Autism Ontario work to support families and support persons as well as individuals with Autism, including fundraising.Tahseen focuses on eastern Ontario while Ramela focuses on the Central East region.
Autism Ontario was founded in 1973. They advocate for all autistic people and work to address issues dealt with by the autistic and their families and supporters. Being Autistic means that their brains process differently. Neurological condition is the preferred reference. People who have these conditions also have certain strengths. People with autism are often overwhelmed with sensory stimulus. Their objective to better understand and educate what Autism is and what it is not. They advocate for support for families and core care givers. They have a board of 12 including individuals on the spectrum, parents, care givers and professionals.
Autism is a life long condition. It is a neurological diversity. Everyone can thrive under the right conditions.
Based on a 2018 report, 1 in 66 are diagnosed on the spectrum, males are 4 times more than women. The condition is diagnosed later and looks different in girls.
1 in 50 children in Canada have ASD.
The cause of Autism is not understood, although research is ongoing. It is not an illness or disease. It is not caused by vaccines, or parenting style.
The organization relies on volunteers. They have fitness classes for kids, yoga, cookie decorating, pizza kits, game nights, peer support groups, caregiver support groups,
AO serves anyone who is waiting to be diagnoses, being diagnosed, or has been diagnoses. They work with anyone including those waiting for a diagnosis, they turn no one away.
They are looking for support in funding, and partnerships. They want to create greater awareness. Meetings are held in public buildings, to collaborate with the community. Brighton is under served.
AO has a website with lots of resources. They are trying to grow into smaller communities, but is dependent on funding. Otherwise, people travel to the larger communities to access the events and assistance.
AO hopes that the Brighton Rotary will assist in building AO in the Brighton community. People can subscribe to AO newsletters. AO also has Facebook pages.
AO clients say that their children have fun and more confidence to go out in public and explore.
At the presentation, I discussed some of what we have offered in Northumberland. Our programs are fun, social and recreational that incorporate skill-based activities. For Brighton, we partnered with Ontario Parks to provide an educational morning discovering biodiversity at Presqu’ile Provincial Park. Activities included a nature walk, scavenger hunt, and catching/releasing butterflies, and exploring animal pelts and skulls. Families were invited to spend the day and explore the park at their leisure. We also had a family day of fun at Cricklewood Farm where they enjoyed a hunt through the orchard, packed a lunch to have a picnic and a walk in the corn mazes.
As mentioned, we have social peer support for moms (Ausome Moms group), dads (Rad Dads group), siblings (Sibshop) and caregivers (CARES program). The groups are extremely popular – they support, learn, and laugh together. It is a positive and supportive outlet for them that continues to grow.
Workshops are offered such as OAP Information Meet and Greet which is for the Ontario Autism Program that has undergone changes. It provides information on the program and assistance to navigate the system – information on funding options, programs available, resources and answers their questions. This workshop is open to caregivers and professionals that support families that have an autistic child(ren). We also offer ABA Principles for Parents and Caregivers to learn about Applied Behaviour Analysis which is an essential piece of any treatment plan (for children and adolescents). This workshop is in partnership with Autism Ontario, Tri-County Community Support Services and EarlyON.
We continue to enhance our offerings and you can find more information on website pages below.
World Autism Month: April 2, 2024 is World Autism Awareness Day that Autism Ontario proudly celebrates throughout the month for the improvement of our communities to create a more welcoming and inclusive environment for autistic individuals and their families.
https://celebratethespectrum.com/
We would love the opportunity to expand our program offerings in Brighton. Our local programs are all funded through fundraising dollars. Please let us know if there’s a funding application we can complete and/or the process we should follow. Any assistance for us to continue serving Brighton is greatly appreciated.
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