Category Archives: Uncategorized

Autism coffee morning – let’s talk about camel milk!

Have you ever tried camel milk? I have. I admittedly don’t have a lot of it, but we did have quite a few bottles of it in my house on a regular basis for a while – when research emerged that camel’s milk is an alternative to regular milk or soy milk etc for people with autism.

It’s Autism Awareness Month in April, and to herald that, there’s something pretty interesting happening in a dew days. If I wasn’t travelling, I’d definitely be there! So here’s something for families or professionals who deal with autistic spectrum disorders on a regular basis:

What?
EICMP (Emirates Industry for Camel Milk & Products) is hosting a coffee morning in co-ordination with Autism UAE and the Child Early Intervention Medical Centre to talk about the issue that camel milk might support in the therapy of autistic children.

US author (A Real Boy: A True Story of Autism) Christina Adams will speak at the coffee morning about her experience with her autistic son and the use of alternative therapy methods.

FYI she will also be speaking at the Child Early Intervention Medical Centre charity gala dinner on April 2, 2014.

When?
Monday, March 31, 2014 at 10am.

Where?
The Majlis Dubai, next to Jumeirah Mosque on Jumeirah Beach Road.

Special needs event on Saturday, Feb 22, in Dubai!

Running a press release which I received about an event in Dubai this coming weekend, which aims to raise awareness about special needs kids and allows them to enjoy themselves in a relaxed setting while interacting with kids who go to mainstream schools.

Also, it’s Karan’s birthday on February 22 … so go celebrate! 😀

PRESS RELEASE:

TRIBE WATSON to Organize 7th Annual reaching you “party in the park”
(formally known as reaching you “family fun day”)

Dubai, UAE – 16th February 2014 – Under the patronage of HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, wife of HH Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice- President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, ‘reaching you’- a programme created to increase awareness and integration of children with special needs across the UAE- will be holding its 7th annual Party In The Park (formally known as ‘Family Fun Day’), at the Mega Bowl, Zabeel Park on the 22nd of February 2014 from 12:00 until 18:00.

Invitation to Reaching You party in the park

A complimentary day full of festivities, the reaching you “party in the park” is committed to providing a relaxed environment for special needs and mainstream children to interact and enjoy a fun filled day of activities, merriment and health.

“We see health and fitness as a key element in enhancing children’s lives and integrating them into their community,” said Nick Watson, Co-Founder of TRIBE WATSON and reaching you. “As such, we wanted to create a worthy cause, which encouraged this involvement, sharing with parents and the UAE community the wonderful joy this can bring to children of all abilities.”

“In Dubai alone there are over 6000 children with special needs, however caring for them is not always at the forefront of people’s minds, thus events like the reaching you “party in the park”, help in bringing us all together,” said Mr. Watson.

In its 7th year and expecting over 5000 visitors, the reaching you “party in the park” promises to be a fantastic day full of activities including – DJ’s, bouncy castles, obstacle courses, climbing walls, Dubai Drums, art work, puppet shows, theatrical shows, games as well as face & henna painting – delighting children in this renowned family affair.

“It is my personal belief that every individual has the right to receive the necessary support needed to live as a member of the community and benefit from experience and social relationships. reaching you and its various initiatives are a perfect way to achieve this,” concluded Mr. Watson.

Nick and Delphine Watson are parents of Rio, their beautiful boy who has special needs. Inspired by their own experiences, in 2006 they were motivated to establish the program reaching you, using their own understanding and appreciation for the cause, as the currency for their success.

Details of Reaching You Facebook page-
https://www.facebook.com/reachingyoudubai

Do parents of special needs children need training?

An interesting press release landed in my inbox (pasted at the end of this post), about training for parents of children with special needs.

I’m glad initiatives like these take place! When you get that call or are told face-to-face that your child is ‘different’ from the normative human being, it’s definitely a shock. You have to prepare yourselves for dealing with issues other families may not have to. And there’s never been a manual. My point is, yes I think families with special needs need training and a network of support. It’s great that there’s so much support nowadays, whether it’s through programmes like these, or even the internet!

I was only 12 when Karan was diagnosed, I never really found blogs of other special needs families until I was around 15 or so, when I started looking. I was frustrated, even as a sibling, with the lack of information on how to deal, how to cope. I discovered blogs I loved reading…other Moms listing their trials and tribulations, their successes and so much more.

