to make this North Carolina's first affordable conference on autism: all attendees will receive admission to Understanding Autism: Spotlight On The Spectrum, a box lunch, and free parking for the low price of $25.00! Registration is now open and tickets are going fast! Conference flyer located here:
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World Autism Awareness Day is on April 2, 2012. WAAD shines a bright light on autism as a growing global health crisis. WAAD activities help to increase and develop world knowledge of the autism epidemic and impart information regarding the importance of early diagnosis and early intervention. Additionally, WAAD celebrates the unique talents and skills of persons with autism and is a day when individuals with autism are warmly welcomed and embraced in community events around the globe.
By bringing together autism organizations all around the world, we will give a voice to the millions of individuals worldwide who are undiagnosed, misunderstood and looking for help. Please join us in our effort to inspire compassion, inclusion and hope.
April is Autism Awareness Month, more information about Autism will be included in April's newsletter.
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Hello All,
There are some great things coming up and I'm so excited to share them with you. Included in this newsletter are many ideas to help spread Down Syndrome Awareness within your schools and communities. Please take some time to look over the ideas and try to incorporate them into your schools and when you do, don't forget to share them in this newsletter.
I wanted to also share that a few people have concerns that they are NOT receiving the newsletter regularly. Please take a few minutes to click the "join our mailing list" button at the end of this email to ensure regular delivery and encourage others to do the same. I'll try and attach a "text" version of this newsletter to make it easier for you to print out and share with families.
If you have any further difficulties, please let me know.
Thanks!
~Jacqui
hawkinsj68@gmail.com
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March 21st is World Down Syndrome Awareness Day
Down Syndrome International is delighted to announce that a resolution to designate March 21st as "World Down Syndrome Day", to be observed every year beginning in 2012, was adopted by consensus during the plenary meeting of the Third Committee of the United Nations General Assembly on Thursday 10 November 2011. http://www.ds-int.org/news/1769
World Down Syndrome Day was established in 2006 by Down Syndrome International, with the goal of raising awareness and mobilizing support and recognition of the dignity, rights and well-being of people with Down syndrome across the world. March 21, the 21st day of the third month of the year, was chosen to symbolize the third copy of chromosome 21 present in Trisomy 21, the most common form of Down syndrome. This year, World Down Syndrome Day is especially significant as it is the first time that the day will be officially observed by the United Nations.
- Teach your children! Bring an activity to your child's classroom, youth group or sports team on or around World Down Syndrome Day that raises awareness about people with Down syndrome, and then encourage them to fundraise throughout the year to support this cause.
- Use Facebook and/or Twitter to spread the word that March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day and encourage your friends and followers to like, share and retweet the message.
- Have a different idea? Get creative! NDSS has been connected to wonderful individuals who have chosen to make and sell bracelets, organize a bake sales, scrapbook for the cause and implement many other great ideas! If you have an idea you'd like to work on, we'd love to hear about it! Click here to contact NDSS to let us know how you'd like to raise funds and awareness your way - we'd love to help you make it happen!
- Your friends and followers want to hear what you have to say, so blog, post or tweet a facts about Down syndrome throughout March to build anticipation for World Down Syndrome Day on March 21! Encourage likes, shares, reposts and retweets to further spread the word. Click here to view our Down syndrome fact of the day sheet for March.
- If it bothers you when people use the "R word" share a link to our preferred language guide and help educate your friends and family on the proper terms to use.
- Watch the NDSS Milestones video, which features four families that each have a family member with Down syndrome, and spread the word.
- Follow NDSS on Facebook and Twitterfor updates in anticipation of World Down Syndrome Day and throughout the year!
- Community event ideas can be found here.
I have to say, to be totally forthcoming, MY child, Robert, age 18, has Down Syndrome with multiple significant disabilities. I spent almost his entire life thinking, "Not Robert, He can't possibly *fill in the blank*". And then I participated in a life changing course and I began saying "Why NOT, Robert?" No, its not always "easy", but when, as a parent, IS it "easy" to raise ANY child?!? ~ Jacqui Hawkins |
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The Psychologist's Corner:
Developing Self-Compassion
For a long time we have taught the principle that having a high self-esteem, or view of oneself, leads to a productive way of life; however, self-esteem alone does not seem to be what is necessary to establish a good foundation of mental health. While self-esteem is important, it tends to focus on feeling good about oneself rather than promoting competence. It can also lead to people having distorted views of themselves, which in turn may lead to irresponsible or even damaging behaviors. It has been found that bullies tend to have self-esteem just as high as other students and the act of bullying itself reinforces their feelings of themselves. Only focusing on building children's self-esteem may have an impact on their relational abilities as well.
Building self-compassion includes
- having a kind awareness of one's difficulties,
- knowing that struggles are part of life, and
- accepting painful feelings that may be experienced.
This concept is not based in self evaluation or individual success, it is merely about growing as a person.
Self-compassion includes having empathy for others, which leads to a positive acknowledgment of self as well. Various studies have shown that self-compassion is less dependent on environmental outcomes when compared to self-esteem. When self-compassion is strong, a child can cope better internally with a situation rather than focus on what is happening around him/her. It involves being kind and warm in the face of challenges and not self-critical, which in turn increases emotional strength.
Researchers have found that parent and teacher communication has an affect on self-compassion as it
- promotes belongingness,
- encourages kindness,
- focuses on dealing with emotions in the present, and
- establishes healthy social interactions.
Self-compassion also helps with academic achievement as it allows children to cope better with difficulties and focus on mastering abilities rather than basing their view of themselves on how they perform.
Interventions that have been proposed to build self-compassion in children include:
- Blessings Exercise: Instruct your child to write down three things at the end of the day that went well and why they went well. This strategy has been show to promote a positive outlook on life and contentment in teenagers.
- Gratitude Visit: Have your child write a letter to someone who did something kind for them and then allow child to visit that individual and read the letter to the person. This method has been shown to increase happiness and reduce feelings of isolation and withdrawal.
- Good Thoughts: Ask child to reflect on two experiences that they found enjoyable that day and focus on that moment for a certain period of time. This strategy helps lengthen the experience of positive emotions.
- Feet & Seat: Have your child sit in a chair with both feet flat on the floor. Walk them through trying to focus on foot, then the other foot, then to the feeling of sitting in the chair. Then show them how to breathe deeply as they are sitting there. This practice helps children feel calm and relaxed during situations that may be upsetting.
- Hugging Practice: Yes, hugs are empirically based to increase our happiness. Our bodies respond to warmth, which activates positive neurohormones. Hug your child(ren) every day!
- Write Compassionate Letters: Have your child think of what caring and compassion means to them and have them write a letter that a person with these characteristics might write to them when they are having a difficult time. This practice encourages empathy and positive communication skills.
Additional information about this topic can be found in the following resource:
Persinger, J. (2011). An alternative to self-esteem: Fostering self-compassion in youth.
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Respectfully Submitted,
Jacqui Hawkins
EC Chairperson, GCC of PTAs
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