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. 

• We Could Watch This Temple Grandin Animation All Day.  Temple Grandin gave an oral history at Colorado State University in 2008, and only recently has the audio for her lecture surfaced online. PBS' "Blank on Blank" web show is running a special series, "The Experimenters," and they decided to use audio of Grandin's speech set to an animated video.
• Sunshine Coast Gets Recognition in Hollywood.   Gibsons, BC - Locally based Sunshine Coast organization ANCA® World Autism Festival™ garners international recognition for their film CONNECTED: A film about autistic people. Filmed on location in Edinburgh, Scotland at the AWAF in 2014, with excerpts from the 2013 AWAF event held here on the Sunshine Coast, we are showcasing very talented, artistic and creative Autistic People from across Canada and around the world. This film has caught the attention of Life Fest Film Festival (home of the CAPRA AWARDS) in Hollywood, LA, California, USA. The film was produced & directed by local Vancouver film maker, Sonia Suvagau with original score composed by Sebastian Hugeneck of Sonia Productions Inc. The founders of the ANCA® World Autism Festival™, Leonora Gregory-Collura & Charlie Collura who are the Executive Producers of the film, will be attending the film screening with many members of the cast from Canada, the USA and other countries such as India, Turkey and the Ukraine.
• "Connected" is the most comprehensive film that I have seen from the perspective of people on the spectrum. This documentary will have a strong impact when it becomes available to the general public. I developed a deeper understanding of ANCA and what motivates Leo and Charlie Collura to establish this organization on an international level. Thank you Leo for allowing our meetup group to participate at this private film screening/debut."               (Peter Wlasenko)
• Click here for more reviews

• How Can You Use Motivation To Help Those With Autism? by Maureen Bennie. Every human being needs to be motivated in order to put effort into something. Most of us would probably prefer watching a favourite movie rather than doing the dishes, yet those menial tasks still have to be done. In order to motivate ourselves, some of us may do the less preferred tasks first then reward ourselves with the things we enjoy. Parents use this tactic all the time with children to get them to do tasks they might not like: homework or chores, by motivating with tasks that a child does enjoy like computer time or a special food treat. Motivation is a key factor when working with individuals on the spectrum, and the key to what motivates can often be found in a person's interests and hobbies.Click here to read more 

• What is Neurodiversity? by Maureen Bennie. Neurodiversity is the concept that humans don't come in a one-size-fits-all neurologically "normal" package. Instead, this it recognizes that all variations of human neurological function need to be respected as just another way of being, and that neurological differences like autism and ADHD are the result of normal / natural variations in the human genome.One of my favourite books is Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism by Dr. Barry M. Prizant, who portrays autism not as a tragic disability, but as a unique way of being human. In his 40+ year career working with those with autism, Dr Prizant found the most successful approach was not trying to "fix people" by eliminating symptoms, but rather seeking to understand an individual's experience and what underlies their behaviours.Click here to read more 
• to read more of Maureen's blogs and see her website click here 

• It is a lot of work to look non-autistic by Judy Endow ...and yet, looking non-autistic is the ticket to sit at many tables. It is not right, and yet, I choose to expend a great deal of energy inhibiting my autistic ways for the sake of sitting at some of society's tables. Employment is one such table. Just like all other adults I need to pay the monthly bills, buy groceries, have transportation, etc. This all poses quite the conundrum for me. Click here to read more
   

   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 Spring Summer Course Schedules 

• Click here for information on RDSP presentation 

• Positively Parenting Workshop Series For Parents and Caregivers of Kids 7 - 18. WEDNESDAYS 6:30 PM - 8:30 PM Cloverdale Recreation Centre 6188 176 Street. Presented in partnership with Alexandra Neighbourhood House
  MAY 11 WE HAVE A PROBLEM...
  Problem solving with children and youth
  Attend one workshop or attend them all! For more information and to register call 604-538-5060 ext. 24
   
• Please note that due to low registration this workshop has been cancelled.April 26, 2016 6:30 - 8:30 Transitions Leaving High School What's Next? Family Support Institute
  How do you prepare for this big change in your son's or daughter's life? This workshop is designed to help families understand how to prepare for their son's or daughter's transition from high school into a full life in the community. Drawing on the experiences of many parents and professionals, we will discuss roles and responsibilities, the planning process, planning tools and available resources and services. Presented by Pam Collins for The Family Support Institute and sponsored by Reach. To register email Pam here or call 604-946-6622 ext 359

• 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 
   
• Smart, not Scattered. Teaching kids the executive functioning skills. Ever feel your child is scattered and forgetful? You are not alone.  Please join Dr. Michelle Kozey-Hayes, Registered Psycholgist as she presents this workshop which aims to increase kids' awareness and understanding of the executive functioning skills, and will provide some practical suggestions to put these skills to good use.  This workshop is relevant for both parents and educators.Thursday, April 28th 7 to 9 pm Clayton Heights Secondary School Theatre 7003 - 188th Street Surrey By donation.  Register here
   
• ANXIETY in CHILDREN and YOUTH We're Working Together for Mental Wellness
  Monday, May 9, 2016 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm South Delta Secondary School Theatre
  750 53rd Street, Tsawwassen, BC. o Dr. Sara Junaid, Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist
  o Lynne Godfrey, The FORCE o Youth and parent sharing their personal stories. Organized by: Delta Local Action Team, as part of the BC Child and Youth Mental Health and Substance Use Collaborative - a partnership of Doctors of BC and the government of BC
   
