Although his grammar was off, perhaps Popeye’s nutritional advice was right… “I’m strong the the finish cause I eats me spinach…” Check out the findings of a study showing how leafy greens can improve cognition and mental ability as you age.
Health Day: Leafy Greens and Your Brain
For more tips on nutrition and healthy eating visit our Food For Thought page.
Going to the movies can be a great way to spend your day or evening, however, the dark and loud environment of a typical theatre may not be suitable for many. Autism Speaks Canada has teamed up with Cineplex to bring sensory friendly entertainment to individuals on the autism spectrum or those who require this type of environment.
Check out the details of this partnership at Cineplex.com.
Eating well can impact your overall health—both physical and mental. The following study, in its preliminary stages, is looking at the connection between probiotics and mood. Check out more from Self on how probiotics may become a key component in managing feelings and assist with mood disorders.
In celebration of Autism Awareness Month we are thrilled to bring you this guest post from our colleague Bill Wong. Bill is an Occupational Therapist, speaker and Autism advocate who lives and practices in California. For more information on Bill please check out his recent Ted Talk: “Fighting On: Overcoming Autism Diagnosis.”
Employment for Autistic Individuals
Guest Blogger: Bill Wong, OTD, OTR/L
Unlike many occupational therapy experts in autism, my expertise in autism comes from a combination of clinical and theoretical knowledge and my lived experiences as an autistic individual. Since I was diagnosed in 2010, I have been working on trying to understand my lived experiences from an occupational therapy perspective.
Employment can be tough for autistic individuals. There are 3.5 million autistic individuals out there in the United States, myself being one of them. Of the 3.5 million autistic individuals, 35% have never held a job, and before occupational therapy, I was part of that statistic.
Fast forward to my occupational therapy career, my first occupational therapy job lasted 3 months and I had an unsuccessful attempt at private practice for 8 months. That said, I am now employed for 7+ months in the skilled nursing facility setting and poised for a pretty good performance review if I were to have one today.
What have I really learned?
1. Networking is really important. Every real connection in your life counts. You never know when will these connections come into play. If you are a parent of a young autistic child, encourage them to learn to play with other children or join extracurricular activities where they can be with others and make friends. If you are a parent of an autistic adolescent or adult, encourage them to make some close friends that they can rely on in the future. As an autistic individual, I understand that making connections spontaneously can be difficult. However, inviting them to participate in social opportunities that interest them can be a good start for facilitating such connections.
2. It is important for autistic individuals to know about themselves well– from their strengths and weaknesses, to sensory preferences, to their abilities in stress and anxiety management. Unless autistic individuals are in supported employment or sheltered employment, they won’t have access to support workers around them constantly. Understanding such things can help maximize the length of time these individuals are employed, or leave on their own terms if better opportunities come along.
3. Don’t overlook volunteer opportunities or internships. Autistic individuals can learn about working as a team and many other job related skills. Expectations might be lower than an actual job. However, they can be important job-skill building experiences prior to actual paid employment.
4. Social media can be a double edged sword for autistic individuals. On one hand, it can be an avenue to develop strong professional networks and support systems. On the other hand, it can be a key reason why autistic individuals might not get employed if their employers study their social media accounts. For autistic individuals, that means they have to be aware of their social interactions online so that they don’t put themselves in disadvantages that they are not aware of.
5. Once employed, building rapport with colleagues is vital. That can set the tone on whether a job can be a successful and enjoyable one. In order to do so, this means autistic individuals must have at least adequate social communication and rapport building skills. Performance skill development will come with time at any job.
6. The first paid job can be learning experiences for future jobs. Getting fired or having to resign are not fun feelings. But reflecting upon objectively the reasons why can lead to opportunities to improve and make adjustments for the next job.
7. Mental flexibility is extremely important in many jobs. Job environments can produce many unpredictable situations. There also may not be enough time for transitioning from one task to another. Training autistic individuals how to deal with such from an early age will go a long way in preparing for their futures.
