REACH Parent Network Information Exchange.

This information exchange, sponsored by Reach, is by parents for parents.  It's content is  guided by Reach's mission to provide choices for families,  be family centered, facilitate inclusion, and  exist as a quality resource.  The information is meant to meet the needs of a multitude of families' interests.  We caution readers that Reach does not investigate all claims, and that claims  made  are not necessarily endorsed or recommended by Reach. Readers are encouraged to undertake further investigation on their own of items noted. 

• AUTISM, LOVE AND LEARNING is centered on radical ideas. Micki O'Brien (Seattle, WA) has a track record of success in cases defying the conventional approaches of parents, veteran teachers, and school districts.  Micki O'Brien has a Bachelor's of Science in Sociology from Santa Clara University and a Master's in Environmental Leadership from Naropa University. A few credits shy of a second Master's in special education, her teaching credentials include elementary education, social sciences and special education.
• Ten Things I Wish Everyone Knew About Autism and Romantic Relationships. Nick Dubin (author of Asperger's and Anxiety and other self-help books) did not start dating until he was twenty five. In Asperger's and Anxiety Dubin mentions another autistic man who didn't date until his forties. That man is now married with two children. It can take autistic people a long time to develop the confidence and social skills we need to maintain meaningful relationships. But that does not mean meaningful relationships are impossible. Furthermore, entering the game late isn't necessarily a disadvantage, as the above example should indicate. Click here to read more

• Prepare To Launch: A Resource Guide for Parents of Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder. This Guide is intended for parents of adolescent children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) who wish to better understand the process of navigating the transition between the teenage years and young adulthood. It was inspired by the courage and positive spirit of all families who support the growth and development of their sons and daughters with ASD. Click here to read the guide 

• Survey Participants Wanted: We are Occupational Therapy students at the University of British Columbia. We are continuing an ongoing research project about increasing emotion recognition and social participation in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by designing a virtual reality intervention.The goal of the project is to discover perspectives of different stakeholders, including multidisciplinary clinicians, parents of children with ASD, and youth with ASD, through focus groups. Their input will then be incorporated into the design and development of a motion gaming intervention for children with ASD.
• We are looking for parents or guardians of children with ASD (8-14 years) to participate in a 90min focus group. Focus group date/location will be determined based on your availability.For information or to join the research project, please contact: us here. You will have the opportunity to share your perspectives on emotion recognition and social participation to help design a virtual reality intervention for children with ASD.
• We are looking for teens (13-17) with Autism Spectrum Disorder to talk about computer and video games, emotions, and social skills. Do you like games? You will join us for a 1.5 hour focus group with other youth to help design a new virtual reality intervention for kids with ASD. To join the research project, or for more information, please contact: us here 
• Do you work with children withe Autism Spectrum Disorder? We are looking for multidisciplinary clinicians to participate in a 1.5 hour focus group on emotion recognition and social participation. You will have the opportunity to share your experiences to help design a virtual reality intervention for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.Focus group date/location will be determined based on your availability. For information or to join the research project, please contact: us here
  
   
• 2016 CALL for NOMINATIONS - NOW OPEN. 2016 ANCA World Autism FestivalCelebrate Autistic Achievements Across The Globe. Nominations Open to Autistic Individuals and Others Supporting the Global Autistic Community.  Click here for more information 

• Request for "Expressions of Interest" for program and services at the PAFC We are very excited to announce that we have now issued our request for "Expressions of Interest" for program and services at the Pacific Autism Family Centre.  We encourage any present providors, parent groups, or interested parties to download the PDF application on our web site here The purpose of this Expression of Interest (EOI) is to secure responses from organizations, companies and individuals interested in providing services within the new Pacific Autism Family Centre (PAFC), currently under construction in Richmond BC and scheduled to open in the summer of 2016.

