Image Credit: CFJC Today

By Adam Donnelly

AUTISM IN KAMLOOPS

Meeting individuals where they’re at for World Autism Month

Apr 16, 2021 | 3:55 PM

KAMLOOPS — Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) refers to a range of conditions that affect one in 66 children in Canada. ASD can be characterized by difficulty with social skills, repetitive behaviours and communication, among other challenges.

April is World Autism Month, meant to spread awareness and understanding for people with ASD.

Owen, one of the students at the Chris Rose Centre for Autism Therapy, knows exactly what to do when the camera turns on.

“Smile! Cheese,” Owen says, with a big grin on his face.

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Owen and the other students at the centre have Autism Spectrum Disorder — a broad term for a host of challenges that manifest in many ways.

“If you know one individual with autism, you truly know one individual with autism,” Wanda Eddy, Executive Director of the Centre explains. “Although there are some similarities, each individual is unique. How those come together really is different for each person.”

Ethan is a good example — he struggled with communication until the Twinkie the Therapy Dog arrived. According to Eddy, his communication improved once he started to play with Twinkie.

“You can have folks that communicate with words, and some that use augmentative communication. It’s very, very different for each person,” Eddy explains. “That’s the first thing to know about Autism, in terms of awareness.”

Like many not-for-profit organizations, the Centre has had to get creative with its fundraising efforts. The same goes for New Heights Autism Society, which got a financial boost from Freshslice Pizza and the Freshslice Cares grant program.

“We have a class of eight, and we’re going to be putting that towards some field trips and some recreational activities,” Candace Morrison, Executive Director of New Heights Autism Society says.

Morrison believes Autism awareness goes both ways. She says it’s important for folks to see how a person with ASD reacts in different situations.

“They’re just kids that need to react differently and deal with things a little bit differently,” Morrison says. “It’s not a bad thing to engage with our children.”

For Eddy, the approach for treating ASD has many more applications than one would think.

“Recognizing that not every individual is the same and how they’re viewing that particular situation might be very different than how somebody else might perceive it,” Eddy says. “I think that’s not just an important thing to do with ASD, it’s an important thing to do in life. Try and figure out where people are coming from, and not just pass judgements on what’s happening.”