Did you know that April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day & that April is World Autism Month. For more than a decade, April 2^nd has marked a special day to raise awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The United Nations in 2007 proclaimed April 2^nd as World Autism Awareness Day but it also became a day to start a global conversation about autism. The goal is to raise awareness and understand more about autism across the world. April is also considered World Autism Month.

In light of this, we\’d like to present 4 things that everyone should know about autism:

1.  Autism is not a mental illness, a mental health condition or a learning disability

Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is characterized by impaired verbal and social communication; rigid, restrictive and repetitive behaviours; uneven intellectual development; sensitivity to sensory input; challenges with fine and gross motor skills; and gastrointestinal difficulties, among other characteristics.

Autism is more accurately referred to as ‘autism spectrum disorder’ (ASD) because each person on the spectrum can exhibit a differing array of these characteristics and with wide ranging severity.  There’s a favourite saying in the autism community: “If you’ve seen one person with autism, you’ve seen one person with autism.”

2.  The rate of autism in Canada is not yet fully known, but we have recent estimates

Canadian media reports often cite autism rates from the United States.  Research from the U.S. Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network at the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention estimate 1 in 68 children in America has ASD.  Since autism is five times more prevalent in boys than girls, they estimate 1 in 42 boys and 1 in 189 girls has ASD in the U.S. The best estimate in Canada is that ASD effects 1 in 94 children, according to The National Epidemiologic Database for the Study of Autism in Canada (NEDSAC).

3.  Families can often wait several years to access autism services covered by the public healthcare system.  Government support for such services are widely uneven across the country.

It is not uncommon for families to wait several years to receive a diagnosis of autism for their child from publicly funded health services in most provinces.  And once a child is diagnosed, interventions with a strong evidence base, such as behavioural therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy, have wait times of several months up to several years in most places across the country.  Once services are received, families have access to these therapies for only limited time periods and often beyond the window of time that most experts believe optimal. We are lucky in the west coast as support for autism is more readily available and/or more flexible in BC and Alberta.

4.  Is it best to say a ‘person with autism’ or ‘autistic’?

In terms of referring to individuals with diverse abilities, we always want to encourage people to speak in a way where the disability does not define the individual. So, in this case, that would mean say a \”person with autism\”. Similarly, many families prefer the descriptor, ‘someone with autism’ since the individual is greater than their diagnosis. Better still, refer to individuals by name.

Community Ventures Society supports individuals who are on the Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. We understand the ups and downs of autism and feel like we are constantly learning about individuals on the spectrum. CVS is in its 40th year of operation and to this day we feel like are still learning and evolving. It has been a wonderful journey and we\’ve been able to meet and support so many individuals and families.

Keep an eye out through the month of April for more information on autism and don\’t forget to share what you hear from us at CVS with individuals throughout your own network!

Community Social Services Awareness Month is over and March was a great month to recognize all the wonderful social services across our province.

The Times Colonist recently released a great article that really highlights that the average individual likely has never heard of Community Social Services Awareness month and many don\’t truly understand what community social services are. Those who have little awareness over these services may have never needed to access these services before. However, according to the numbers, someone in your life, at some stage, will rely on community social services to get by. Whether that be services you require for yourself, a relative or close friend.

Many of the services that the BC government provides to the people of the province are provided through contracts with community organizations. These include services and supports for families, for children and infants, for young people involved in the child-protection system, for people with disabilities, for those trying to find jobs, for foster parents, for newcomers to BC, and for older adults.

Our work helps ensure that other public services, such as health care and education, can focus on doing what they do best. Just talk to a police officer or your child’s teacher or your doctor or nurse and ask them what their jobs would be like without social workers, counsellors and child-care workers. Try to imagine what your community would look like if those services disappeared. Who in your life would be left to struggle alone?

Now that we have reached April, let\’s not forget about the important of all of our community social services organizations. They really form part of who we are as an integrated community. To read more of this article, click here.

We wanted to share this beautiful article that really speaks to many of us. Being a parent can be overwhelming endeavour at the best of time, but when you are a parent to a child with a disability of any kind, you might feel those battles more keenly than others and face fears most parents can\’t even begin to fathom. For parents with diverse abilities and needs unique to them — parenting can be a time filled with confusing lows and incredibly rewarding highs.