   Down Syndrome  

•  You are Invited to a Delta Down Syndrome Support Group meeting: OUR GOALS ARE
  
  · To provide guest speakers (Reach therapists, community
  professionals and other programs) to discuss common issues
  · To provide support and information to families in Delta who
  have a child with Down Syndrome
  · To help connect parents of children with Down Syndrome
  · To provide monthly meetings for parents and their children
  · To provide on-site child minding while you attend the
  discussion
  When: First Thursday of each month
  Where:
  Reach Developmental Preschool South #3-3800 72nd Street, Delta, BC
  Reach Developmental Preschool North Delta 10921 - 82nd Avenue, Delta, BC
  
  **alternating each month
  • Time: 6:00pm - 7:30pm
    Cost: No charge
    Light refreshments provided
    Please RSVP to Sarah Garnham at 604-946-6622 extension 321.
    or email here 

Medical and Mental Health

• Click here for the Kelty Mental Health News

• Mind Matters e-newsletter provides new resources and programs offered by Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA) BC Division and is committed to the mental health of British Columbians. Click here for their current newsletter   

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Workshops and Training 

• Click here for the CCRR Winter Class Schedule 

• Click here for information on RDSP presentations 

• Early Childhood Education and the Autism Spectrum: Fostering Social Inclusion and Play at Preschool and Daycare. Join us for an evening at the Friend 2 Friend Play Centre - New Westminster on Tuesday January 12th, 2016  6:30-8:30pm The focus of this 2-hour seminar is on developing a better understanding autism and how to facilitate social play interactions between children with autism and peers in preschools and daycares. This seminar is designed for Early Childhood Educations and parents. The session will focus on children ages 2 through 7 years. Click here to register 

• Mother's Mental Health Toolkit Training Thursday, January 14, 2016, from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. Enhance your mental health literacy at this one-day event.This toolkit was developed as a knowledge-sharing and capacity-building resource for staff from community-based organizations who work with mothers and families. It is not a treatment manual and is not meant to substitute mental health assessments and interventions.
  The toolkit and workshop will:
  • Enhance mental health literacy
  • Provide a guide for promoting mental wellness for mothers
  • Promote practices that could help to prevent mental health issues
  • Recognize the risks and signs of possible mental illness
  • Guide women and their families and other people supporting them to understand and access assessment and treatment
  • Support the community responses that encourage recovery and decrease stigma Click here for more information 

• 19th annual Children the Heart of the Matter Conference January 15 & 16, 2016.
  Click here to see all the topics and the exceptional speakers!

• 20th Anniversary Early Years Conference - Sp'e'qum.  January 28 - 31, 2016.  
  Join us to celebrate 20 years of innovative professional development with our 10th conference in Canada for early childhood development and family support. Our success reflects the powerful partnerships that we have formed across many communities: University of British Columbia,Infant Development Program, Aboriginal Infant Development Program,Sunny Hill Health Centre, BC Children's Hospital, Family Support Institute and many more. These partnerships allow us to address diverse topics of evidence based practice and research. The 2016 conference will continue to lead the field to improve skill development, practice and systems. Over the last 20 years there has been an explosion of research in areas of child development, child welfare, infant mental health, and family support. The conference has evolved from national to international participation. Click here to see the full brochure! 

• Friend2Friend Free Family Training and Information Evening
  Wednesday February 10, 2016  6:30-8:00pm Play Centre - New Westminster  336 Columbia Street, New WestminsterFriend 2 Friend offers free family training sessions free to families of children with autism and related needs. Heather McCracken program creator and executive director of Friend 2 Friend Social Learning Society will speak on raising three children (one with autism) and share information on principles and practice of the Friend 2 Friend - Integrated Play Groups program offered at the Friend 2 Friend Play Centres in East Vancouver and New Westminister. Come meet the team, meet other parents and learn about these unique programs! Click here to register
   
• Bottom Line 2016. It's official! Next year's Bottom Line Conference has been confirmed for February 23 and 24, 2016. The upcoming conference theme will be Heroes in the Workplace: Stories from the Champions of Change. Promote mental health in your workplace with CMHA BC's education and training workshops. Click here to see the incredible list of presentations available! 

