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Marymead Autism Centre is pleased to present this month’s newsletter to share updates on current events and activities for families of and individuals on the Autism Spectrum.
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Check our Events Calendar for Marymead Autism Centre and other community events.
Regular events coming up this month are:
Support Groups
Social Groups
Workshops
Access Days
Community Activities
Check the Community Activities page for other regular events such as:
- Boundless Buddies (Mondays, including school holidays, weather permitting)
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Royal Australian Mint: Quiet Morning
ACCESS DAY
Saturday 11 January, 9:00 am to 10:00 am
The Royal Australian Mint is committed to ensuring that all visitors have a safe and enjoyable experience. For this reason, we are working towards creating an environment which is inclusive and accessible. If there is anything we can do to assist you during your visit, please don’t hesitate to ask one of our Visitor Experience Hosts. Admission to the Royal Australian Mint is free for the Sensory Morning. Download information, map and social story.
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Teen Start-Up: Adventures in Placemaking
SCHOOL HOLIDAY PROGRAM
Monday 13 and Tuesday 14 January, 9:00 am to 4:00 pm (rego from 8:30 am)
The program is suitable for students aged 11-14 years (no technology or coding ability is required). This fascinating immersion in the field of placemaking, invites teens to explore the places they live in and challenges them to come up with ideas to make our communities more liveable and our public spaces more vibrant. Whether they prefer to design in Minecraft, on paper or by building elaborate models, websites or apps; students will apply their design skills to solve a real-world problem of their choosing. Register on Eventbrite.
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Nutrition Australia: Project Dinnertime Junior
ACTIVITY
Monday 13 to Friday 24 January, 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Looking for healthy activities these holidays? Look no further than Nutrition Australia’s Project Dinnertime Junior school holiday cooking program. Led by qualified nutritionists, our fun and interactive cooking classes will build your child's love to cook healthy and tasty dishes from scratch. Select individual days or book in for the whole week. Suited for children 8 -12 years. Book now.
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ACT Mental Health Consumer Scholarship Scheme
SCHOLARSHIP
Applications close Monday 20 January
The aim of the scheme is to increase employment opportunities for mental health consumers in mental health, alcohol and other drugs, community development, youth work and community services. The scholarship scheme recognises the immense value offered by persons with lived experience of mental illness. Anyone who has lived experience of a mental illness/disorder and is 17 years of age or older is eligible to apply for admission to the scholarship scheme. Preference will be given to applicants who have not completed post-secondary studies and/or are unemployed. Find out more.
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National Gallery of Australia: Sensory Sunday
ACCESS DAY
Sunday 26 January, 8:00 am to 10:00 am
Sensory Sundays is a free monthly program that provides people on the autism spectrum, with social anxiety or people who are neurodiverse with early Sunday morning access to the Gallery. On the last Sunday of every month, Gallery spaces are closed to the general public, allowing visitors to enjoy art in a calm environment. Suitable for all ages (children to be accompanied). Experience the Gallery’s exhibitions, engage in short conversational tours and participate in art-making activities in the Tim Fairfax Learning Studio. Book to register your interest and receive a social story prior to the program.
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Two Sheds Workshop: Woodworking
ACTIVITY
From Wednesday 29 January
Two Sheds Workshop is a supportive, fun environment for women and kids to learn woodwork and carpentry. The Wednesday Weekly Class for Women runs for 6 weeks starting on Wednesday 29 January. We are also adding more after school kids classes for term 1 in Canberra and so now we have a Homeschool Class starting Wednesday 5 February from 1:30 pm to 3:00 pm and After School Classes from 4:00 pm to 5:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
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Imagine More: Self Managing NDIS
SUPPORT GROUP
Friday 31 January, 12:00 pm to 2:00 pm
If your new or familiar with Self managing NDIS funding, come along to Imagine More's peer support group. This month our theme will be hitting the ground running when you get your plan. We will cover:
- Understanding your plan
- Working out how you will achieve your goals
- Figuring out what supports you need
- Figuring out what you can spend money on and what you can't
Make sure you bring along a copy of your NDIS plan As always bring along your other burning questions and we will see if we can figure them out together too. Register Now.
