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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.

Ongoing Events

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 (every Monday, including school holidays)
  • Early Intervention Playgroups (various locations, during school terms)
  • Board Games Sessions (18 May, Third Saturday of the month)

This Month's Events

Transport Canberra

FREE TRAVEL 

Now until Sunday 26 May

To celebrate the launch of the new network Transport Canberra is providing a month of free travel when passengers use their MyWay card

PCYC Playgroup: Play With Friends

ACTIVITY

Thursday mornings 11:00 am - 12:30 pm (during school term)
This playgroup is designed to assist young children (3 to 5 years) to develop confidence with their gross motor and movement. To encourage the development of social skills and cooperation through Music and Play activities. To assist with sensitivity develop by encouraging engagement in messy play activities. The children will also be encouraged to stay and have lunch to further develop their social skills. At Canberra PCYC Gym Erindale Shopping Centre, the cost is $5.00 each week per family. Please remember to bring children’s lunch. At this stage PCYC are hoping for a group between 6 to 10 families, so please let any possible interested family know . If you have any other inquires please feel free to call Canberra PCYC on 62967822.

Sanctuary Australia: CLUB Mojo

PROGRAM

Term 2 2019
A program for developing self esteem and managing emotions for Children 8 -12 Years. See flyer for further information.

2019 Diverse Learners 

CONFERENCE

Monday 6 May, 8:30 am (registrations from 8:00 am)
The Diverse Learners Conference focuses on successful strategies to include and engage students. The conference will showcase current research and innovative approaches that can be incorporated into any learning environment. An emphasis on practical activities and strategies will assist educators to ensure that students with diverse learning can engage purposefully in learning. REGISTER NOW.

SHFPACT: Me & You 

COURSE

Parents' session Thursday 9 May, 6:00 pm
Thursdays 16 May to 13 June, 10:30 am to 12:30 pm

ME and YOU is a group programme based on the SoSAFE! framework designed for 10 to 14 year olds with intellectual disability and/or autism spectrum disorder. ME and YOU is designed to help young people understand their bodies, their emotional and social needs, and relationships with other people. There are 5 group 2 hour sessions for young people and their parents/carers including both components and 3 individual sessions for parents/carers to work on a behaviour management plan that meets their child’s needs. Booking and enquiries, training@shfpact.org.au or 02 6247 3077.

An Evening with Jean Walker  from the Department of Education

EVENT

Thursday 9 May at the Parents & Carers Support Group, Marymead
Jean will be talking about the process of accessing Learning Support Units in the ACT for students on the Autism Spectrum. If you would like to attend the presentation or have specific questions for Jean on the night, can you please email autism@marymead.org.au. Please RSVP to attend this event.

Early Days: My Child and Autism

WORKSHOP

Friday 10 May,  9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Early Days workshops are for parents, relatives and carers of children 6 years and under with an autism diagnosis or currently going through the assessment and diagnosis process.  The workshop will cover, understanding autism, what autism looks like for your child and your family, how you can make a difference and navigating the NDIS. The workshops are held at Marymead, Yarralumla. There is no cost to attend the workshops.  REGISTER NOW 

Kids Empowered: Self Defence Classes

ACTIVITY

Saturday 11 May, 2:00 to 3:30 pm
This class is specifically for children with epilepsy and their siblings, this class teaches them how to neutralise threats without violence and will give your child invaluable awareness and prevention skills. The class is for 6-13-year-olds, but if your child is not within this age please have a chat with us.  Family and friends are invited to come along and enjoy a cup of tea and a chat while your child learns invaluable skills.

Cost is $10 per child, spaces are limited so please phone or email us to book your place, phone 6287 4555 or email admin@epilepsyact.org.au. Thank you to our friends at Synergy Self Defence and Fitness for facilitating this class. Bookings are essential.

Disability Trust: Sport and Recreation Activities

ACTIVITIES
Upcoming activities for kids with disabilities, please see flyer for information.
  • Score raiders ACT (Rugby League)- Monday afternoons, Sport Australia, Bruce.
  • Star Dancers ACT- Tuesday afternoons, Wanniassa School senior campus, Wanniassa.
  • Mixed Indoor Sports QBN- Wednesday afternoons, Q-One indoor sports centre, Queanbeyan East.
  • Tennis ACT & QBN- Thursday afternoons, Eastlake Tennis Club, Griffith, ACT & Queanbeyan Park Tennis Club, Queanbeyan.
  • Altogether Drama ACT- Saturday mornings, Namadgi School, Kambah, ACT.
  • Camps for both under & over 18’s – Sport & recreation camps
  • Social groups for 18’s +.

