Specialisterne Ireland: understand and utilising the unique abilities of Autistic

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from about three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, the Autism Society of Greater Akron is a Summit County, Ohio-based nonprofit that attempts to improve the lives of individuals affected by Autism. This includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Greater Akron area...

A one-mile walk ...event to benefit the Autism Society of Greater Akron will take place on June 15 in the Firestone Park neighborhood.

Step Into Autism [replaces the Autism Society of Greater Akron's] Run and Walk. This year's presenting sponsor is Cleveland Clinic Akron General/Cleveland Clinic Children's. The honorary chair is Akron General President Dr. Brian Harte.

For the past two years, Akron General has been participating in the society's Autism Friendly Program, which educates professionals on how to accommodate individuals with autism. At the completion of the program later this summer, [many] employees will have received training on autism and policies and procedures will have been updated.

Akron General is expected to be the first known major national hospital to be designated as Autism Friendly, said Laurie Cramer, executive director of the society.

The event features a one-mile walk on Firestone Boulevard toward Firestone Park. Back at Firestone Stadium, there will be [Autism]-friendly activities such as ...vendor fair, sensory zone, and more. For the first time, the event will not feature a timed ...run in an effort to emphasize the one mile walk and [Autism-friendly] entertainment aspects.

It begins at 8:30 am on June 15 at Firestone Park. Registration is free... Donations are also accepted and encouraged...

Here is a link to a video from the Autism Society of Greater Akron's Run & Walk from over four years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...9-71a0d0575d35

[source: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/...on/5109231007/ ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from just over three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the south, the Autism Society of North Carolina is a Wake County, North Carolina-based statewide nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of individuals affected by Autism. This includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in North Carolina...

Join us on October 8! This amazing community event will improve the lives of children and adults with autism by raising funds [for] local programs.

Register before August 31 for the best rate! You must register by noon on Wednesday, October 5 to participate.

The Triangle Run/Walk will be at Halifax Mall...
...9:20 a.m. – fun run/walk
Ongoing – kids’ dash
Awards ceremony for 5K and top fundraising teams to follow.

...Can’t make it on October 8? Become a virtual participant! With virtual participation, you’ll receive a T-shirt, mailed to you the week of the event. Please note: Virtual participants are not eligible for 5K awards.

...You can make a difference in the lives of [individuals affected by Autism, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorders], and their communities by registering for the Triangle Run/Walk for Autism, recruiting family and friends to join your team, and raising donations.

Here is a link to a video from the Autism Society of North Carolina's Research Triangle Run/Walk for Autism from nearly four years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...d-a181eeee4420

[source: http://support.autismsociety-nc.org/...=1372&pg=entry ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from just over three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the east, the Autism Society of Maine is a Winthrop, Maine-based nonprofit that attempts to serve individuals affected by Autism. This includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in Maine...

The Autism Society of Maine wants to thank so many who came out to our 20th Walk for Autism in both Westbrook and Bangor locations.
Both walks had high attendance with more onsite registration then we have seen in the past. Two beautiful days with sunshine and warm weather (maybe towards the end of the walk it was warmer). ...The walks were both in new locations and went [really well] – each walk was one mile. Vendors came out to participate in their local communities and we thank them for attending.

...As of May 9, 2022, both walks in Bangor $18,094.85 and in Westbrook $23,531.90 with a total of $52,876.75!! (This amount includes sponsorship.)

Thank our sponsors: Foothills Flooring & Tile and Spurwink as our top two sponsors. Platinum sponsors Maine Behavioral Healthcare and Heartleaf ABA. Gold sponsors Allenfarm Fence Co., Bangor Saving Bank, Children Odyssey, Maine Education Association, National Seating & Mobility, UCP Maine and Woodfords.

Enjoy your summer! Looking forward to April 2023….

Cathy Dionne
Executive Director

Here is a link to a video on the Autism Society of Maine's annual Walk from about a year-and-a-half ago:
https://www.facebook.com/10006489504...40087507095775

[source: https://www.asmonline.org/get-involv...or-autism.aspx ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from just over three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the northwest, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada is also home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada...

The head of Edmonton’s largest service organization for children with autism says there’s a backlog of kids who need to be assessed for developmental disorders after the past two pandemic years.

Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton ...executive director Terri Duncan said [her] organization is planning to use a grant of nearly $30,000 from Autism Speaks Canada to help [many individuals affected by Autism, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorders] get evaluations and supports.

Children up to three years old are eligible for assessment.

