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Happy Canada Day! What have been our emotional journeys through the autism journey. Personal stories. Fan answers the question: What would you like the world to know about autism?

Who is Lonnie Belfer? History and philosophy of Avia Employment Services. Customized employment and assessment services explained. Comprehensive assessments. Thriving in the workforce. Coaching and continued supports. How companies thrive. Ableism - how it affects our community and how to eradicate it. Minimal qualifications needed. The prospective company process. What he loves about his work. His success stories. Autism in his own words.

Happy Autism Awareness Day and what today mean to our panel. The power of words and language with autism regarding our community. Autistic vs has autism. Non-speaking vs non-verbal. Issues of talking about someone present like they aren’t there. High-functioning vs low functioning. How to subscribe to our Autism 30 Monthly Newsletter.

Welcome back. Who is our new member Jess? How you our audience can ask our panel questions. Your questions answered: How do you always deal with other parents asking you for help? What do you say to doctors who want to give your information with new perspective parents?

Clarifying myths about autism in the media and what is needed. Ableism explained and how it affects members of our community. His role as a Mentor and Board of Director for Semiahmoo House Society. His responsibility on the Advisory Board for Inclusion BC & the Provincial Inclusion BC Inclusive BC Task Force, and his goals. His job with Voices of Autism at (Pacific Autism Family Network) PAFN’s Goodlife Fitness Hub. Provincial Voting Initiative. How he uses his voice to help empower our community. His leadership in Ottawa. Why Alexander’s voice and Public Speaking matters, how to hire him, and enquire about his schedule. What he would like us to know about him. Who is wonderful Jillian and what is ‘Team Alex’ from her own voice. Jillian’s role and her devoted passion to help our community. Autism in his own words.

How do meltdowns feel. How to support our community members and their parents. Sensory issues and autism, and advice for parents. Eye contact discussed. Fidgeting and fidget spinners. Dignity and autism. Stories about Alexander’s mother and how she helped him. How other children/peers help growth. Have high expectations. Welcoming the world in. Challenge the sensory issue. Factors that helped him be the person he is today. His purpose in life. How his public speaking career began and what he loves about it. Why he believes advocacy is so important. What he wants the world to know about autism. His goals and message to others.

Who is Mr. Alexander Magnussen? His childhood and challenges. Autism language and book ideas. His school experiences. The importance of inclusive education and EAs. Autism misconceptions and myths. Why being social is vital and practice is key. Learning rules, manners, and boundaries. There’s always hope. How the autistic brain works “computer files.” The waiting times to get an answer. Hyper aware. Decompression time. How emotions are felt. Stimming. Why he feels it is important to answer parents’ questions during his lectures. His passion to educated people about autism. His thoughts about the spectrum.

Who is Allie? This history of the Vancouver Asperger & Autism Union (The AU). The philosophy of the AU. The greatest gift that the AU offers society. What she loves about it. Understanding stimming. “Get it”. How the Union helped Allie. Her diagnosis story and when to disclose. Accommodations. How have things changed for her at 18 years old. Anxiety and autism. What she would like to see in society. Numbers. Who’s welcome. When and where are meetings. Duration. Speakers and topics. Ways that the AU is different. Events. Social media. Advice for others wanting to start a group of their own. Special interests.

Who is Carol Simpson? The history of Focus Professional Services Inc. Why she created the company. The Company manifesto. What they do. Neurodiversity consulting. Why language is so important. Their business model. Different levels explained. How the companies benefit. Focus on strengths. Ableism explained and how they are working to combat it. Why our community can excel. Preconceived ideas eradicated “myths”. Manual software testing. Data Cleansing and Migration. Automated testing, etc. Where is the focus for business? Neurodiversity in the workplace and training. Transition of knowledge. Support offered. How to apply and prerequisites needed. The interview process and testing. Employment readiness. Biggest challenges. Her success stories. The continuum of being a human being. Gratitude, grace and Advocacy. Autism in her own words.

Who is Ms. Nicole Provost? The history of The Mayday Club Youth Choir for Neurodiversity. The philosophy and goal of the choir. Performances and how to book them. Benefits of being part of and watching the group. Why “boring” is a great term. What she’s learned about herself directing and what it’s meant to her. Why she is so inspiring and a gift to our community. How to start your own choir. How to join the choir. The maximum and minimum ages of participants. Who is welcome to assist, volunteer, and others (photographers, film students, etc.). Success Stories. Future goals and ambitions. Autism in her own words. How to buy their Music.

Clarifying the myth about autism, empathy and honesty. Non-generalized object permanence. Techniques to teach. Connection and feelings. Challenges that our community members face. Fluctuating capacity. Single-mindedness. Important of context and setting. Barriers faced and how to overcome. Looking beyond the behaviour. Benefits of autism. How to connect. What Dr. Wenn would like the world to learn about his extensive body of literary work and his teachings. Sensory issues and what he wishes and hopes for from society. Useful technology. What he wants the world to know about autism.