Early Days: Understanding Behaviour

WORKSHOP

Friday 17 May,  9:30 am to 2:30 pm
Early Days workshops are for parents, relatives and carers of children 6 years and under with an autism diagnosis or currently going through the assessment and diagnosis process.  This workshop is a follow on workshop for families who have participated previously in the My Child and Autism Workshop. The workshops are held at Marymead, Yarralumla. There is no cost to attend the workshops.  REGISTER NOW 

Spark!Jnr

PROGRAM

Saturdays 18 May to 22 June (break for June 8th on the long weekend)
SPARK!Jnr Groups are designed to help children from a young age learn about their thoughts, feelings and actions in order to build resilience, gain confidence, and be able to handle life’s ups and downs all in a fun, safe and interactive group environment. These groups are based on Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT). ENROL NOWdownload flyer.

Board Games

ACTIVITY

Saturday 18 May, 5:30 to 8:30 pm
Board games for people on the autism spectrum (13 years +) and their friends and families. Come and enjoy an evening getting to know others, learning new games or playing old favourites. Pizza/snack food/soft drink provided. Gold coin donation. A plate of food to share is appreciated. This will be on every third Saturday between March and November 2019. At Downer Community Hall, Frencham Place, Downer. Contact Bronwyn 0434 565 159 or Deon 0417 422 537. Download flyer

A Gender Agenda

STARLADY

Tuesday 28 to Thursday 30 May

AGA are thrilled to announce a series of special events to coincide with a visit from Starlady, trans super-hero and coordinator of Victoria's Zoe Belle Gender Collective.  You can register for our special housing workshop and/or the Queen of the Desert screening and QnA (an AGA fundraiser). Download our events calendar.

Allegro Education: Sing, Play and Socialize Group 

PROGRAM

Friday 9:30 - 11:00 am (birth to 3-year-olds)
Saturday 9:00 - 10:30 am (3 to 7-year-olds)

For children with a disability. Allegro Education works with the whole family through a transdisciplinary approach to help your child develop, learn and grow to maximise their greatest potential. We also assist parents to access the resources they need to function at their best while focusing on the specific needs of their child.  For more information contact Samantha Truscott. At the Salvation Army Church in Scullin.

Families’ lived experiences of autism

STUDY

The project is about families, including young people on the autism spectrum, their mothers, fathers, and siblings. The project is looking to develop a better understanding as to how these families experience and think about their identity, relationships and interactions, and how services can better support families. The findings of the project will provide researchers, practitioners, service providers, schools, and policymakers a better understanding of these families and a greater knowledge of how best to support them. To find out more, download the following:

The Cool Kids Program

EXPRESSION OF INTEREST

Cool Kids is a structured, 10 session program run over a minimum of 10 weeks that teaches children and their parents how to better manage a child’s anxiety. The program is based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), involves the participation of children and parents, and focuses on teaching practical skills. Bungee is currently accepting Expressions of Interest for this activity. For further information please contact the Bungee team on 6264 0200 or email bungee@bcsact.com.au.

Future Events

APAC 2019: Thriving with Autism (Singapore)

CONFERENCE

Tuesday 18 to Saturday 22 June, early bird registration closes Friday 15 March
The conference theme, Thriving with Autism, reflects our aspiration towards achieving quality of life for all persons with autism, their families and the professionals serving in the community. This conference seeks to inform participants of the progress made internationally in the development opportunities and provisions for the autism community and to empower them with the knowledge and skills to help them thrive and be successful in life. We will also learn more about the latest in autism research and global best practices in the field.

Services

Panache: Special Needs Learn to Drive 

PROGRAM

Panache Driver Training has a program to assist learner drivers to develop the skills to achieve their driving license. We are a very proud National Disability Insurance Scheme provider offering SPECIALISED DRIVER TRAINING 15_046_0129_1_3. Contact Derek on  0417 481 135.

Mable: Online Platform for Support Workers

SERVICE

Mable is an online platform that helps to connect people seeking support with individual support workers. If you'd like more control over how you access your supports, here's five reasons why you should look at Mable.
  1. You choose who supports you, when and how much you pay.
  2. Our community of independent workers also includes nurses, physios, speech therapists, fishing buddies, cooking companions and more. You can find your team and manage them all in once place.
  3. You can pay significantly lower than NDIS cap rates whilst independent workers can earn more. That's more hours of support for your family.
  4. You can invite your existing supports to sign up alongside you and together reap the benefits of Mable.
  5. All independent workers on the platform undergo strict onboarding process including police checks and working with children and reference checks where relevant.
For further information contact 1300 736 573.

