A Musical Tribute to Aine

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Jump 10,000 feet for CAN

Neil Foley is organising a skydive with the proceeds going to C.A.N. Following is an extract from his fundraising page on Facebook.

Hi!!
my son Conor has autism. I'm on the committee for cottage autism network, a charity based here in the south east. so I'm thinking we should raise as much money as possible for a very worthwhile cause. and what better way to raise money than to throw yourself out of a perfectly good, fully functioning airplane!! lol I have a registration form downloaded so anybody interested just get back to me and I'll forward on the form. the more people do it, theoretically, the more money we raise! its a non refundable deposit of €30 to register, and that is deducted from the cost of the skydive.

How Much Do You Need To Fundraise? Choose From 2 Options

Option 1: Fundraise Minimum Target of €500
Reach this minimum fundraising target and you get to participate in either a Tandem Freefall Skydive (10,000ft) or Solo Static Line Parachute Jump (3,500ft). The cost of your Skydive (€250) is deducted and the other €250 plus all additional funds is forwarded to CAN.


Option 2: Fundraise Minimum Target of €600
Reach this minimum fundraising target and you get Option 1 plus you get the DVD & Photos. The cost of your Skydive Package (€350) is deducted and the other €250 plus all additional funds is forwarded to CAN.


You can also donate ALL of the funds raised to CAN and pay for the skydive yourself directly.

Think about it and get back to me?

The more people I get, the more money is raised, and the more people get an experience never to be forgotten. Come on people. please?

If you wish to get involved, please click here to be directed to the Facebook Page. Many thanks

Night out for World Autism Awareness Day!

World Autism Awareness Day this year falls on April 2nd, and to mark the occasion, Cottage Autism Network is holding a social night for all members and non members.  All too often, meetings are filled with talk of finance and grants etc., and leaves little time for socalising and getting to know each other properly.  We would like to invite all to join us for a night of fun, come raise a glass, have a few nibbles and just chat for a while.

Venue            The Bailey, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford

Date               Friday 26th March

Time               8.30pm til the early hours....

AIB Better Ireland Grant - Get Voting :)

Hi all

Please help St Senans ASD unit to get AIB better ireland grant for occupation therapy equipement by texting as many times as you can .......

Text:  ENNISCORTHY followed by a space followed by A to 51303 (standard SMS rates apply)

 

Voting open until 15th March

or

Vote free online

 

Online: Click on betterireland.ie select Enniscorthy branch and chose group A.

 

 

Thanks a millon

 

New App for iPhone to help Autistic Children - "Grace"

Grace - RTÉ News Six One from Steven Troughton-Smith on Vimeo.

Above is a link to the news piece that was filmed with Lisa Domican and her daughter Grace, whom together with a software developer Stephen Troughton-Smith, have been developing and breathing life into this application which will make a dramatic improvement in the lives of children with autism.

The following article was published by :

CIARA O'BRIEN - Irish Times Business Section, Friday December 11th

THE IPHONE is set to become a communication tool for children with autism, with the testing of a new application for the device.
The application is designed to be used in a similar way to the Picture Exchange Communication System (Pecs), which allows children to build sentences using a book of laminated pictures attached to a board by Velcro.

The application, which is being developed under the working title Grace, is the brainchild of Lisa Domican, a parent of two children with autism. She was inspired by O2’s marketing campaign for the iPhone. Before the launch of the device in 2008, the mobile operator ran advertisements on buses in Dublin. Ms Domican noticed the advertisements and realised the phone’s potential as an alternative to the Pecs books used by her 10-year-old daughter, Grace.

“You are constantly having to replace loose cards and make new ones,” said Ms Domican. “With the iPhone, the screen looks like a Pecs book. It’s ok to have a four-year-old walking around with a Pecs book; it’s not ok for a 10 or 12-year-old.
They’re very personal to the kids; it’s their voice. The [Pecs books] really stand out, whereas the iPhone is discreet and always there.”

The idea is backed by O2 Ireland, which supplied the devices for the development and testing of the application. The mobile network is already involved with Irish Autism Action and it was through this link that Ms Domican got backing from O2.

Ms Domican linked up with Steven Troughton-Smith, a software developer for the iPhone who has created a number of bestselling applications.

Mr Troughton-Smith, a student at Dublin City University, took the description of what Ms Domican wanted and turned it into a working version of Grace.
He developed the application to look exactly like a Pecs book. So instead of carrying around a Pecs book, older children can use the iPhone to choose from a range of pictures and place them on a virtual strip of Velcro.

Ms Domican’s daughter Grace has become so comfortable with the technology that she adds her own photos to the application’s library using the iPhone’s camera.

The application is undergoing trials on five devices in three schools to see if other children, parents and tutors can use it easily. Once testing has been completed, it will be submitted to the iPhone App Store.
 


It is hoped that the application will be released at the end of February and I will update the blog and keep members informed when a definite date has been decided.  Will try to arrange for Ms Domican to demonstrate the device to the parents and group at a later date.


Grace is nearly here.... watch this space!