• Autism Awareness Centre's Annual Two Day Conference!  February 26, 27, 2015 Brenda Smith Myles and Kelly Mahler! Early bird pricing now!
• February 26th - Brenda Smith Myles: Individuals with ASD who Present with Challenging Behaviour:  Understanding the Role of Self-Reguation.Self-regulation challenges are inherent in many individuals on the spectrum and interfere with learning and socialization. This session will discuss the characteristics of ASD that are related to self-regulation challenges and then provide a variety of evidence-based self-regulation interventions that can help a learner on the spectrum understand, monitor, control, and redirection his self-regulation system.
• February 27th - Kelly Mahler: Interoception: The Eighth Sensory System. Practical Considerations and Strategies for Improving Emotion Regulation and Other Related Skills. Interoception is an extremely important sensory system that helps us to 'feel' the internal states of our body. For example, the interoceptive system helps us feel many different internal sensations including: hunger, thirst, needing the bathroom, pain, body temperature, sexual arousal, heart rate and muscle tension. Additionally, interoception is a key component to our emotional experience. Research indicates that interoception (our ability to clearly sense body signals, like an increase in heart rate or tingly stomach), enables us to accurately identify, understand and control our emotions
• Click here for more information and to register
   
• YOGA FOR THE SPECIAL CHILD(R) THE SONIA SUMAR METHOD BASIC ONE PROGRAM  March 14 - 20 Vancouver B.C.Taught by Sherry LeBlanc

  Location: Sacred Space Studio, 3574 west 4th Avenue, Van. B.C. Contact: Sherry LeBlanc to register and for more information  email here or call 416-532-5988. Click here to see the website
   
• Facing the Future Together - A succession planning workshop for families March 19, 2016 (10am-3pm).  Presented by Ted Kuntz. At some point in the future the role of monitoring, advocating and caring for your relative with a disability must pass from the parents' generation to the next.

  This full-day workshop is designed to inform and assist all members of the family and their successors to:

  • Address concerns about the future and secure a succession plan
  • Hear how other families are creating peace of mind
  • Consider how to share roles and responsibilities
  • Identify key resources
  • Balance wishes and obligations

  Identify short and long term actions
• Click here for more information and to register 

• Jennifer Sexton is very happy to announce two wonderful workshops. We are pleased to announce that Kim Barthel, a world renowned teacher, author, lecturer and speaker will be offering four days of workshops in our very own Coquitlam!!
  Kim is an occupational therapist with an in-depth knowledge of the neuroscience behind sensory processing and behaviour. The first workshop she will present is entitled " A Sensory Approach in Looking Beyond the Behaviour: Becoming a Behaviour Detective". This workshop is aimed primarily at parents, caregivers, support workers, and teachers. The two days promise to be life altering as Kim touches are topics that include the chemicals involved in Arousal Theory, sensory contributions to challenging behaviours, trauma and defiant behaviour, Attachment theory and sensory processing, co-regulating arousal, sensory strategies when interacting with children with complex behaviours.
  This workshop takes place on April 27th and 28th.
  The second workshop : Mindful Parent: A Mentoring Program for Parents of Children with Special Needs will take place on April 29th and 30th.
  This workshop is aimed at families. Kim will work with parents and child to help develop a greater understanding of some of the barriers that the child faces and how the parents can help their child to facilitate positive behaviour, interaction and engagement. These two days will be limited to 15 families. It is recommended that if a family would like to register for this workshop, that they do attend the "Sensory Approach in Looking Beyond the Behaviour: Becoming a Behaviour Detective" as this will provide a firm foundation on which to build more practical skills.
  Please note that the early bird registration for both workshops is February 29th. Space is limited for the Mindful Parent workshop, so please reserve your place to avoid disappointment. Click here for more information 
   
• Save the Date! Inclusion BC 2016 Conference, June 22-25, 2016
  Inclusion BC is excited to announce that we're partnering up with AimHi (Prince George Association for Community Living) to host our 2016 conference and AGM in Prince George. Stay tuned for more information!