Next Step

PROGRAM

Next Step is a free and confidential support service which helps you access the best type of mental health support to meet your individual needs. Next Step is a short-term intensive program that offers practical strategies to help you work through problems such as mild anxiety, depression and day to day life stress. To speak with a member of our team about the program or to self-refer please call 6287 8066 during business hours.

XTend Integrative Coaching

SERVICE

XTend offers coaching that works with you for better conversations and practical strategies to help you work through stress and challenges during everyday experiences. For information please contact Vendre Bejonja on 0412 830 386.

Trauma Healing

THERAPY

Chantal Jackson from About You Life Guidance is a local counsellor who specialises in trauma healing. She uses a gentle way of working with trauma and overwhelm that helps people renegotiate the trauma without reliving it. She also supports issues arising from chronic stress including insomnia, anxiety and depression, syndromes, overwhelm. People often find more ease in their bodies and lives, learn more self-care skills, and can "put the past to rest". For more information contact 0468 359 353 or chantal.aboutyou@gmail.com.

Mental Health Foundation

SHORT TERM ACCOMMODATION

The Mental Health Foundation's Short term accommodation Respite (STAR) service is designed to be a ‘safe place’ for people to have a break from their usual living environment. It allows the participant to rest and recharge, while focussing on short-term recovery goals. The STAR service is designed for people who are experiencing mental health concerns and need a break from their daily routines. Respite Houses are located in Kambah and O’Connor. Phone 6296 2291 or email respite@mhf.org.au

In Home Care Support Agency

CHILDCARE

Do you and your family need alternative childcare? Perhaps due to shift work? Or challenging and complex needs such as illness or disability? Or perhaps you have multiple children needing to access different care types? If you have answered yes to any of the above, you are eligible and maybe be suitable for In Home Care. An early childhood education alternative for families unable to access mainstream services. Contact us today 1800 940 906 or email us at support@ihcsupportagencyact.org.au or IHCSupportAgencyACT@marymead.org.au.

Aquatots Swim School

ACTIVITY

Aquatots swim school is now offering classes to children with special needs. The process would involve the parent/s or carer to attend an information session at our Forde facility. Their child would then be booked into a group class to be assessed during this class. If the parent does not want the group assessment the cost of the classes will be set at a private cost. If the child is assessed and requires a Special Needs class then the cost is set at our regular lesson price. Contact us about our “Special Needs Classes” to enrol your child.

Happy Sleepy Head: Sleep Guide 

ARTICLE

The Sleep Guide For Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder will give you information about about specific actions need to be done to help with the sleep challenges one may experience, what possible treatments are there, and how to understand autism and sleep-related symptoms overall.

Autism Library

SERVICE

Marymead Autism Centre currently has over 1000 autism-related books in our library. To view our catalogue, please access Librarika. To come in to borrow books, please contact us to book an appointment to make sure that the library will be available for you as we do use it for meetings. You can return books at the main Marymead reception desk during business hours (9:00 am to 5:00 pm, Monday to Friday) or drop by one of our support or social groups that run outside of business hours.

Do you need mentoring or advocacy?

ADVOCACY

Paul Jordan, author of "How to start, carry on and end conversations: scripts for social situations for people on the Autism Spectrum", can provide mentoring and advocacy services for young people on the autism spectrum.

Paul operates under the NDIS categories to autistic children and young adults who are NDIS Participants - Self Managed and Agency Managed:
  • Capacity building - Innovative Community Participation
  • Provision of Life Transition Planning and Individual Skills Development and Training (Mentoring and Social Skills Training).
Paul uses his life experience, books, mindfulness, defusion and social stories in relating to individuals. Contact Paul on 0401 841 783 or paulj3434@gmail.com or visit www.autismadvice.com.au.

Want to advertise in next month's newsletter?

ADVERTISEMENTS

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.

Donations

If you would like to donate to the Marymead Autism Centre, please visit our Donations page.
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.
PHONE NUMBER 1800 427 920   EMAIL autism@marymead.org.au
Acknowledgement of Traditional Ownership 
Marymead acknowledges the traditional custodians of country throughout Australia and their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We pay our respects to them and their cultures, and to the elders both past and present.
© 2019 The Marymead Autism Centre
All rights reserved.

Disclaimer: The Marymead Autism Centre does not endorse or recommend any particular products or services. The information provided in this newsletter is what we think may be useful to people on the autism spectrum and their families.

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