TTRS Article Irish Examiner 04.12.09

This was a wonderful write up published in the Irish Examiner last December about the TTRS Touch typing course held in Wesgate Computer Centre which many children from CAN attended.  This course was designed for people with learning difficulties.  Not only did it teach typing, but it improved both reading and spelling skills.  The children who attended were motivated by the course and it built up their self esteem.

www.ttrs.co.uk has details of courses that are run nationwide.

To read the article, please click on it and it will enlarge in a new window.

Michael Farrelly Osteopath

Cottage Autism Network as a support group for families affected by autism are circulating this item for information purposes only. Any follow up action by anybody in relation to this circulated information is entirely their own decision and they should not infer from our issue of the information that the content is being endorsed by C.A.N.

Micheal Farrelly a classical Homeopath, spoke at our CAN meeting on tuesday night 19th January . He gave a very interesting talk about homeopathic remedies etc. He will come for consultations in Wexford if there are families interested in seeing him.  Please contact Michael at 086 1596119 or email at farrellym@hotmail.com

Fees €100 first consultation and €50 for follow up consultations.

Making Movies with Terence White

As part of the Cottage Autism Network’s siblings programme a film camp was organised with local film maker Terence White.

It was a small group of eight with ages ranging from 11 – 14. The ethos behind this particular group was to give the older siblings of families affected by autism a chance to meet others in a similar situation and because of the small group we could include kids that are on the spectrum who could then mix with others in their age group to gain valuable social practice.

The workshop ran for four consecutive days in July during which they produced and wrote their own film. The workshop then continued for a further three Saturdays in September, during which they produced a second film which this time had been written by Terence himself based on having met the group and gotten to know their interests and strengths.

We had a great diverse group who really seemed to work well together and who responded well to Terence’s way of working. The sheer amount of work involved in film making is sometimes overlooked. For example when having to re-shoot scenes up to 12 times the process can often be very tedious. The whole workshop was a great achievement for our group and it is a great credit to them to have worked so well.

Most of the kids in the group showed great interest and talent in the different areas of film making, from the technical aspect to the acting side. Even the kids who may not have had a particular interest in film production really seemed to enjoy the company that came with the workshop.

Overall it was a very fun and positive experience for all involved. We hope to continue organising more workshops such as this in the near future.

Ladies (& Gents) who lunch...

On Sunday 17th January, a distinguished looking group of Ladies and more than a handful of Gents spent a fine afternoon, wining and dining in the plush surroundings of the Ferrycarrig Hotel at a lunch hosted by the Soroptomist Association, who once again arranged the event and prizes in aid of Cottage Autism Network. There was entertainment galore and a huge turnout once again this year. The theme was "Red & Chic" and indeed, the guests obliged and there was no finer looking group of people dining on fine food in the Wexford area that day! Indeed, we ate, we drank and we were certainly merry!

How CAN came to life...

Published Wednesday February 27 2008

A WEXFORD based couple who have offered untold support to children with autism, are the worthy recipients of the Health and Welfare People of the Year award.

Frederike Frederiks and Servaas Dodebier have dedicated their lives to giving early intervention' to children with autism, with a view to helping them move on to main streem schooling. As founders of The Cottage School, the pair employed tutors who set up individual educational programmes for children with autism, and saw immediate progress in their own children. Through their dedication the paid campaigned to have the Department of Education provide a specific autism unit, and one is now established at Scoil Mhuire.

The unrelenting grit and determination of Frederike and and Servaas has helped over 30 children in Wexford, with a 57% success rate into mainstream schooling - a statistic which is even better than the experts anticipated.

As a result the Cottage Autism Network was born and now there are more than 50 families from Wexford who are members.

Early intervention for children with autism is crucial, and the first hurdle every parent encounters is getting a diagnose. Not deterred, Servaas and some friends from Irish Autism Action climed Mount Kilimanjaro to raise funds to found Solas, a diagnostic centre of excellence.

People can bring their child there and have them assessed by a full team of occupational therapists, psychologists and speech therapists. The ethos behind the centre is that a diagnosis is made within six weeks. More than 26 children frm Wexford children from Wexford have been assessed and thanks to the generosity of the people of Wexford, through Autism life cycle 2007, the burden of cost was reduced for these families. For many people their home has become a home from home for other concerned parents, where a warm welcome is always offered. As one of their nominators put it Their home is a place of hope, where the abnormal and sometimes idiosyncratic nature of our special children is treated as normal and no different, and where I for one, always left happier, and full of hope and determination, knowing I wasn't alone in this one.'

Welcome to the blog

Welcome to the new Cottage Autism Network blog. We will be posting up news on fundraisers, events, meetings and functions that arise. If any member wishes us to put anything up on the page, they can contact Hilary at can.wexford@ymail.com or myself, Tracy @ canwexford@hotmail.com.

Why a blog? When a parent first finds out that their child has autism, or suspects there may be a problem, they usually first turn to the Internet to find answers or look for local support groups in their area. Now when they type autism and Wexford into Google, they will be able to access our page and get the contact details needed to join up with CAN and get the support that is vital to all families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Existing members will be able to access all the information regarding upcoming events and we will be posting pictures and reviews of events after for all to enjoy.

Please feel free to leave comments on the posts.