Print all In new window FW: Child volunteers for a Practice ADOS Assessment Inbox x AFSA President Tracy-Ann Pettigrew AttachmentsJul 9 (5 days ago) to Amanda, Belinda, Catrina, Jan, me, Kim, Michael, Phil, Tracey, Tracy From: Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre [mailto:otarc@latrobe.edu.au] Sent: Tuesday, 7 July 2015 3:16 PM To: president@afsaconnect.org.au Subject: Child volunteers for a Practice ADOS Assessment To view this email as a web page, go here. Image removed by sender. Latest news from Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre EMAIL NOT LOOKING BEAUTIFUL? VIEW IT IN YOUR BROWSER Image removed by sender. Visit us on Facebook Image removed by sender. Can you help us to train new ASD clinicians? Image removed by sender.Dear Richard, We are looking for children 5 years of age and under (with or without an Autism Spectrum Disorder; ASD) to volunteer for a practice assessment. By volunteering you will be helping clinicians on the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule) to practice their new skills under supervision. Thank you to those who have already responded to the call-out through our blog, Another Piece. We do still specifically need children for next Tuesday, July 14th. There are two times available: 9.30 - 10.30am, or 2 - 3pm. In thanks for your help, we can provide an assessment report (if your child has an ASD) and a $20 Coles-Myer gift card. For more information about volunteering please visit our blog, Another Piece. Please contact me if you have any questions or are interested in volunteering. Kind regards, Alex Aulich Lab Officer Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre La Trobe University Bundoora VIC 3072 A.Aulich@latrobe.edu.au You received this email because you or a family member have taken part in research at our centre, subscribed to our newsletter, or previously attended one of our events. If you no longer wish to receive emails from our centre you can unsubscribe. SHARE THIS EMAIL Image removed by sender. This email was sent to: president@afsaconnect.org.au This email was sent by: Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre School of Psychological Science, La Trobe University, Bundoora, VIC, 3086, Australia Phone: +61 (0)3 9479 2497 • Fax: +61 (0)3 9479 1965 Email: otarc@latrobe.edu.au • Web: www.latrobe.edu.au ABN: 64 804 735 113 CRICOS Provider: 00115M We respect your right to privacy - view our policy You can choose what information you would like to receive from the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre. To update you Profile and Subscription, or to unsubscribe from all publications, go here: Update Profile and Subscription Preferences | Unsubscribe From All Emails

Mothers, mortality and autism January 13, 2015 by Paul Whiteley Ph.D. mother 300x200 Mothers, mortality and autismThe title of the research paper by Jenny Fairthorne and colleagues* based at the Telethon Kids Institute at the University of Western Australia does not exactly make comfortable reading: ‘Early Mortality and Primary Causes of Death in Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Cohort Study’. Reporting results based on the analysis of some 300,000 mothers with live-born children living in Western Australia between 1983-2005, researchers identified those mothers with a child diagnosed with autism and/or intellectual (learning) disability and compared “dates and causes of death for all mothers who had died prior to 2011.” After correcting for various confounding variables, researchers concluded that “mothers of children with intellectual disability or ASD [autism spectrum disorder] had more than twice the risk of death” of that of a comparison group with no offspring diagnosis of ASD or intellectual disability during the study period. Those mothers with a psychiatric diagnosis – defined as “outpatient clinical psychiatric contact or a hospital admission in relation to a psychiatric diagnosis” – and a child diagnosis of ASD or intellectual disability fared worst when it came to the mortality statistics. The primary reasons for death were cancer, misadventure and cardiovascular disease. The authors speculate on the various reasons why early mortality might be more likely in their cohort of mothers with children with a diagnosis concluding that: “these increased hazards may be related to the increased stress of raising a child with these disabilities.” They also suggested that underlying genetic or biological issues potentially linked to their child’s diagnosis may increase the risk of early mortality. As uncomfortable as such research might be to read, there are some potentially valuable lessons to be learned from the data. Moves to reduce or mitigate the burden of stress and issues such as depression where present in parents with children with disabilities should rank high on the list of what society can do. This could be achieved through dedicated programs to increase resilience and positively affect parental coping strategies and/or increasing access to important services such as respite care. Initiatives such as offering a suitable social support network or something as simple as providing time and access to ‘me time’ for exercise or leisure time for example, might also be useful approaches. A greater focus on parental health screening is also implied from the Fairthorne results. * Fairthorne J. et al. Early Mortality and Primary Causes of Death in Mothers of Children with Intellectual Disability or Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Retrospective Cohort Study. PLoS ONE. 2014; 9(12): e113430. Read more about this study at: http://questioning-answers.blogspot.com/2015/01/early-mortality-in-mums-of-children-with-autism-or-intellectual-disability.html

Tim Chan from Melbourne

http://youtu.be/Woy-XzC- Tim Chan

The Reason I Jump

Whilst away recently I came across and read the most wonderful book, that I had heard about previously. "The Reason I Jump" The inner voice of a 13 year old boy with Autism. I recommend this 90 minute read to any parent or carer of a person on the spectrum. It shows us there is a bit of genius and angel in every one one of them and will early intervention we can help and guide them to their fullest potential.

Let's Get Real!

Parents who have a child with autism understand the hard work, time, and love it takes to give their child a fulfilling life, day in and day out. This time also takes a lot of energy and patience, wearing many parents thin, and leading them to feel they are fighting the battle against autism alone. We need to remind ourselves as autism supporters and parents of children with autism that we're all in this together! Not only do we need to care for our children but we need to care for ourselves. We need to remember that what we do is possible when our own physical and psychological needs are met as well as those of our children.

 
Jane's Chatter © 2013