...[The Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton executive director], who is also a speech-language pathologist, said there are several red flags that should prompt parents to seek an autism assessment. By the age of two, you’d typically expect a child to say around 50 words and be able to string two or three words into sentences. If they’ve turned two and they still aren’t saying any words, they should be seen.

There can be signs to watch out for even earlier, too. Children can typically communicate non-verbally with gestures like waving and pointing by around the age of one year, and Duncan said it’s also worth noting if the child doesn’t respond to their name when they’re called or if they seem more interested in objects than people — they’d rather examine parts of a toy than look at someone’s face.

“If we do see enough red flags, we need to get them into some services and interventions,” Duncan said.

Sometimes kids are just “late talkers” and their communication abilities will catch up on their own, but speech pathologists can tell whether that’s the case, or if the child might be showing early signs of autism. Getting services to help them learn to cope and communicate as early in their life as possible can be crucial.

“When you are diagnosing kids early, you can actually change the trajectory of autism so as the kids age, they’ve got a solid foundation of communication, and that improves their quality of life,” Duncan said.

“We’re not looking to ‘fix’ autism or make it go away.”

[She] said the [Children’s Autism Services of Edmonton] assessments will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis...

Here is a link to a video on Edmonton's Autism Speaks Canada Walk from over two months ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...2b0f7512976a&q

[source: https://edmontonjournal.com/news/loc...id-disruptions ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from over three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, San Diego, California is also home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks...

...The Autism Speaks San Diego Walk is on Oct. 5 at Liberty Station’s NTC Park. The event includes not only the walk, but also live entertainment, a resource fair featuring local service providers and partners and a kids’ zone...

The San Diego walk is one of [many] walks across the country. In 2018, these walks raised $17.5 million to support research, programming and the diverse needs of the autism community. This year, San Diego has a goal of raising $128,000. If you are unable to attend the San Diego walk, the North County walk will take place in Oceanside on Nov. 16...

Here is a link to a video on San Diego's Autism Speaks Walk n' Roll from nearly five years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/CalBalCo/vi...55996432753680

[source: https://www.cbs8.com/article/news/lo...1-994a5f2bef44 ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from over three weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is also home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks...


Here is a link to a video from the Greater Pittsburgh Autism Speaks Walk from over eight years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...b-fb48b0e4f179

[source: ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from nearly four weeks ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the west, the Northwest Autism Center is a Spokane, Wa.-based nonprofit that exists to build, facilitate, and coordinate comprehensive services for those affected by Autism. This includes children with Autism Spectrum Disorders in the Spokane area...

Sunday, [many individuals affected by Autism, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorders] walked through Riverfront Park for [Autism awareness.]

One participant said he's seen the event grow each year. He said seeing more and more people show out to the annual walk reminds him what a community can do when it works together.

“This year, compared to four years ago, was twice the amount of people we had four years ago," Caleb Rinard said. "And to me, that inspires me. Because it means we can come together as a community. And we can put on events that actually matter and bring people light when they have darkness. I appreciate how many people put the effort into coming out and showing that they actually care and they understand what people go through.”

In addition to the walk, participants were also able to visit resource and information booths. One of those booths and organizers of the event is the Northwest Autism Center.

Gillian Brundage, center clinical supervisor, said [:]

"They don't get to go out and do this very often, Brundage said. "This gives them the opportunity to get out and enjoy a beautiful day."

...Spokane mom Alexandra Mackleit is no stranger to autism. Her five-and-a-half-year-old son, Tyacke, is non-verbal.

Mackleit said even though Tyacke can't tell her how much he loves the annual walk, she said he shows it in other ways.

“He has a button on his tablet there’s a separate folder that he took for a show and tell at school and he said 'hi I’m tyacke, I’m 5 and a half and my favorite thing to do is take a walk with [those closest to me]," Mackleit recalled. "So this is the one day a year we can do all the balloons and all show up for him.”

Mackleit said she is thankful for the community and [those closest to her for getting behind] her son.

"It takes a village," Mackleit said while holding back tears.

Mackleit said ...having simple walks like Sunday's event gives people a chance to do something big by doing something small like walking.

...At the end of the [Walk], participants walked across the finish line to get water bottles and visit vendor booths.

Here is a link to a video on Spokane's 'Steps for Autism' Walk from nearly five-and-a-half years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...c-a45563e1d422

[source: https://www.krem.com/article/news/lo...8-85f9bdbf588a ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from nearly a month ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, Laurel County in Kentucky is also home to an Action for Autism annual fundraiser...

The skies over [Laurel County] got a little bluer on Saturday afternoon, filled with the bright balloons that symbolize the color representing autism.