• Creating the Future - Partnerships for Inclusive Learning Save the Date:  August 22-24, 2016 at UBC in Vancouver, BC Click here for updates 
  
   

Other

• Quote of the day
   "Education begins the moment we see children as innately wise and capable beings. Only then can we play along in their world." VinceGowmon.com

• Ted Talk: What makes a good life?  Lessons from the longest study on happiness. What keeps us happy and healthy as we go through life? If you think it's fame and money, you're not alone - but, according to psychiatrist Robert Waldinger, you're mistaken. As the director of a 75-year-old study on adult development, Waldinger has unprecedented access to data on true happiness and satisfaction. In this talk, he shares three important lessons learned from the study as well as some practical, old-as-the-hills wisdom on how to build a fulfilling, long life. Click here to see this Ted Talk

• The Importance of Parents and Professionals Partnering.   THE DANCE TOWARD PARTNERSHIP: Using the Dance Metaphor to Understand Parent-Professional Partnerships. Forming partnerships between parents of children with disabilities and the professionals who work with them is like learning a new dance. At first the parent dancer and the professional dancer do not glide together gracefully across the floor. The moves are likely  to feel stiff, uncertain, and awkward. The partners may have different expectations, needs, and constraints.  Each seems to be listening to his or her own music with its own tune, words, and rhythm  . . . No wonder some partnerships are not as graceful as others; the absence of shared music and familiar dance steps causes collisions Click here to read more
   
• Click here for Complex Child January Edition Immunology 

• The secret of NOT Yelling When You're Having a Bad Day. "I've been working hard not to yell at my kids. But sometimes I just can't help it. I explode, and then I feel so guilty. I know it isn't really what my kids are doing, it's just me, having a hard day. Is it really possible to stop yelling? What's the secret?" - Natalie.  The secret is compassion.
  For your child, of course, but start with compassion for yourself. You can't be emotionally generous when you're stressed, running on empty, feeling like you aren't good enough. Click here to read more and see a video
   
• Social Skills Through Drama.

  Want to learn about acting? The study of drama has many crossover benefits in developing social skills. Taught by theatre professionals, this inclusive class will be both fun and challenging as students develop self-expression through voice, movement, improvisation, acting games, and script work. All abilities welcome. Improved social skills, while not the focus, is expected to be a happy crossover effect. Who is This Class for? Teenagers who have social difficulties with or without an accompanying diagnosis. Some examples:
  High functioning Autism (e.g. aspergers or PDD-NOS)
  ADHD
  Learning Disabilities
  Social Anxieties like extreme shyness or fear of talking in front of others.
  This is who the class is targeted for, but it is not meant to exclude others. Teens who simply have an interest in taking a drama class will benefit fully from the class, and are welcome and encouraged to register. Location: Surrey Arts Centre, 13750 88th Ave., Surrey
  Session Start Date: Jan 21-Mar 10, 2016 (8 classes)
  Time:6:30-8:00 PM
  Cost:$120 for 8-class session
  To register:604.501.5100 or on-line here Registration Code: 4359463
  If your youth requires 1 to 1 support, then a caregiver must attend and caregiver participation in the class will be encouraged.

• 2016 Alaska Mission Possible Cruise  Madeline Stuart, Barbara Laird and Cyndi Gerlach
  It's no surprise that Celebrity guests and the travel press, including Conde Nast Traveler, consistently rate Celebrity Cruises as one of the world's finest cruise lines. Celebrity fulfills your clients dreams of remarkable, memorable vacations.
  July 10, 2016 Click here for more information

• The Registered Disability Savings Plan (RDSP) is a long-term savings plan to help Canadians with disabilities and their families save for the future.

  If you have an RDSP, you may also be eligible for grants and bonds to help with your long-term savings.
  You should consider opening an RDSP if you have a long-term disability and are:
  • eligible for the Disability Tax Credit (disability amount);
  • under the age of 60 (if you are 59, you must apply before the end of the calendar year in which you turned 59);
  • a Canadian resident with a Social Insurance Number (SIN); and
  • looking for a long-term savings plan.
  You may contribute any amount to your RDSP each year, up to the lifetime contribution limit of $200,000. With written permission from the RDSP holder, anyone may contribute to the RDSP. Please click here for more information 
• PLAN (Planned lifetime advocacy network)  offers a variety of workshops regarding RDSP's, wills and estates and setting up personal networks.

• Your One Stop Shop for children and families in Delta - click here

Submissions or Questions?

To submit for our newsletter or have a question for Pam to research please contact her at

Parent Network 

or 604-946-6622 ext 359.  

You can sign up at the Reach Child and Youth Development Society website to receive this newsletter directly.

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