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Community Art Classes: Still Life Painting
ACTIVITY
Fridays 31 January, 7 February and 14 February, 9:30 am to 11:30 am
Enrolments are now open to join artist Naomi Zouwer for 3 fun and creative art classes working towards a still life painting in a supportive environment. Students will explore symbolism in still life painting as well as learn traditional painting techniques and approaches. Classes will run at the ACU Campus in Watson and are run by St Vincent de Paul Society with the support of the University. Clemente aims to not only teach art skills but to support people who feel isolated. Classes are FREE and all levels of experience are welcome. Lunch is also provided. Please do note classes are for adults – participants must be 18 years or older. Please email Sam or Bec at Clemente@svdp-cg.org.au for more information or call on 0418 714 835.
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Positive Youth: Introduction to Parkour for Justice-Involved Young Men
PROGRAM
A six-week parkour skills program based on positive youth development theory and practice for up to 10 justice-involved young men aged 16-24 referred by statutory and community-based services. Over six, three-hour sessions, participants will be guided to discover their strengths and explore their leadership capacity through parkour. They will apply these skills on courses designed by the coach in the natural and built environment. Refreshments and lunch will be provided, and participants will be given a Positive Youth T-shirt. At this stage this activity is fee-for-service. To find out more, visit Positive Youth, download the flyer or contact jeremy@positiveyouth.org.au or on 0452 221 723.
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Positive Youth: Intensive Support
SERVICE
Positive Youth can provide intensive support to young people aged 12-17 involved in the youth justice system, and young people aged 18-25 involved in the criminal justice system. Intensive support (sometimes called intensive case management or specialist support coordination), involves working closely with the young person and any other significant adults to identify the young person’s current state and build a roadmap to tackle the challenges ahead.
While Positive Youth’s approach to intensive support is practical, it is not entirely focused on the things that have gone wrong. Rather, Positive Youth’s approach to intensive support is also focused on incorporating the young person’s strengths and leveraging those strengths in the context of positive adult relationships to achieve useful outcomes wherever possible - like all of Positive Youth's programs and services, this service is deeply rooted in positive youth development theory and practice.
Because we are a start-up, we are agile and can design specific programs of intensive support for individual young people. At this stage, this is a fee-for-service service. To find out more, contact jeremy@positiveyouth.org.au or on 0452 221 723.
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GIVIT: Back to School Appeal
DONATIONS
GIVIT has opened the Back to School channel for you to start submitting your requests for donations. You can request specific items, please split your requests into separate items and include essential information in your original request e.g. size and type needed (for uniforms, shoes). You can also contact GIVIT if you would like to donate items or cash. If you have any questions or require any assistance, please email info@givit.org.au.
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Holiday Happenings Summer Edition
ACTIVITIES
School Holidays January
Your free Holiday Happenings Summer Edition is now ready for viewing. This edition is packed full of fun activities, programs and events to help keep your kids entertained these school holidays. Find your FUN right here.
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Mothers of children on the autism spectrum
STUDY
Open until 30 April 2020
Are you the mother of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)? Researchers at The University of Queensland are working to find better ways to support mothers of children with ASD from the first months and years of their child’s life. Mothers of children with ASD (10 years or younger) are invited to take part in a brief (30-minute) online survey. Find out more.
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First-Year University Students
STUDY
The purpose of this research is to help us to better understand the barriers and facilitators to transition to university for individuals on the autism spectrum in Australia. Alison is seeking participation from students on the autism spectrum, as well as family members of students on the autism spectrum, who have recently transitioned to university. The research will require participants to undertake an online survey which should take no more than 30 - 45 minutes to complete. If you want to check out the questions, view student survey preview and family survey preview. For further information please contact Dr Fiona Rillotta by email fiona.rillotta@flinders.edu.au or phone 08 8201 2018.
