Happy New Year!!
My first post for 2011.

Today I thought it would be helpful to share with you the 3 biggest messages that I took away from a brilliant presentation I recently attended, by fellow speech pathologist Michele Ricamato from Chicago… but just before I do…

I quickly wanted to let you know what I’ve been up to and why you might not have heard from me for a while. :0

Things have been crazy busy in my autism world in the past few months…

I recently completed my first series of professional development workshops for speech pathologists, working with children with autism in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne, which went very well and were lots of fun. The whole production took months of preparation and organisation but it has been a fantastic experience with some great outcomes.

As you know I am very passionate about Speechies using a relationship building and developmental approach to therapy, rather than “table-top” intervention. I am happy to say that…

95% of the 500 speech pathologists who attended said that they would shift the way that they work with children with autism as a result of attending the workshop!

This pleases me greatly

As a result, this year we’re planning to run advanced workshops for speech pathologists that will build on the information and ideas presented at the first workshop and will focus heavily on the practical application of those therapy strategies. We are also considering running a series of workshops for parents as well (time permitting).

So I am really excited about the year ahead!

But now… back to my reason for writing today.

As I mentioned, Late last year I attended a wonderful course in Adelaide. Michele Ricamato, a speech pathologist from Chicago and certified DIR consultant/trainer who specialises in children with ASD, presented on two very interesting topics:

• Honouring Intentionality – The journey of supporting intention and ideation in treatment
• Let’s make meaning – Supporting Comprehension at all stages of Language Learning.

There was a lot of wonderful information covered and numerous interesting case studies.

But the 3 overriding messages that really stood out for me were:

1. The importance of TRULY CELEBRATING the child’s unique ideas. There are no RIGHT or WRONG ideas. Our ideas are NOT better than theirs.
2. When you OBSERVE what the child is ‘doing’ throughout their day you will learn what is IMPORTANT, MEANINGFUL and MOTIVATING to the child. So if the child spends their day spinning, crashing, running, lining up then this is where their thinking/processing is at. If the child wants to keep talking about fire engines or helicopter propellers then these are the ideas in their head that they want to share and learn more about.
3. To create a rich and effective learning environment we must simply IDENTIFY what the child is thinking about (what is going on in their mind) and find ways to EXPAND upon this. Remember that ‘comprehension’ is like an onion with many layers to keep unraveling! So if the child loves to think about and play with fire engines this is wonderful and there are many opportunities within play to elaborate upon the child’s concept of fire engines and what they mean. It doesn’t matter what the child’s interests are… learning opportunities can always be created from a thought or idea!

So often in therapy we like to force our OWN ideas about what is important onto the child. As speech pathologists we often are the ones that determine what concepts are important to teach the child. But if we are truly operating in the PRESENT moment, when interacting with the child, then we will certainly learn through the child what is important and meaningful to THEM.

I really loved this quote from the course…

“I believe that a life without ideas is an unfulfilled existence. Not only having ideas is important, but to express them, share them and implement them is what makes a difference in the world”

Hearing the unique thoughts, feelings and ideas of the children that I treat is such a gift and truly rewarding! I would never want to squash this in a child.

So, some food for thought…

How much do you celebrate and expand upon the unique ideas of YOUR child (or those you treat)? Please share…

Related posts:

1. Effective Speech Therapy… what works and what doesn’t
2. What you should know before choosing a speech pathologist for your child with autism
3. Nutty therapy idea that worked!
   Help improve the attention span of your child with autism

Happy New Year!

My first blog entry for 2010. I hope it’s a great year for everyone.

This is Part 2 of how to help children with autism maximise their learning and connection using picture books. It’s a follow on from Part 1 which we did last week. If you missed Part 1 please watch it first, otherwise this may not make much sense to you.

You can watch Part 1 here http://www.autism-essentials.com/blog/maximising-learning-with-picture-books/

So as promised, in Part 2 I walk you through some real examples of exactly how I use picture books to connect powerfully with children with autism and explain the various techniques I use during the process that will really help to maximise their learning and connection throughout the activity.

There’s some really valuable tips in this, so I hope you enjoy it!

I really hope that you trial some of these techniques with your own child or those that you treat. Please let me know how you go.

P.S: As always If you have any thoughts or stories to share about this week’s article please leave your comments in the box provided below.

Related posts:

1. Maximising Learning and Connection with Picture Books – Part1
2. Maximise Your Child’s Learning With Visuals

GREAT NEWS!

My company, Connect Therapy, has just been approved by the Australian Government as an official autism service provider under the “Helping Children With Autism” package.

I realise that most of our non-Australian readers will have no idea what this means.

So what does it mean?

The Australian Government has committed $190 Million to help support families with children aged 0-6 who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. Essentially, families will be able to access up to $12,000 of funding to pay for approved early intervention services for their child.

So this is wonderful news for families, and the Australian autism community is very thankful for the government’s action.

It’s also very nice for Connect Therapy to be recognised in this way after years of service and dedication to helping families with autism… we can’t ask for a better endorsement than from the government

But as you can imagine…

Like most government departments, there was a mountain of paperwork, regulations and hoops to jump through to even be considered. However I’m happy to say that we successfully met all of the criteria and are now proud to be an approved service provider with the program.

So now that we’re an approved provider…

THE SINGLE BIGGEST QUESTION I’ve been getting from families has been…

“Can we use our funding to purchase the Autism Essentials DVD Training Program, even if Connect Therapy is not one of our registered service providers?”