8. Working at a paid job doesn’t mean sacrificing all the things that are meaningful to you or can bring balance to your life. Having a job that can pay the bills is important. However, if this comes at an expense of not doing things that autistic individuals can either relax or serve as a change of pace for what they are doing, it may be is time to switch to a better job situation.
9. Never be ashamed to ask for help on job related matters– from people at the autistic individuals’ current jobs, to those in their social circles who are also working in the same profession. As an autistic individual, I understood it can be tough to ask for help, especially to my peers who have accomplished more than I do. That said, once I realized I was struggling in my current job after I completed my observations, I quickly turned to social media unashamedly asking my peers for help. My proactive actions helped me settled into the flow of my job within two weeks.
In conclusion, maintaining paid employment can be a daunting challenge for autistic individuals when they become adults. However, with great preparation in childhood and helping them learn generalizable skills will carry them a long way to succeed. Even if they have to learn these skills in adulthood like me, being intentional about attacking these problems can increase chances of successful employment.
photo care of: www.tedxgrandforks.com/press
For many of us “seeing is believing,” but what about the things we cannot see? Millions of people across the world suffer from “hidden disabilities” such as brain injuries, autism spectrum disorders, mental illness and more. Though these disabilities may not be visible on the outside, they are serious and life altering. Laura Brydges, a Canadian living with the effects of brain injury, has started a campaign to create a hidden disability symbol to bring awareness to those who live with these disabilities. Check out this article from Brain Injury Society of Toronto’s blog (BIST) and help Laura in her quest to make this symbol recognized around the world.
Brain Injury Blog Toronto: Is it the right time for a hidden disability symbol?
Many parents with children who have autism are moving towards a strict gluten/casein free diet. Although this diet has not been medically proven to help with the symptoms of autism spectrum disorders (ASD’s), many feel that it does. The following from Web MD discusses the pros and cons of the gluten/casein free diet and the connection to ASD’s.
Web MD: Gluten-Free/Casein-Free Diets for Autism
We want to hear from you! Has the Gluten-Free Casein-Free diet worked in your situation? Would you recommend it to others?
Today, April 2nd, is World Autism Awareness Day. A 2010 study conducted by the U.S. CDC found that approximately 1 in 68 American children are on the autism spectrum. Furthermore, they estimate that autism spectrum disorders affect more than 2 million Americans and tens of millions of individuals across the globe. World Autism Awareness Day began as a day to honour those with autism and is celebrated with the annual “Light it up Blue” campaign.
Check out the following article from Autism Speaks to find out more about this campaign and how YOU can “Light it up Blue” for autism awareness.
Autism Speaks: 5 Ways You Can Light It Up Blue on World Autism Awareness Day!
The food you consume can affect your body in both positive and negative ways. To function at its best, your brain requires proper nutrients, especially if you have suffered a head injury. When recovering from any injury or illness, a healthy diet becomes a large part of the healing process. The following from Brainline.org provides helpful tips for proper nutrition during recovery from brain injury.
Brainline.org: Feed Your Body, Feed Your Brain: Nutritional Tips to Speed Recovery
Julie Entwistle, MBA, BHSc (OT), BSc (Health / Gerontology)
Growing up as a kid in the era of “go outside and find something to do”, I always tobogganed in the winter. We lived on the top of the escarpment with some great hills behind us. I would venture out with my GT Snow Racer, and usually my dogs, and would find some great runs. The combination of speed, fresh air and exercise made for a fun afternoon.
While we didn’t have social media at the time, the news would tell stories of people hurt tobogganing. I remember one story in particular of a young Reverend who died tobogganing at the Burlington Golf and Country Club when he hit a tree. I believe he was tobogganing at night with some kids in his congregation. Other stories of broken bones, head injury and the like would circulate, but with all things slightly dangerous, these stories didn’t seem to change the fact that kids would still venture out to toboggan as a favorite Canadian past-time.
This winter has brought considerable debate regarding the tobogganing ban in Hamilton and other cities across Canada. Many are outraged that enjoying this fun winter activity could come with a hefty fine. As my own kids approach the age where the little “bunny hills” near our house are no long “fun enough”, and I consider the work I do in Brain Injury, I do find myself re-evaluating this pastime.