The balloon release by [many] people gathering at [the local] Farmers Market was one of many activities held to emphasize April as Autism Awareness Month. The covered shelter was filled with vendors offering food, crafts and games while music played in the background.

The walk included children, adults, volunteers and advocates for autism awareness, beginning from Farmers Market crossing over to [various other parts of the town]...

Here is a link to a video on the Action for Autism Walk from a couple of months ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...=autism%20walk

[source: https://finance.yahoo.com/news/laure...222000110.html ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from nearly a month ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the south, Autism New Jersey is a Robbinsville, New Jersey-based nonprofit that attempts to help those with autism connect to necessary resources and achieve their full potential...

...Becoming an Autism New Jersey Ambassador inspired me to petition the government for proclamations, establish annual kick-off parades, read a fact a day about autism, disseminate Autism New Jersey literature in the schools, day care centers, my masjid and in the community. Currently, I am currently working on all of the above-mentioned activities...

Here is a link to a video from Autism New Jersey from nearly four-and-a-half years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch?ref=s...e-05366089e154

[source: https://www.autismnj.org/news/ambassador-of-the-week-4-meet-wafiyyah-muhammad/]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from almost a month ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, Los Angeles, California is also home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks...

[Many individuals affected by Autism, including children with Autism Spectrum Disorders] laced up their shoes and united for a single cause ...in Pasadena Saturday ...for the annual Walk Now for Autism Speaks.

Organizers say the walk ...generates vital for funds.

...the event [was] sponsored by ABC7 and Autism Speaks...

"This is the greatest day for our kids of the year," said Autism Speaks chairman Mark Woodsmall. "It's an excellent chance to come on down and be with family and friends, and just really work together towards moving towards awareness and meaningful research for our kids."

As a father to an autistic son, Woodsmall says the walk means a lot to him.

"It makes you feel comforted to know that there's a community that's building up around you..." he said.

His daughter Sofia also attended the event, despite the early morning rain and chilly temperatures.

"I'm really happy that we're celebrating people with autism to make them feel good and to not make their world so different than everybody else's," said Sofia.

ABC7 is a proud sponsor of the event. Eyewitness News Anchor Phillip Palmer served as the emcee at the event. ABC7's Ellen Leyva, Dallas Raines and Michelle Tuzee also joined the community dedicated to raising money to find a cure for autism...

Here is a link to a video on the Los Angeles Autism Speaks Walk from almost six-and-a-half years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...5-649ac779734d

[source: https://abc7.com/walk-now-for-autism...bowl-la/35235/ ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from about a month ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, Los Angeles, California's Orpheum Theatre played host to a 'Rock Your Speech' concert in conjunction with the Autism Society of America...

r Rock Your Speech, an organization he co-founded with his wife Alison that's dedicated to helping children diagnosed with autism — specifically through the use of music, a technique the Peterssons started investigating after their son Liam was diagnosed.

Read More: Cheap Trick to Headline Rock Your Speech Autism Benefit Concert | https://ultimateclassicrock.com/chea...edium=referral
...

Here is a link to a video on the Rock You Speech benefit concert from nearly five years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/AutismSocie...55090943111194


[source: https://abc7.com/walk-now-for-autism...bowl-la/35235/ ]

[Visionary7903]

The subject of the post from about a month ago was Ottawa, Ontario, Canada being home to an annual Walk for Autism Speaks Canada. Autism Speaks is North America's leading Autism science and advocacy organisation.

To the southwest, the Autism Alliance of Michigan (AAoM)is a Southfield, Michigan-based nonprofit that attempts to ensure that individuals affected by Autism lead lives that meet their greatest potential. The nonprofit attempts to improve the quality of life for individuals with autism through education, access to comprehensive services, community awareness, inclusion efforts and coordinated advocacy...

[AAoM's 5th Annual Autism] Walk
Join us Sunday, July 28th

The 5th annual Autism ...Walk will raise funds for crucial programming in the state of Michigan. [AAoM] is leading Michigan on the path to becoming a top 5 state [for raising] a child with autism.

The Walk begins with an energetic opening ceremony followed by a 1-mile walk... Immediately following the walk, attendees are encouraged to enjoy a day [outside] and post-walk activities at the events pavilion.

Event Details

TIMELINE:

• 7:00 am — Registration Opens
• 8:30 am — Opening Ceremony Begins @ Penguin Conservatory and walk takes off
• 11:30 am — Event Concludes

INCLUDES:

• ...Free [AAoM] t-shirt

Register...

Here is a link to a video from AAoM from over four years ago:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=...906-e7db5d9310

[source: https://www.thechildrenscenter.com/e...ism-hero-walk/ ]