• Registration Open! Inclusion BC 2016 Conference, June 22-25, 2016. Inclusion BC will host the 2016 Conference, "IGNITE" in Prince George, BC from June 23 - 25, 2016. It will spark new ideas and fuel conversations about current trends and issues to advance the rights and opportunities of people with developmental disabilities and their families. The Inclusion BC Conference annually draws over 650 self advocates, family members, service providers, support workers, community leaders, advocates and allies of the inclusion movement together to explore and engage in discussions on inclusion, citizenship, innovation, supports and access, and leadership. Click here to see the list of incredible speakers and to register 

• Introduction to ASD - Practical Applications - POPARD - July 2016. This 30 hour course reflects current research and evidence-based practice in teaching students with ASD. Instruction includes pre-readings, practical hands-on training through instructor demonstration and coaching. In addition, course participants complete applied exercises in the key elements of teaching and supporting students with ASD.The course structure involves pre-readings and class discussions, in addition to ongoing opportunities for the participant to apply concepts through active participation.This course is a requirement for teaching assistants in many school districts and is open to community professionals and parents. Click here for more information
   
• Two Days of Social Thinking® (Vancouver)Thursday & Friday, August 4 & 5, 2016

  Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP Pamela Crooke, PhD, CCC-SLP.Social Thinking conferences are dedicated to providing practical information about school-age students and adults who have social and communication difficulties, including but not limited to those related to high-functioning autism spectrum disorders, PDD-NOS, Asperger Syndrome, NLD, ADHD, twice exceptional, murky undiagnosed challenges, etc. Information presented concentrates on students with near average to far above average verbal intelligence (verbal IQs above 70). Most strategies focus on school-age children and adults, although the information is helpful for those living and working with younger children.Click here for more information 

   
• Creating the Future - Partnerships for Inclusive Learning Save the Date:  August 22-24, 2016 at UBC in Vancouver, BC. Facilitating strategic approaches to inclusion
  & belonging for all students Registration now open! Cllck here for more information

• Family Focus Conference, October 21-23, 2016. Call for workshop Proposals now open! The Value of One; The Power of Many  October 21-23, 2016 Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel Richmond BC Click here for more information

• Victoria, BC - November 4 & 5, 2016. Featuring Speakers Leah Kuypers and Elizabeth Sautter  Friday, November 4 Leah Kuypers The Zones of Regulation This presentation provides teachers, therapists and parents with hands-on knowledge on the nature of self-regulation and strategies for improving self regulation and emotional control in individuals of all ages. Audience participants will learn an explicit, stair-stepped method and tools to guide individuals in utilizing The Zones framework across situations and environments to regulate sensory needs, impulses, and emotional states to social demands.  The Zones of Regulation presentation also incorporates core concepts from Michelle Garcia Winner's SocialThinking® framework to help teach individuals about perspective taking so they better understand how being in the different zones impacts thethoughts and feelings of other people around them.November 5 Elizabeth Sautter Make Social Learning Stick: Practical Tools to Build Social Regulation. Social Regulation (Kuypers and Sautter, 2011) is the ability to adjust one's level of alertness and modify how emotions and behaviors are revealed in order to meet social goals. This presentation will offer parents/caregivers, educators, and other professionals who work with individuals with social cognitive, executive functioning, communication &emotional regulation challenges, the glue that makes social learning stick.The majority of the presentation will focus on practical tools, concepts and suggestions that can easily be used the next day to support social regulation at home, school, work and in the community. Participants will learn to embrace teachable moments using new strategies as well existing ones in order to create a "social learning diet" for success.  Check here for updates 
• 
   

Other

• Focus Group!  Please join us for one or both community engagement meetings to find out about families' experience of accessing and using early intervention services. INFO Early Intervention Supports. The Family Support Institute, Inclusion BC, and the BC Association for Child Development and Intervention would like to hear from you about your experience with early intervention supports and services for your child. We will have parent led discussions to identify key topics and issues most important to parents and families in BC. This will help form a provincial advocacy plan to be utilized by parents and families across BC to ensure the Government addresses these issues in the next provincial budget.
  Where?The EIBI Board Room, #3-3800 72nd Street, Delta
  When? #1: Wednesday, May 18th, 9.30-11.30am, OR #2: Tuesday, May 31st, 9.30-11.30am.
  Register?Contact: Si Stainton; email here  Phone 604-540-8374 ext. 528

   
  
   
• Click here for the new issue of Parenting Special Needs Magazine 

• click here for the April edition of Complex Child - Caregiver Stress 
• and check out their new website

• 3 Year Old - How to Stop Swearing? Apparently my son overheard someone using the "F" word. My husband and I don't swear, I'm pretty sure it was one of my husband's friends. My son repeated the word back in January. Since then he has said it about once every couple weeks. I have been ignoring it until this past week when he said it to one of my friends and I was very embarrassed. I told him that it's a bad word and he should not use it. I think that was a big mistake because since then he's been saying it all the time. I tried time out, I tried putting him in his room, I tried talking to him again about how it's not a nice word and nothing seems to work. Click here for some strategies 

• Screen Time Challenges? A reporter from the Canadian Press is looking for parents who are dealing with conflict over how much screen time their child should have.  It seems that one parent caves while the other digs in his/her heels about controlling time on the phone, Instagram, YouTube, games .... It never ends! If this is you, please feel free to contact me, Camilla Bains.  I will be speaking with experts to get you some answers!  You can call me Direct: 604-692-1166  Office: 604-687-1662 or email me here 

• Click here for the Family Support April Bulletin 

• 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. Loca��on: Surrey Arts Centre, 13750 88th Ave
  Dates: Apr 14-Jun 16, 2016. No class May 26.
  Time: 6:30-8:00 PM Cost: $135 for 9-class session
  To register: 604.501.5100 or www.surrey.ca/register
  4459463
  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. Click here for more information

  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.
• Click here for your comprehensive guide 

• 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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