Cottage Autism Network Wexford: fundraiser

Autism

Autism is a disability that affects a child's development in the areas of social interaction and communication. Children with Autism may show no interest in peek-a-boo or other interactive games. They may not communicate; instead they may "hand-lead" to the desired object. Many have poor eye contact.

Characteristics also include repetitive behaviours and resistance to tiny changes in familiar surroundings.

Sensory Issues: A child may have difficulty with clothing, noise and new situations. Some children have gastro-intestinal problems such as diarrhoea, constipation and food sensitivities.

The first signs of Autism, usually appear as developmental delays before the age of three. Autism is a "catch-all" word that is applied to a group of symptoms, some of which are mentioned above. These occur in varying degrees depending on the individual child.

Research has shown that early intervention plays a huge part in your children's progress. An appropriate education plan should be established immediately and should include - speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioural intervention. Some parents have reported success with dietary and biomedical interventions.

If you are concerned about your child, contact your GP or Public Health Nurse and seek assessment for your child.

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

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

Monday, January 18, 2010

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!

Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy (O.T.)?
Occupational Therapy aims to maximize a child’s participation in home, school, play and leisure activities i.e. activities of daily living. Occupational Therapy is important when a child’s ability to participate in/ or perform these tasks is affected or compromised by illness, disease, disability or disorder.

How Occupational Therapy Helps the Autistic Child

Children are assessed in terms of age-appropriate life tasks. Occupational Therapy addresses areas that interfere with the child's ability to function in such life tasks. An occupational therapist would assess the child’s fine motor skills, coordination and self-help skills. (eating with utensils, dressing etc) The occupational therapist would also look at how the child responds to and uses what he sees, hears, feels, tastes and smells. The occupational therapist would identify the child’s impairments and provide intervention services to develop skills in these identified areas.

Occupational Therapy benefits a child with autism by attempting to improve the quality of life for the individual through successful and meaningful experiences. This may be accomplished through the maintenance, improvement, or introduction of skills necessary for the child to participate as independently as possible in meaningful life activities.

These are some of the skills occupational therapy may foster:

daily living skills, such as toilet training, dressing, brushing teeth, and other grooming skills
fine motor skills required for holding objects while handwriting or cutting with scissors
gross motor skills used for walking or riding a bike
sitting, posture, or perceptual skills, such as telling the differences between colors, shapes, and sizes
visual skills for reading and writing
play, coping, self-help, problem solving, communication, and social skills

By working on these skills during occupational therapy, a child with autism may also do the following:

develop peer and adult relationships
learn how to focus on tasks
learn how to delay gratification
express feelings in more appropriate ways
engage in play with peers
learn how to self-regulate

And this from Andrea Roche, ASD Unit Teacher Scoil Mhuire Coolcotts Wexford.

The Benefits of Occupational Therapy for children with Autism.

In Scoil Mhuire Wexford we are lucky enough to have a purpose built, fully equipped occupational therapy room. We are also fortunate enough to have a group of dedicated parents from the Cottage Autism Network who have raised enough funds to employ an occupational therapist who works with children in our school and in St Senans, Enniscorthy and members of C.A.N county wide. This has provided us with a consistent occupational therapy service.

Each child has individual sensory and motor needs and so has an individual programme to meet these needs. The sensory levels of the children can change from day to day and moment to moment and because our staff are familiar with the recommendations and equipment, they can immediately react to calm a child who is over stimulated or vice versa. The recommendations are carried out not only during occupational therapy sessions but throughout the day when needed. Weighted jackets, weight bearing exercises, fidget toys, structured movement breaks along with consistent behavioural plans and vigilant staff have helped to reduce significantly inappropriate behaviour. These strategies have been a huge benefit to the children in aiding concentration, listening skills and participation in group work. We have also seen improvements in fine motor co-ordination, which is an area of great difficulty for our children. The use of slant boards, weights, pencil grips and specific fine motor exercise have aided this.

There is no doubt that occupational therapy is of huge benefit to children with sensory processing problems. We have found when it is used in conjunction with consistent behavioural plans by staff who are aware of the difficulties facing children with autism, the benefits are even greater.

Cottage Autism Network Wexford

Autism

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Jump 10,000 feet for CAN

Monday, January 18, 2010

Ladies (& Gents) who lunch...

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