The answer is YES. But not directly.
You just need to understand how the system works…

How to use your funding to purchase autism resources

Step 1 – Firstly, you need to be eligible and approved to access the funding in order to receive services from an approved service provider.

Step 2 – Once you are working with an approved provider, find the resource/s you would like to purchase and ask your provider to incorporate them into your child’s treatment plan.

Note: Your provider will need to endorse the resources in order to recommend that they be included in your child’s treatment plan. Most providers should be happy to work with you to maximise your funding and get all the help you can!

However, if your provider is unfamiliar with a particular resource and is reluctant to endorse it, try contacting the creators of the resource and ask them to speak with your provider so they might at least get a better understanding of how it could help.

Step 3 – Your provider orders the resources from the supplier on your behalf and claims the cost of them using your funding.

Note: The Autism Association of NSW has already purchased a few of our Autism Essentials Programs on behalf of their clients using the grant funding.

So it’s really pretty straightforward. It’s just a matter of knowing how the system works!


IMPORTANT!

If you live in Australia and haven’t already applied for the funding, then I would strongly recommend that you do so. You definitely don’t want to miss out!

Further information about the Helping Children with Autism Package available from www.fahcsia.gov.au, www.health.gov.au/autism and www.dest.gov.au/schools/autism

If you live outside Australia then I would also encourage you to inquire about any grants or funding initiatives that may be available in your country. Your first call should probably be to your national Health Department.


So to wrap this up. This is excellent news for Australian families. If your child is 0-6 years of age and has already received a diagnosis of ASD, then get going, apply for the funding and track down the best programs and services to help your child as soon as you can. Because I imagine the waiting lists for many services might be overflowing!

best wishes
Monique

PS: If you are stuck on waiting lists then the Autism Essentials Training Program can be and great resource if you need immediate access to a program that will rapidly increase your knowledge and skills and help you gain an in depth understanding of your child and how you can best help them. What’s more it will nicely complement and enhance any programs that you are already doing.

PPS: If you live in Sydney and are interested in using your funding to do our intensive 4 month In-home Therapy Program (with me as your therapist), then please register your interest early to avoid long waiting periods. The cost of the full program is $4,500 and is fully claimable using your funding.

PPPS: I’ll be back with more autism tips and strategies next week!  Promise

Related posts:

1. Welcome to our Blog!

Hi everyone,

Hope you had a great Easter break (for those of you who celebrate it).
I certainly appreciated having a bit of time off, even if I did eat a bit too much chocolate.

Today I wanted to flip things around and hand the microphone over to you, to get your thoughts and feedback on my weekly tips that I’m sending you.

Are you enjoying them?
Should I keep doing them…?

My goal is to help you by sharing my knowledge and years of experience treating children with autism. I know there are many of you out there who don’t have access to autism professionals, so hopefully you’re finding my advice valuable.  Even so, I still need to check in with you from time to time to make sure I’m on the right track and to ensure that you’re actually getting some benefit out of it.

So let me start by asking you probably the most important question…

What is the single best way I can help you right now?

What do you need or want relating to your child?
What burning questions do you have?
What are your greatest challenges or fears?

and in relation to my Weekly Tips…

Are you finding them helpful, easy to understand, too long or too short?
Would you prefer to receive them more often or less often?
Are there any topics that you’re dying for me to talk about?

Obviously it will be physically impossible for me to respond to everyone individually, but your answers will really help me understand how I can best help you as a group. So I’m hoping you can take a couple of minutes to leave me your feedback on these questions. You can do this at the bottom of the page.

Also please remember…

You’re not alone here. Every single person reading this message has something in common, and by sharing our thoughts and experiences we can go a long way to help each other. Perhaps you have an inspiring story you could share or you’ve just had a major breakthrough with your child. Whatever it is, please feel free to share it with the rest of us!

Please leave your thoughts, questions and comments in the box at the bottom of the page.

Thank you and best wishes
Monique Simpson

Related posts:

1. Back on Deck for 2009

Hello everyone.

I hope things are going well for you and your family.

For those of you who have recently joined our ‘Autism Essentials‘ newsletter, welcome and I hope that you are finding it helpful!

For others, who may not have heard from me in a while, apologies that I have been out of touch. I have been off on maternity leave for the last little while since being blessed with my beautiful daughter Siena, who is already one… doesn’t time fly!

The rest of the team here at Connect Therapy have been doing a great job managing the clinic and website in my absence.

But I just wanted to let all our subscribers knowthat now that I’m back on deck, I will be doing my best to keep in touch with everyone at least twice a week to continue sharing my insights, advice and experience… and to help (where I can).

Hopefully some of the topics discussed will apply to your own situation or at the least give you some ‘food for thought’ for helping your child with autism.

So. I’ll be in touch again very soon!

Best Wishes

Monique Simpson
Speech Pathologist | Director

PS: If you have any comments or feedback, please feel free to leave them below.

Related posts:

1. Welcome to our Blog!

Hello everyone.

Well, we’ve decided to start a blog!

For anyone who is new to Autism Essentials… welcome. My name is Monique Simpson, I’m a speech pathologist who has been specialising in the treatment of children with autism for over 10 years. More…

Besides running my specialist autism practice here in Sydney Australia, my company has developed a comprehensive DVD Training Program that empowers parents, carers and professionals with the knowledge and skills to make an enormous impact on their child’s treatment, development and happiness.

I am proud to say that the results of the program so far speak for themselves.

In this blog I’ll be sharing with you everything I’ve learned in the last 10 years about treating children with autism. I hope you find it valuable and enjoyable!

Best wishes
Monique Simpson

PS: Please feel free to leave us your comments at any time!

No related posts.