Who is Dr. Wenn Lawson? Why he chose to work in autism? The differences in various countries around the world and what Canadians can learn. Processing information and expectations. How autism research has changed over time. Language and inclusion and why it’s important. The ways autistic people learn and different types of learners. How to motivate and how he learns. Obsession/ Passion. Motivation of connection. Shifting attention and why it’s difficult. Using interests to reach. Metaphoric language vs literal language. GAMMA connectivity. How to reach someone. Eye contact. Respecting autism and difficulties. Processing time. Lanes of traffic. 10 second rule. Avoid paraphrasing. Single-mindedness. Single-minded outcomes and concepts. How attention is processed. How to get GAMMA connectivity. Just because it’s different doesn’t means if out of bounds. Techniques to reach your child.

Who is Executive Director Laurie Mawlam? This history of Autism Canada. The philosophy. National initiatives, programs, and events calendar. Inclusivity. Conferences. Accessibility for ALL areas of Canada. Autism Junction and information it provides. Screening tools. Knowledge is power and why it’s important to know the signs. 350 pages (and counting) of resources in both French in English. Social media accessibility. Their vast Video library and what it entails. Physician handbook. Words matter guide. Why words matter. The importance of national awareness and how they facilitate it. Research information and the importance of keeping current. How to sign up for their conferences and newsletters. How the public can help. How ASD members (Community Members) can participate. Bilingual ASD (Community Members) groups and sites. Chantale’s words. Awards and accreditations! What she loves about her work. Autism in her own words.

Who is SF Walker and Rebecca Farnell. The history and philosophy of the EmploymentWorks Canada Program. Who is the program for, and it’s duration. What takes place during sessions and skills taught. Why it is important for our ASD community, and job statistics. Job sampling. Communication and self-reflection. Skills: who am I, stress, bullying, disclosure, boss vs. co-worker, professionalism, time management, goal setting, resume building, and community interaction. Post program support. Weekly employment group. Teacher student ratio. Program schedule. Cost. What they love about their work. What they want the world to know about autism.

Talie’s background. What her experience has taught her. Disclaimer. A parent’s job. What truly matters. Assumptions. Always place your own child as a priority. How to decide on a school. Research. Make a list, create questions, and appointment. Day of interview. Take notes. Once you’ve made your choice. Before the first day of school. Your 1st IEP meeting. Throughout the school year. Dealing with an issue. Being a strong parent. Responsibility and choice. Advocate.

Who is Kathryn Theroux. The history and philosophy of Soar Inclusive Preschool. The difference between their preschool and others. ABA explained and benefits for all students. Programs offered. Schedule. Why play is so important. Student/teacher ratio. Working with other companies located at PAFN’s Goodlife Fitness Hub and other feeder schools. Qualifications of staff and volunteers. Training the future educators. Funding and cost. The application process. Strengths of the preschool. What Kathryn loves about her work and some of her success stories. What she wants the world to know about autism.

(Continued from July 15th, 2017) Sensory integration explained. To light, to bright, to loud… PTSD. Misreading the “distress” signals. Treatment. The China study. His ease of accurately assessing and working with his clientele because of his 25 years experience. The invaluable information learned from his assessments. Processing integration disorder. Sensory processing differences. Handwriting without tears explained. SOS (Sequential Oral Sensory). Ideas on helping your child eat. Parental involvement. Home vs location. Working with educational establishments. Various groups and camps offered. Ages. Funding and costs. Success stories. What Keith loves about his work. Autism in his own words.

Who is Mr. Keith Landherr? The history and philosophy of Little Buddies Pediatric Therapy. Services offered. Assessments purpose and what’s included. The importance of play. Types of treatments offered. The importance of voice, communication styles, perceptions, and conflict resolution techniques. Evidence based DIR Floortime explained. Compliance vs engagement. Repetitive behaviors. Why relationships are so important. Choosing appropriate language to motivate. Co-ordination disorder. Keith’s beautiful ability to build self-confidence and respect in his clients. Occupational therapy explained. The importance of learning readiness. Canary in the coal mine.

Who is Principal Megan Mackay and what is Bounding Higher Autism Treatment Services and Training Centre. Services offered. Autism theories used. IEP’s. Qualifications and role of Behaviour Consultant, Behaviour Interventionist, Speech and Language Therapist, and Occupational Therapist. Assessments. Family input. The importance of data. Schedule of a client. Facilities. Parent involvement. Working with other schools. Supervision. Training professionals. Funding and cost. What she loves about her work. What she wants the world to know about autism.

Who is Laurie Guerra and Wes? The story of Wes’s childhood and his diagnosis. Signs of autism. Knowing about his autism diagnosis. Setting high expectations. How autism affected him. Speaking about feeling different. The importance of starting his educational journey in a great school. What he would like others to be aware of. What school (K-12) was like for him. Insight into the rigorous autism schedule. What he would like others to know. Losing the autism diagnosis. Their hopes for the future. Advocacy and the love of a parent. The real financial cost of therapy. What he loves about engineering. His genius, organisational skills, and dependability. Why he loves University. His advice for employers. Wes’s inspiration. His final thoughts and what he’d like you to know about autism.