Autism Assistance Dogs (part 2)

Just wanted to take this opportunity to introduce you all to Charlie.
My daughter's new autism assistance dog. An incredible gift from Lions Foundation Guide Dogs.
Thank you guys at LFC for making my daughter a happy little girl.
More to come...

Autism Assistance Dogs

My daughter's mother is in Oakville for 9 days taking training for my daughter's new autism assistance dog.
We sat on a waiting list for 14 months but the time has come.
I can't describe how my daughter feels other than ecstatic. I haven't seen her this agreeable or happy.
Many thanks goes out to the Lions Foundation of Canada for this opportunity.
@LFCDogguides on Twitter.
www.dogguides.com.
If you have the opportunity to visit,  I suggest you do. Also, go to one of their open houses, they are fantastic. It will amaze you to see what guide dogs can provide for those in need.
Her dog will provide so many levels of assistance to her.
The most relevant of these being a special bond and companionship. Which, for parents of an "aspie-rational" child, is one of the most important things that can be provided.
Aspergers children often find difficulty in socializing, not for lack of effort on my daughter's part. She is, surprisingly, a social butterfly. As expected, there are always challenges, but she never gives up.
But when it gets a little overwhelming, her dog will always be there for her. It will never turn it's back or be insulted or shocked but what she may say or do.
For this, as a family, we feel blessed.
I can ramble on for hours about AADs but I won't. Well, I will in a future entry. Once I gather everything I need, I will tell you more, as well as update you on progress.
But for now, I just want to say thank you to the Lions Foundation for this incredible gift and urge everyone to visit, learn about and, most importantly support this wonderful organization.
The time and effort these people put in to fostering, training and caring for these animals... No, not animals, rather angels or members of families, is unmatched.
So thank you again to them and anyone that reads this and feels inspired or moved.
And one other note, the timing is impeccable as we recently lost the family dog, George, which left a deep wound to both of my children. We were all devastated and miss him very much.
So on top of all the great things this new family member will provide, it will also help to fill a void.
Anyways, signing off again. Until next time...

Autism Speaks Under Scrutiny

I did a little research today on the debacle about Autism Speaks and I have to say, I am a little appalled. However, I do intend to dig a little deeper.
Until then, I am curious if Autism Speaks can provide a rebuttal to this being published against them...

http://autisticadvocacy.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/Autism_Speaks_Flyer.pdf

Don't Forget Your Children

I know the title of this article sounds a bit silly. You can’t forget your children. However, you can make them feel like you did. I speak from experience.
When you have a child with Aspergers, you unwillingly adapt to what you feel is the best for the situation. The problem with this is that you need to further adapt. To readjust to what really is best. That being said, it is obvious that your Aspie child does require a special kind of attention, a level of attention that, at times, requires more of your time. Not to say that your child does not is at liberty to use any and all of your time as they need it.
The problem arises when your Aspie child is also a sibling. The game changes when there is a brother or sister. Now you have to give your Aspie child all that he or she requires from you, while, at the same time, balancing that time with your other child. Although you have a child with exceptional needs, you still have another child. And although you may feel that that other child is capable of handling more of their lives and personal situations on their own, they still, ultimately, need you in their lives.
For myself, my daughter, who suffers… no, lives with Aspergers, requires a lot of attention, love and guidance from her mother and I. Aspie is a condition that demands more at times than a parent caring for a child not diagnosed with AS. It requires a lifetime of leading and teaching, especially with social interaction.
However this does not condone ignoring other children. For example, my daughter’s older brother, my son. The biggest mistake I was making was thinking, because he is actually an adult, is that he did not require an equal amount of my time. He did and he does. Just because he is a man, does not change that he is my son. This of course may have caused him to lose some faith in me as a father. I’m supposed to be there to guide him as well in life.
Hence the purpose of this article. Although this comes across as rambling, the fact remains, you still have responsibilities to all those that require your time.
Never forget one child in the process of being there for another child. Make sure they know that you love them and make sure they know you are there for them. I hope mine do. I may not spread my time properly, as it is a learning process for all when you are thrown into this situation, but I would never deny one or the other deliberately.
Although your job as a parent to an Aspie child demands a lot to that individual child at times, your job as a parent is to make sure you meet the demands of all and that they understand you are there, no matter what.
Never shut one door to make sure another is open.
I hope this article made sense.
I’m done.
No…
My daughter knows.
I hope my son knows how much I love him. Now I’m done



Don't Forget The Children by Andrew Seichter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivs 2.5 Canada License.
Based on a work at http://aspieflight.blogspot.ca/.

Reclassification of Aspergers Syndrome

People diagnosed with Aspergers Syndrome have changes to face in the upcoming year. It has been announced that The American Psychiatric Association’s is looking at AS being taken out of the Autism Spectrum's umbrella.

The question is will this have a positive or negative impact?

Of course, it appears to be positive, as AS will now be singled out and possibly start to get the attention it needs as its own entity. However, some fear that, because it is no longer part of the more recognized spectrum, it may be ignored as something less critical.

Firstly for those already diagnosed with AS, it does not change their status. Anyone diagnosed pre-DSM-V will still be recognized as a person with this disorder. However it does not guarantee anything more than just that.

But for anyone seeking a diagnosis after the fact, it will be much more difficult as they will need to meet several more criteria than before upon the report’s release in 2013.

How does this affect those who deal with AS on a daily basis? It can either mean a lack of programs and studies geared toward AS or, and fingers are crossed, it could mean that AS finally gets the attention it deserves. Possibly more emphasis on clinical studies and a deeper understanding of this neurological condition, simply due to the fact that it will be singled out and not seen as a side study of the Autism Spectrum. We can only hope for this to happen. However the prospect of this does not appear, as yet, to be feasible.

The dark reality of this, at this time, seems to be leaning towards a lack of funding and proper program implementation for those who are, or will be diagnosed with, Aspergers Syndrome, leading to demise in the already limited programming available to families and individuals dealing with AS now.

Being a parent of a child who lives with AS, I am a little anxious about this change in classification. I have personally researched this topic and do not like what I have seen to date. Once this change is made I may be forced to take my advocacy on this condition to a whole new level.

Although there are many programs geared to assisting in dealing with this condition, I feel it does not get enough specific attention already. If the classification change happens next year and the attention it is receiving begins to taper off, it will lead to more ignorance on the subject and therefore more decline in services needed to help those afflicted with this disorder.

Unfortunately the APA will not be able to promise that reclassification of AS will do it any justice. Maybe it should stay where it is under the umbrella. At least until it reaches a level of public awareness that warrants it receiving proper attention and research. Until it no longer needs to be “parented” by a much more acknowledged topic of research such as Autism. I do not want to imply that Autism is of any less importance, however it has been recognized for much longer that AS and is receiving a fantastic amount of research and development of helpful programming. Several incredible organizations have been founded to assist with this. It is because of these organizations and the current classification of AS that we get the funding, research and programs needed for AS to date.

So why not keep AS under its current classification? Until it is more recognized and treated with a little more intensity as many other neurological conditions. Allow it to mature in recognition, so that one day it is treated as it should be and we can develop more ways to help live with it and one day possibly treat it.

Reclassification of Aspergers Syndrome by Andrew Seichter is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.