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Sanctuary Aus - Cool Kids with ASD
COURSE
Saturdays from 1 February to 28 March
Sanctuary Aus is delivering the very popular Cool Kids anxiety-management course, but with a focus on children and young people with on the autism spectrum, knowing how autism and anxiety generally go hand-in-hand. The facilitators have a wealth of experience in supporting those on the spectrum. Get in now to place your child on the waitlist. Cost for this program will be $1,500 and is approved for NDIS funding. For more info contact us on 0438 875 937 or info@sanctuaryaus.org.au. Download flyer for details on session times.
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Rebus Theatre: Speaking Role
PROGRAM
School terms 1 and 2, Tuesdays 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Rebus Theatre's Speaking Role is a free program for people who have a disability that affects their ability to communicate. It is for people who would like to enhance their communication and social skills for volunteering, employment and participation in their community, through the medium of theatre. It will be held at Ainslie Arts Centre in Braddon. The course will suit people who have some ability to communicate verbally, but have difficulty in always being understood. It is led by two experienced theatre tutors, one of whom is a person with a disability. The program will use the form Playback Theatre. In this established form, participants tell stories from their lives and others act them back. It rewards people’s speech through seeing their words played back, teaches listening skills, and honours the stories of people with disabilities. Some sessions will be devoted directly to job-seeking skills, especially interviews. To express interest in being a part of Speaking Role, or for further information, please email info@rebustheatre.com or phone 0403 815 784.
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InkBrushArt Therapy
VARIOUS PROGRAMS
From February
Next term we will have a Masters of counselling student from ANU doing her clinical placement with us. Trish will be available for parents and partners of current clients and friends of the studio who wish to access some very low-cost counselling on Tuesdays.
We are also running the teenage girls' art therapy group in terms 1-3 next year. This is on Friday afternoons and is open to all high school and college-aged student who identify as female. Participants are invited to work on social skills and creative ways to explore current concerns in a safe environment.
The Art Journaling for Health and wellbeing group will continue to run for ten weeks each school term on Tuesday evenings next year. This is a group for people who are 16 and over and who wish to explore art journaling as a tool for self-care.
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Warehouse Circus: Enrolments Open for Term 1
VARIOUS PROGRAMS
From February
Warehouse Circus fosters a co-operative environment rather than a competitive one which aims to give everyone an opportunity to learn fun skills they can show off with. Our expert trainers provide a safe and inclusive environment in which participants can express themselves. Participants leave our programs feeling fit and having built lasting friendships with other young circus performers. We have programs each day, from Monday to Saturday, at our venues in Chifley and Kaleen. We run programs for anyone, from the very young to the young at heart! If you would like to enrol in a program with us, or you have any questions about a program, please email our Programs Administrator on programs@warehousecircus.org.au, or give us a call on the number below. Alternatively, if you would like to enrol in a program online, feel free to go onto our Members Portal.
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iPsychSolutions: Social Groups and Workshops
ACTIVITIES
From Tuesday 18 February
Now it’s time to start thinking about what clubs and social groups to run next year. Social groups and workshops include “Worry Warts Anxiety Workshop”, “Taming my Angus Workshop”, “Building resilience, courage and happiness Workshop” (new), and similar social clubs – Mini Master Chef, Robotics, Basketball, Mario Brothers. Some events will be run on the weekends including mountain bike riding, bushwalking and camping. The sessions will commence on 18/2/20 and will mostly run on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. All social clubs and workshops will go for six weeks. If you are interested in these activities, please contact Mark Scarborough at markscarborough@homemail.com.au.
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Southern Cross Club: On the Spectrum
SHOW
Thursday 27 February, 8:00 pm
The Canberra Southern Cross Club is hosting On the Spectrum, a 90-minute panel discussion/presentation show, including a range of topics about autism and creating further awareness and understanding about the autism spectrum and what can be done to assist and help parents learn more. This show features Dougal Austin and Jeremy Samson and 3 to 4 expert panel members (professionals, specialists, individuals on the spectrum). Buy tickets online. Download flyer.
