COVID-19: Resources, Advice, and ACT's Advocacy
ACT is gathering information to support families during the COVID-19 crisis, including resources specific to those who are neuro-diverse and useful general resources. Our COVID-19 Resources page will be updated as new resources come in.
- Watch Practical Tips for Helping Families Reduce Stress
- Resources for Families Waiting for Assessment
- View upcoming live web streams and presentations you can watch any time
ACT's Guides to Autism Videos & Resources
Download the ACT Videos & Resources Guide for the latest updates on ACT’s videos, events, and resources. We have specialized guides for:
Special Needs Resources Guide for Schools Guide to Mental Health Resources
ACT Videos & Resources Guide for Parents and Professionals
B.C. Resources
Looking for autism & special needs resources specific to British Columbia? Visit the new B.C. Resources page to find community agencies, recreational activities, service providers, support groups, education & employment, community events, the autism manual, new diagnosis hub, transition to adulthood, and much more!
ACT turns 15 - Report to Donors
As of January, it will be 15 years since ACT opened our office to support the autism community. In 2019 alone, we have helped 133,000 visitors find answers to their questions via our unparalleled online resources; ACT's free videos were watched 32,000 times.
ACT's resources are funded by donations and sponsorship from members of the autism community. If you are in a position to donate to ACT and would like to know more see ACT's 2019 Report to Donors (pdf).
Find Autism Information
Find practical autism resources in the Autism Information Database (AID). We've made it even easier to find resources and tools for parents and professionals with a new subject listing. Free and relevant world-wide.
You can also find 自閉症社區訓練協會 (ACT in Chinese), ACT in Punjabi, Online Mental Health & Autism Project: Looking Beyond Autism, and Autism Research.
Latest News
Free Early Intervention Resources for Home | Submit Summer Activity OpportunitiesGet the latest updates in your email. Subscribe to our newsletter for news, resources, and events:
ACT is committed to respecting your privacy. We do not share information with any other organization or individual. You can unsubscribe at any time. Read ACT’s Privacy Policy for more details.
Autism, Anxiety and COVID-19
To mark World Autism Day with a practical initiative, ACT invited three respected mental health clinicians, who have presented for ACT on autism and mental health, to answer questions on ‘Anxiety and COVID-19’.
Watch hereSearch the Autism Information Database
Search over 1,400 vetted information resources related to ASD, including online articles, videos, and websites.
Special Needs Community Events
ACT lists workshops and conferences in B.C. related to autism and other special needs that are provided by local agencies and organizations.
News from ACT on Facebook
"When Premier John Horgan and Education Minister Rob Fleming announced on May 15 that B.C. schools would open for optional in-class instruction on June 1, they said students 'needing additional support' would have the option to attend school full-time." However, the author found most parents had not been informed of this option. Some parents had been refused by the school when they asked if full-time attendance was possible. Has your school district given your child the option promised by the Premier and the Minister of Education?
Patti Bacchus: Kids with special needs are being left behind—again
www.straight.com
May 29, 2020 - Stop pushing kids with special needs to the bottom of the pile."Any family with a seriously disabled child is familiar with challenges. We’ve spent the last 24 years dealing with the challenges. [Coronavirus] has intensified some of them and opened up new areas, but we’ve got that experience of having to create normal out of chaos.” A look at how parents who have a non-verbal adult daughter are adapting to the changes the pandemic has brought in South Australia.
‘It’s been a real rollercoaster’: navigating autism in the Covid-19 chaos
www.theguardian.com
A sense of routine is essential for Morgan Tilly, who has non-verbal autism. So when coronavirus restrictions hit, her family had to create familiarity amid the uncertaintyThis is a sad story, of an Instagram and YouTube influencer who adopted a disabled child from China and has now in turn given him up for adoption to a new "forever family." We wish all concerned the best, most especially the little boy who has already known so much upheaval in his short life.
YouTuber Gives Up Adopted Son With Autism & She's Not the First
www.sheknows.com
Myka Stauffer is getting a lot of hate for this decision.It was hard to raise my son diagnosed with autism. I don’t think I had enough support and I had 3 other children. We all had a very different life. I never gave up and I did the best I could, but I bet this guy will have more success in another placement. I’d like to hear from more people who raise children with autism on thoughts about this story.
Happy they conceded that they were failing this boy, BUT to say it was his choice, that he wanted to be 'rehomed' is deplorable, especially because they say he has problems expressing himself and after they monetized their YouTube and Instagram accounts. Clearly no one made them understand that autism therapies take YEARS to see the true benefits, not a one and done kind of thing. Making sure he ended up in a truly selflessly loving home is their only saving grace.
It's not a sad story, it's an infuriating story of two YouTube influencers seeking to buy an autistic kid for clout and profit and once they decided they were done sending the child away like it was a puppy who took a dump on the carpet. Unlike most parents, they knew that H had Autism when they adopted him, and to be honest, I think they were looking to adopt an Autistic child because it plays better on social media. These people are absolute monsters and deserve zero sympathy. We have no idea if their victim is in a safe home now, and they most likely aren't due to the poor state of the US in general and child adoption agencies in particular.
My heart breaks for that little boy!!!! If I had the money- I'd love h forever!!! This is disgusting!!!!! I have twins on the spectrum- there were times early on when I didn't know what our future would look like. They are almost 6 now and our future is bright and amazing!!! Sure we still have challenges- don't get me wrong- as children grow they are always faced with new challenges... But now I know we will survive and work through it and learn together and it'll be ok. A year from now will be. New challenge. Those people are unfit to be called parents- 🤬
As an adopted person and mother of an autistic child ... this is disgusting!!! When you adopt a child it is FOREVER. It’s not like getting a puppy from the pound and then deciding the pet doesn’t fit your family ... I was 2 weeks old when I was adopted and as an adoptee, even with loving parents your biggest fear is abandonment or them not thinking your really family. How is this boy going to feel??? These people are lower than trash imo. You roll the dice when you have a biological child or when you adopt .... you can’t return a human being 🤦♀️
I watched their videos. They did this all for $$$ had a new child and decided this one was to much work. Despicable in my opinion
They should put all the money they made off him into a trust fund for him.
This is more than sad, it’s abhorrent.
Just unbelievable that they would even consider a child returnable, it's disgusting
And less than 50 years ago families gave them up to instututions
Why is this even aloud?!!!
“There is a lot to be learned from some people on the spectrum about remote learning and remote interactions. I would not wish Covid on the world, to be clear, but this is an opportunity for people who have traditionally been seen as different, or people who are seen as needing to learn how to be social. Here is an opportunity for them to be the educators and the leaders. It’s a role-reversal.”
www.bizjournals.com
Can people with autism be teachers in a world where social distancing is the norm? At the Jefferson Center for Autism and Neurodiversity in Philadelphia, they're looking into the strategies those on t...自閉症社區訓練協會 | ACT in Chinese
ACT 自閉症社區訓練協會，
是加拿大卑詩省內針對家有自閉症兒童的家庭提供諮詢及轉介服務的非營利機構。
ACT in Punjabi
ACT has been able to both create and identify valuable resources for the Punjabi-speaking community in British Columbia.
View Punjabi-language Resources