So let’s review the dangers: experts state that tobogganing is considered the 4th riskiest sport for catastrophic brain and spine injuries, behind diving, snowmobiling and parachuting. A 2008 Ontario study showed that the instance of long term disability or permanent injury was 38 of 100 000 people with a death rate of 2.4. (http://news.nationalpost.com/2015/01/05/national-post-editorial-board-the-freedom-to-toboggan/). There are different types of toboggans that need different positions – from head first to feet first, lying to sitting, some take more than one person, and all go at varying speeds. The risks are real and will depend on many factors including the hill and its surroundings, the number of people also sharing the space, the type of sled, the position, age, experience, and size of the rider.
So how can we balance these risks with the acknowledged fact that tobogganing is a fun, enjoyable, and a great form of winter exercise? Here are some tips:
1. Supervision. The risks of injury with tobogganing will increase, not decrease, as kids get older. The older they are, the more likely they are to make poor decisions, to go fast, to try and be “cool” around friends, or to forgo the use of safety equipment. Supervising your child (at any age) while they partake in this activity is recommended so you can act as their “second brain” and can provide them with cuing and guidance away from poor decisions.
2. Wear a Helmet. Like skating and skiing, choose a CSA approved helmet that fits properly. You don’t have to hit a tree to sustain a head injury – even just banging heads with another person, impacting the ground, or coming to a very sudden stop can cause the brain to be rattled. A helmet adds protection and reduces the risks.
3. Choose a “safe” location. Consider that some locations are now illegal for tobogganing and so do your research before you arrive. Find a hill that is not too crowded, that has lots of open space and plenty of room to stop at the bottom that is away from trees, roads or other hazards. Ramps and obstacles, while fun, increase the dangers so teach your kid to avoid these.
4. Use a proper sled. Find a toboggan that allows for steering and stopping and requires your child to sit upright, feet forward, where they have a clear line of sight and can easily bail if things are going amiss.
5. Feet first. Teach your child to toboggan with their feet, never their head, leading their body down the hill. A broken leg, while still a serious injury, is less life threatening than massive head or neck trauma. Much like going down a slide, teach them the safest technique.
6. When in doubt… bail out. Tell your kids to forgo the sled and bail to the side if they are going too fast, are approaching a person or obstacles, or if they are losing control. Just like all the training we give our kids – we need to teach them that if they are going to fail or fall, do it properly and safely.
My family has a secret spot for tobogganing. It is a private golf course that we have permission to use. The slopes are wide open with varying runs to choose from. The trees surrounding the hills provide shelter from the wind without creating unsafe obstacles. No one else is ever there. We bring our dogs who enjoying running the hills with our girls. Everyone comes home exhausted. We were there last weekend and noticed that some other kids have also been using the hills. But these kids seemed to have snowboards and had made a trail up into the forest with jumps and turns. I walked those trails with my kids and we talked about how unsafe they were. Too steep, too narrow, too many trees and a massive jump at the end. It was refreshing for me to realize that my girls understood the safety risks involved and that I was there to help them make better decisions about what hills to descend. While they were sledding I baked in some winter sun, threw snowballs to my dogs, helped my girls bring their sleds up the hills, and even took in a few runs. We had a great time and followed it up with some hot chocolate. That is how we enjoy our winter and I hope that in lieu of a ban or fines that cities can find a way to facilitate safe participation in this winter pastime, recognizing the value this brings to our culture as a country that spends a few months of the year in the cold and snow.
How do you feel about the tobogganing ban? Will you and your family continue to hit the slopes for the remainder of the winter and moving forward? If you do, please be safe!
Yesterday, January 28th was “Bell Let’s Talk Day” across Canada. A day to acknowledge the mental health issues that plaque thousands of Canadians, to raise funds towards mental health research and care, and to provide knowledge about how to help someone who is struggling with mental health concerns. The 2015 campaign has provided great information about how to end the stigma by changing thoughts and actions.
Check out the “5 simple ways to help end the stigma around mental illness” from Bell Let’s Talk and help to create change today!