ACT’s ‘New Diagnosis Hub‘ has been updated in English to help families receiving a new diagnosis of autism for their child. It provides clear information on how to access government-funded services in British Columbia and how to spend the funds wisely. It is also helpful to families who may have received a diagnosis some time ago but are wanting to rethink their child’s program.
ACT has also translated the New Diagnosis Hub in Chinese, as part of ACT in Chinese, to meet the needs of many families across BC. There are several other large immigrant communities, as well as deaf and hard-of-hearing individuals, we would like to better serve by providing captioning and translation. It is very difficult to understand autism and services if you don’t have a strong command of English. Indeed it is very challenging even if you do. Please support ACT’s ability to caption and translate resources in additional languages by donating to our special translation fund.
Submit your Listing to ACT’s Community Events Page
With social distancing measures still in effect, the range of options for the summer are limited. To help families find what is available, ACT is gathering information on virtual summer camps and fun activities for school-age kids to be posted on a new Summer 2020 BC Community Events page. If you have a camp, program or event to share with families who have children with a range of special needs, please submit your resource. Please note that we are looking for more specialized resources that will address the needs of neuro-diverse children.
Early Intervention Resources for the Home Environment
There are thousands of children across Canada whose autism assessments have been delayed for several months at this point. As the wait time for a publicly-funded assessment in BC was up to 60 weeks even before the pandemic, forcing families to seek a private diagnosis at a cost in the range of $3,000 – $4,000, many families are highly stressed. To help families find ways of engaging with their young children who have either just been diagnosed, or where autism is suspected, ACT has gathered resources on our COVID-19 Page. These suggestions, illustrated by great videos, are focused on play based interventions. Even if a child does not have autism, these suggestions are helpful to encourage communication and social development and have been developed by world leaders in this field.
Looking for some fresh ideas on how to engage your young child who has either been recently diagnosed or where you have concerns about social communications?
Perhaps you work in public health, IDP or in a CDC which has been forced to close? We would welcome professionals forwarding this resource to families who are awaiting a diagnosis or early intervention services.
We urge parents to watch it – it’s only an hour – and hope that early intervention providers will share the link with their families and help them identify the ideas/resources that are a good fit for their child. The PDF Handout contains example activities, resources, and websites.
In addition to the free web stream above, the links to the programs below provide families tips on what to do to encourage social communication while they are waiting for a diagnosis. Ideally there is an early educator, a speech pathologist, or an Infant Development Program worker who knows the child too, and can provide advice remotely. We are not suggesting that parents become therapists, but these programs provide more sharply tuned approaches to parenting.
For children who have a language delay these resources will generally be easier to implement. For those who go on to be diagnosed with autism, it is often harder for families, but the techniques are the same. They are geared toward play and fun!
Autism Navigator is a unique collection of web-based tools and courses that uses extensive video footage to bridge the gap between science and community practice.
The Early Start Denver Model is a relationship-based early intervention model created to work with very young children with, or showing signs of, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Challenging Behaviors: Positive Behavior Support is Key!
The resources below focus on helping families re-consider the challenging behaviours that some of their children engage in. Usually these behaviors occur because the child is frustrated, as they do not understand and can not communicate what they want. The approach of Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is very helpful to change a negative dynamic in the home and ACT has a number of free online videos that can help families understand how to support their child with practical information that is parent-friendly. While you may need more professional support to really take advantage of this approach, watching these videos will help you become a better informed consumer of professional services.
ACT is continuing to update information on advocacy efforts and resources on our COVID-19 page. We welcome your suggestions for new resources at info@actcommunity.ca.
ACT has prepared a new set of guides to our free online resources, including Autism Videos @ ACT. These guides are organized to help educators, mental health professionals, and families to discover the many resources that ACT offers.
Visit the ACT Print Materials page to download these guides. ACT can mail copies to your school or organization upon request.
Special Needs Community Events
ACT’s Community Events listing highlights training and events provided by organizations across B.C. Below are a few of the upcoming events.
Starts next week! Web-streaming spots are still available. Details here.
Volunteers are needed for this event!
Volunteers receive complementary in-person registration and a certificate of attendance. Please email info@actcommunity.ca to apply.
In this one-day presentation, Alexandra Voroshina will present an overview of POPARD’s Student Cooperation Training (SCT) Model. Details here.