White Rock resident Leslie Stoneham wasn\’t expecting to give birth to a child with Down syndrome 31 years ago. When she had Kierra, she was provided with outdated information and was still presented with the option of giving her newborn up for adoption — in 1988.

But she knew instantly that she was going to raise Kierra just as she had been raising her older daughter, and that meant plenty of  love — sometimes tough love — compassion, and joy.  It also meant focusing on Kierra as a whole person and not just someone with special needs.

One message that is very interesting is that young kids are often most open to children with disabilities, but somewhere along the line to adulthood, we forget that natural acceptance and focus too much on what people are lacking. As parents, we need to work hard to instill and keep this kindness and openness in our children.This will only continue to make a more inclusive community for everyone, which ultimately benefits those with disabilities and those without.

To read more about the stories shared in this article, click here to read the full article on CBC News.

The Services to Adults with Developmental Disabilities (STADD) program within the Ministry of Social Development & Poverty Reduction has made a few updates recently we thought that we would share with our community.

First, following the recent completion of expansion into the Fraser, Northern & Interior Regions, STADD and Navigator services are now officially available to the majority (53%) of the eligible DD, FASD & ASD youth population in B.C.  STADD is now in over 140 communities and five Regions.

Second, STADD recently underwent a major update to its website. This includes updated information on how to get in touch with STADD, additional information on Navigator services, and for the first time, a full listing out of all the locations where STADD is available. This update took over a year to develop, including consultations with all partners and several youth/families. Click here for more information on STADD.

March is national nutrition month in Canada, which is a great reminder to assess and reset our workplace eating habits. For many of us, making healthy food choices at work can be challenging. Here at CVS, we know that many of us are on the go and sometimes that can make it difficult to eat healthy.

Here are some easy tips to help us make healthier nutrition choices while we’re on the job.

Make a Plan

Creating a meal plan at the beginning of the week can help you stay in control of your options. Be mindful of your schedule, where your routines are disrupted, and how much time you can take to eat your meal. Prepare as much food in advance as you can to help save yourself some extra time.

Pack your Lunch Wisely

Depending on your workplace, you may or may not have a fridge or food prep area available to you. Don’t be discouraged if a fridge or microwave isn’t an option! Get creative with how and what you pack for lunch by bringing food that can be eaten cold and packed in a cooler.

Keep Healthy Options on Hand

Stock up on healthy items that you can reach for when you forget a lunch or when snack cravings hit! Items such as canned fish, instant oatmeal, nuts, and seeds are great items with a longer shelf life. They’re perfect for keeping on hand for when you need it.

Reduce Salt

Packaged and processed foods often have too much salt and eating too much salt in our diets can lead to a number of health issues. Try to reduce salt by choosing fresh foods. If you want to add salt to food, do it in moderation.

Drink More Water

It’s hard to resist having multiple coffees throughout our days, but it’s important to be mindful of how much water we are drinking as well. Try adding some fresh fruit or herbs to your water for a little extra flavour!

Have fun with these tips but we\’d even love to hear of other tips you use to keep fit & healthy. Comment below to let us know what you do to stay healthy…

DisDaBomb is gearing up for one of our favourite holidays, Easter. It\’s only about a month away and our ladies in Port Coquitlam have been working hard to start pulling some great bath bombs ready. We have great shapes and scents for your little ones and adults too!

Not only can we pull together beautiful Easter boxes, we also can do individually wrapped bath bombs (great for Easter grab bags!) as well as gift baskets.

If you\’d like to place an order, please send us a Private Message through our Facebook page or email us at [email protected].

This past week, hundreds of families and advocates of children with autism protested at the Ontario legislature to plead with the government to reverse changes they say will leave kids without the therapy they need.

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod announced last month that in order to clear a waiting list of 23,000 children, kids with autism would receive direct funding to pay for treatment.

Families will get up to $20,000 per year for treatment for children under six and $5,000 a year for children six to 18, but intensive therapy can cost up to $80,000 a year.

Parents are calling for the funding to be based on children’s individual needs, instead of just their age.

From the stories of the individuals this effects, it appears that many individuals will be severely underfunded for support.

While these changes are specific to Ontario and don\’t impact the individuals we serve in BC, we really feel for the individuals. Getting the right level of support is critical for development in children. It is sad to see that appropriate funding isn\’t being allocated based on need. We can only hope that the voices of these individuals are being heard and something is done to resolve the situation for those in need.

To read the full story, click here.