COVID-19 AND WORLD AUTISM DAY

We can become so absorbed in the COVID-19 crisis that we can forget there are many people dealing with stressful situations everyday year round.

Families with Children or Adults with Autism need our love and support everyday. Not just today World Autism Day.

Disruptions for anyone is difficult. But for children with Autism it can be daunting.
So blue is the colour to honour this special group of individuals.

Reach out to families and see how they are coping. Is there any support they may need??

Tonight the CN Tower in Toronto will be blue to support awareness of this group of special individuals.

#worldautismday#supportingindividualsandfamilieswithautism#autism#thecntowerwillbeblue#bethereforotherswithautism#reflectivethoughtsbybarbara#barbaradimambro#covid-19

NANA SAYS WHY WAIT TO HAVE CHILDREN?

Many modern parents are waiting longer to have their children. Careers established, that second big house and the world tour. Then deciding to start children later in life, often discovering fertility issues. Of course there are couples who tried to conceive earlier and had difficulties.Fertility is always a very painful process for those having trouble with conception. New studies are telling us there are increased problems with older parents both male and female. In Vitro conception often looks at having twins which can increase post-partum difficulties with issues like early deliveries, stays in Neonatal Units and sometimes later developmental concerns. There are many situations where everything did go well with a healthy baby or two, of course. It seems disconcerting to me that modern women are being advised to talk to their doctors about the best age to have children. I am older and knew back in 1970 that age 35 was a critical year to finish having children due to the increase in the possibility of special needs children. Regardless of how healthy a woman may be the body is still a 35 year old or a 40 year old or a 45 year old body. Older men also are in the same situation where there are linkages with  having special needs children as well. Fortunately for many couples there are other possibilities with surrogacy mothers helping them to have that much wanted baby. As important as a career path, also factor in the baby path too. Can you do both at a younger age? Definitely! Yes couples can wait, as it is always their choice. The anguish of wanting a child can be overwhelming if taking too long. It is wonderful for any child to be a wanted child. I do feel for those people having difficulty with the process.

NANA SAYS A SPECIAL NEEDS DIAGNOSIS DOES NOT NEED TO BE DEVASTATING

When parents of a newborn are given a diagnosis of down syndrome, chromosomal abnormality or any other complex diagnosis, it can be devastating initially. Supportive counselling, linkages to community agencies and family involvement all help with the situation. Many children can have rewarding lives within family settings. For many parents, however, they need to grieve not having the normal child to accepting and loving the special needs child is a painful process. Their lives mean needing to contend with all the clinicians that may be in their world: trips to a Children's Hospital like the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto or intense involvement with community agencies that offer services such as speech language, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, social work, behaviour management, sensory integration and therapies like art, music, dance. Special Education classes at school will be the norm along with some integration into regular classes. Connecting with other parents and peer support groups are equally and sometimes more beneficial to parents. Professionals need to know when to back off and allow the family some normal privacy. Expertise means assessing the strengths of the parents and incorporating them into the team.The diagnosis will become less devastating when any society removes the stigma of seeing developmentally challenged individuals as less worthy. We embrace our elderly who become cognitively impaired so the same acceptance of the little ones needs to happen. If you know parents who are facing such a dilemma, reach out and offer hope. Congratulate them on the birth of their baby. But be willing to offer the additional support they may need. Perhaps babysitting the older children while a parent goes to a doctor's appointment. It will not be an easy journey but can be made manageable if parents do not feel alone and isolated like the previous generations who had to manage alone or send their child to an institution. Actually, Special Needs people have a lot to offer us. With events like the Special Olympics, the achievements are amazing. If you spend time in their world, you can learn about yourself and will be loved unconditionally. Do you know parents struggling with a new diagnosis? Is there something you can do to help them? Do you have Special Needs people in your life? Tell me your stories.