My parents don’t like the idea of this blog in a way, they think I share too much about Karan and our life with him. And you may be able to tell this blog now has less of ‘life with Karan’, and more of my thoughts on the topic of special needs in general. One of them is probably reading right now and thinking that me saying they think I over-share IS over-sharing! 🙂 But I have found the special needs community online to be one of the best support networks out there. Someone else has already done the sleepless nights and shared what worked, someone else has already dealt with tantrums in the supermarket and shared their fatigue, someone else’s kid has finally learned how to use the toilet independently and they shared their joy with us.

Lately I haven’t had the time to comment, but I am a lurker on the special needs community websites and read, and get happy and sad with them. Shout-out to these blogs for being some of my favourite special needs websites to read when I can: Living with Autism / Love That Max / Planet Autism / Adventures in Extreme Parenthood / Autism by Hand

Anyway, here’s the press release that triggered this post (copied in full):

Al Jalila Foundation announces the launch of its Ta’alouf Parents Training aimed at providing life-changing skills to parents of children with special needs

Dubai, UAE; 5 October 2013: Al Jalila Foundation, a global philanthropic organisation dedicated to transforming lives through medical education and research, has announced the launch of its first training course taking place for parents of children with special needs as part of the Foundation’s Ta’alouf programme. The course spans 12 weeks and provides behavioural training for these parents to empower them with life-changing skills. As part of its sponsorship, Al Jalila Foundation has committed to providing training for 400 parents of all nationalities over a period of four years. The course is being conducted in collaboration with the British University in Dubai (BUiD), the Middle East’s first research based postgraduate university, and is designed and led by Professor Eman Gaad, Dean of Faculty of Education and the Head of the Doctoral Programme at BUiD.

Ta’alouf, which means ‘harmony’ in Arabic, is Al Jalila Foundation’s flagship community programme, which was announced in June 2013, starts today with the parents training course. Established by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Ruler of Dubai, Al Jalila Foundation is committed to fostering a unified and inclusive society where parents, educators, strategic partners and the wider community work together to empower children with disabilities.

The training provided through this collaboration enables parents to complement the efforts of educators and caregivers for a continuum of care between the child’s home and school. The first 12-week professional course includes 55 parents of children with varying special needs and will cover a range of professional behavioural skills that will allow parents to better address their children’s needs. Among the participants are Sonia Al Hashimi, Chairperson of the UAE Down Syndrome Association, and Fatima Rashed Al Matrooshi, Chairperson of the Emirates Autism Society.

Dr Abdulkareem Al Olama, CEO of Al Jalila Foundation, said: “This training is deeply rooted in our premise that learning is not only confined to the classroom because, even at home, children are in a continuous process of intellectual growth in which parental engagement is essential. This parent-centred course will allow parents to be more perceptive in interpreting their children’s behavioural cues, thus making the learning process more interactive.”

Professor Abdullah Alshamsi, Vice Chancellor of BUiD, added: “The British University in Dubai believes that all students, including those with disabilities and special learning needs, are entitled to an excellent education. Equipping parents with the tools and knowledge required to provide their children with a genuine opportunity to succeed is a vital part of this educational success. In responding to this vision, we are very proud to be Al Jalila Foundation’s partner in this wonderful initiative.”

Sonia Al Hashimi, Chairperson of the UAE Down Syndrome Association, added: “Parents face challenges, stigmas and alienation and they need support that will enable them to be better equipped to assimilate information and act on behalf of their children. Increasingly, communities are recognising the critical need for inclusion – these courses are providing that necessary bridge between parents and school, addressing the needs of these children.”

Fatima Rashed Al Matrooshi, Chairperson of the Emirates Autism Society, stated: “There have been significant developments in the education of students with special educational needs in recent years. Keeping track of these developments and getting involved in your child’s special education are among the most important things you can do as a parent. I would like to thank Al Jalila Foundation for introducing this very important initiative to the UAE.”

This latest collaboration marks another significant milestone for Al Jalila Foundation since its launch on 1 April 2013. The cumulative effect of the parents’ training will advance the organisation towards its overall aim of impacting lives across the UAE population through medical education and research.

Support local special needs school’s craft initiative

Just received an email today from Manzil Centre for Challenged Individuals based in Sharjah about its latest initiative to support, and, most importantly, empower its students with special needs.

Individuals and companies who wish to gift their friends, family or colleagues presents created by children with special needs can contact Manzil with any customisable requests.