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PEERS Social Skills Training for Teens
COURSE
Starting February 2020 (16 sessions), Wednesdays 5:00 pm to 6:30 pm
Capital Psychology Clinic is recruiting for Teens 14-16 years with high functioning Autism for the Peers Teens Program that we will run in Term 1/Term 2 in 2020. PEERS is appropriate for teens with Autism Spectrum Disorder, ADHD, Anxiety, Depression or other social and behavioural disorders. Parent/Carer participation is required across the 16 weeks. Each session involves learning concrete rules and steps for an important social skill, role-play demonstrations of that skill, perspective-taking questions, behavioural rehearsal exercises and homework assignments. Payment plans are available and NDIS funding payments are also welcome. Download flyer for more information.
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PEERS Social Skills Training for Young Adults
COURSE
Starting February 2020 (16 sessions)
The PEERS program has also been clinically validated with young adults (18-30 years of age) who have a diagnosis of ADHD, depression, anxiety or other social challenges. We plan to commence the program at the beginning of February 2020 if we have sufficient numbers to run the group. Download flyer.
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SHFPACT: ME and YOU
COURSE
Two courses for 2020, April and October school holidays
ME and YOU is designed to help young people understand their bodies, their emotional and social needs, and relationships with other people. ME and YOU also builds skills and knowledge in parents/carers to enable them to support the developmental journey of the children they care for. Download flyer. Download enrolment form.
Please note that:
- prepayment for the course is not possible
- places are limited on the course to 6 individuals plus parent/carer
- your name will be placed on a waiting list if you miss out on a place
- you are welcome to attend SoSAFE! (for parents/carers) prior to the course as an ideal background.
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The Real Effect: Emotion Coaching
COACHING
Accessible and affordable emotion coaching provided by Alison of The Real Affect is now available to help you get into healthy relationship with yourself. Learn how to identify, understand and manage difficult emotions by reconnecting to the treasure trove within – the source of all knowing which comes from just ‘being’! Alison is passionate about helping people learn to self-regulate so they can enhance their personal wellbeing and increase their satisfaction in relationships. Move on with life with a renewed sense of confidence that comes from being able to handle yourself. Contact Alison on 0450 127 005 or alison@therealaffect.com.au.
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Sanctuary Aus - Club Mojo
COURSE
Saturdays 1:00 pm to 2:30 pm
Sanctuary Aus' Learning Emotions and Developing Self-Esteem course for 8 to 12-year-olds. Run at advertised times through the years, generally on Saturday afternoons. The group is designed for children having difficulty managing their emotions and we welcome children without or with mild to moderate disabilities. Sanctuary Aus are NDIS registered. Cost is $275 per person for the 5-week program.For more info contact us on 0438 875 937 or info@sanctuaryaus.org.au.
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Sanctuary Aus - Families in Sync
COURSE
Sanctuary Aus has a specialised service that brings together therapeutic and practical support to children, parents and families in their own home. We specialise in attachment, trauma, children with challenging behaviours and provide counseling and coaching services. Cost is calculated on a sliding scale according to the family's income. Contact us for a quote. For more info contact us on 0438 875 937 or info@sanctuaryaus.org.au.
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Autism Advice
SERVICE
Paul Jordan, from Autism Advice, provides mentoring and advocacy services for young people on the autism spectrum. Paul uses his life experience, books, mindfulness, defusion and social stories in relating to individuals and is a registered NDIS provider. Contact Paul today.
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Want to advertise in next month's newsletter?
ADVERTISE
If you'd like us to place your service or event in next month's newsletter, please fill out our online form or email the details to autism@marymead.org.au.
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Donations
If you would like to donate to the Marymead Autism Centre, please visit our Donations page.
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If you are interested in opening a savings account, please consider Beyond Bank's Community Reward Account. On your behalf and at no cost to you, every year Beyond Bank will donate a percentage of account holders’ annual average balances to the Marymead Autism Centre if you choose us as your nominated organisation when you open your account.
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