Save the date: Upcoming ACT Events
November 15, 2019 Introduction to Navigating BC’s School System
A POPARD Presentation
November 22, 2019 Supporting Indigenous Families Affected by Autism through Engagement and Research
ACT’s 2019 Focus on Research Gathering
November 29, 2019 Behaviors and Mental Health – an Introduction for Families of Children with Special Needs
A POPARD Presentation
Participate in Autism Research
ACT believes that encouraging research is crucial to building knowledge of evidence-informed approaches to help individuals with autism and other conditions. We devote a page on ACT’s website to informing autistic adults and parents of children with ASD about university-affiliated projects which may be of interest.
Here are few projects which are recruiting volunteers:
Virtual Mindfulness for Autistic Adults
“Autism in Practice”: Establishing, Maintaining, and Understanding Friendship Among Adults Diagnosed with Autism in British Columbia
How People with ASD Experience and Understand Online Gaming as a Communication Learning Platform: A Phenomenological Approach
Submit Your Research Project
Use our online form to submit your university-affiliated research projects related to the field of autism and special needs. It may take up to one week to post.
Autism in the News
ACT carefully sources insightful stories, ranging from research and government policy, to the world of entertainment, culture, and lifestyle.
Join ACT’s Facebook page for all the latest updates.
The Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD) is developing a service framework to guide how it provides and funds Children and Youth with Special Needs programs and services for implementation in Spring 2020.
ACT uses our Special Needs Community Events listing to share information provided by many different organizations. Below are a few of the upcoming events. To see what is happening around the province, visit Special Needs Community Events You are welcomed to submit your organization’s events. Over 7,000 individuals and agencies receive ACT’s News Round-Up.
Did you know there are a number of programs that can apply to special kids and adults that can make summer travel more affordable?
BC Ferries Disability Card
Discount fares are available for the person with a disability and his/her escort that will save one-half the regular passenger fare for both you and your travelling companion.
To receive this rate, you must present a BC Ferries Disabled Status Identification (DSI) Card. Discounts do not apply to vehicle rates.
The Access2Card helps those with disabilities who require assistance to access entertainment and recreation at participating venues across Canada, including movie theaters, the Vancouver Aquarium, and Britannia Beach Mine Museum.
The person with a disability pays regular admission and the support person receives free admission.
ACT is looking for photos of children, teens and adults with autism hanging out with their friends, siblings, school mates, parents and grandparents, or on their own having fun.
We use these photos to add life and personality to our print and online materials and to portray people with autism around BC enjoying life in our communities.
Visit our Share Your Family Photos page for more information on how we use submitted photos. Below are some of the submitted photos we’ve used in our emails, website, and in our print guides.
Research is crucial to build our knowledge of what are evidence-informed approaches to help individuals with autism and other conditions. Below are selected listings of university-affiliated research projects which parents and community professionals may be interested in exploring.
How People with ASD Experience and Understand Online Gaming as a Communication Learning Platform: A Phenomenological Approach
Participants Needed for UBC Study on ASD and Bilingualism
Addressing the Needs of Students with Autism with Self-Injurious Behaviour: A Narrative Inquiry
Healthcare services, stress, and resilience among Canadian children with disabilities
Summer with the Sharks in Mexico! – Online Auction is now open!
A Shark Watching Cruise in Mexico for one with Nautilus Tours! Sail to the waters of Guadalupe Island off of Baja California to experience the best Great White Shark diving on the planet!
This package includes accommodation and food on the Nautilus Belle Amie, with a spacious salon, sun deck, an expansive dive deck and, of course, a hot tub.
Bidding is now open and will end at ACT’s Songs on the Water event on June 4th. Visit the Songs on the Water page to book tickets for this fundraiser at the Vancouver Rowing Club, Stanley Park. All funds raised will benefit ACT’s free resources.
This trip is valued at over $3000 USD. Airfare not included.
Joseph Lucyshyn, PhD, BCBA-D, University of British Columbia
Dr. Joseph Lucyshyn presents a multi-method study of family centered positive behavior support (FCPBS), designed to be culturally responsive to families raising a child with developmental disabilities. A fascinating case study demonstrates how the family was coached to use PBS strategies to transform their child’s ability to eat a nutritious diet and play with her sibling.
Thanks to funding from the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Collaboration (CIRCA) at the University of British Columbia, ACT is able to provide this edited version of the 2018 Setting the Stage for Success: Positive Behavior Support in School, Home and Community conference.
Coming soon: Visual Support Strategies for Individuals with ASD with Dr. Brenda Fossett
We’ve updated the ACT Videos & Resources Guide – now with 55 videos, as well as details of upcoming events, BC Resources, and the Autism Information Database.
New this issue: ‘Women & Girls with Autism’ and ‘Positive Behavior Support in Home, School, and Community’ learning streams, and a preview of new videos being released later this Spring.