All proceeds from the sale of Manzil ME products will go towards supporting its students.

There is more information in the flyer below, and for more info call +97165347663 or +971509817767.

Manzil ME gifts

Disclosure: My brother studies at Manzil.

Ottawa chef cooks up plan to help young adults with autism in the kitchen

OTTAWA — For years, Christine Alexander, the executive chef and owner of Grenfell Catering Delights, stood behind her deli counter teaching young adults with autism from a nearby centre to use her debit machine to buy sandwiches, cookies and drinks.

“The service worker would always speak for them and interact for them. I said, ‘You know, I’m pretty patient if you ever want to bring them by on my not-busy times so they can learn how to do it,” said Alexander.

Within about six months, the young customers from Spectrum Intervention Group could make purchases on their own. Their success inspired Alexander to offer her skills and her kitchen for cooking lessons.

READ MORE AT: Ottawa chef cooks up plan to help young adults with autism in the kitchen.

One of the most stupid things to say to special needs families

I’ve heard this line a million times, and believe me when I say that I constantly want to punch whoever says this ridiculous line to me:

God only gives special needs children to those who can handle it”

… or any variation on the same.

Honestly … if that’s the only thing that comes to mind when you speak to a special needs family, I’d kindly ask you to shut your trap.

Seriously? You genuinely believe that every single family that has a special needs child born into it is capable of handling it? I’ve seen tremendous success stories, and I’ve also seen what modern lingo would call ‘massive fails’.

Not just a failure in terms of getting the child what s/he needs to become independent (oh trust me, there are loads of parents/caregivers who don’t do squat to improve their charge’s situation), but there are occasional cases where children are mistreated, injured, or worse case scenarios, killed/murdered [see this post for example: Autism is Not an Excuse for Murder: A Mother Selfishly Takes Her Son’s Life] … thankfully rarely seen in the media, but it happens.

I don’t need explanations on the divine mysteries of why it happened, this is not what this post is about.

This post is about me asking you, politely, to never spout this nonsense ever again.

I spy with my little eye, something beginning with the letter “a”

I guess people who deal with special needs of any form can identify with this.

Often, it feels like having a superpower – the power to spot special needs where others don’t. I know it sounds overbearing, awful and sad.

Some people don’t have external, identifying “marks” of having a special need. But I can see them (it’s starting to sound all Sixth Sense even as I type).

I was out yesterday in a mall, and I was walking towards my destination in the mall, my eye moved towards a boy (perhaps 17? 18?) with a bright pink t-shirt with a slightly unfocused look. And in around 10 seconds, I thought, “he has autism.”

Then I observed a little more.

He was accompanied by a man and woman whom he resembled slightly – his parents I surmised. With them was another man, didn’t look like them at all, had (how do I write this in the most PC manner? Perhaps there is no way) slightly worn/not very expensive clothes on…I pegged him as their helper. He had a shopping bag in his hand, and I think the father asked him to give it to the boy. He did. The boy held it limply for a while, then dropped it, not realising, not caring. The other man picked it up, stayed close.

I stayed for a minute or two, and figured I was right.

And then I mentally wished them all the best, and felt glad that at least they had some help with the boy. It’s not easy, and frankly not recommended, to take care of a person with special needs with no extra help – especially if it’s within your means to get that help.

Cats, autism and overcoming prejudices

Karan and the cat

So that’s Karan sitting on the doorstep of our house. That’s an abandoned cat. To cut a long story short (although if you want the long story, here it is), she was most likely left behind by her owners and she’s adopted our garage as her base, while she roams around for most of the day along with many other stray cats in the area.

One day, we were doing something in the garden so I brought Karan outside, and here they are, sitting next to each other, ignoring each other. I love this photo since it just shows how aloof both are. Yesterday, Karan and the cat (female, but I’ve named her Vader) were just staring at each other… Karan standing, with Vader at his feet looking up at him. It was really cute to see!

BrainPop: What is Autism?

Came across a link to a video on Twitter which explains what autism is in a simple way and is created for children.

With a cartoon character and a robot discussing the issue, it breaks down the bare elements of autism in a concise and easy-to-understand manner.

Try and help your kids understand what autism is, and hey, if adults don’t get it either… this is a good place to start!

Link to video

Autism awareness month supported by Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi

Note: I don’t normally post press releases on my blog, but I felt this one warranted a post 🙂 There’s a few activities for members of the public to get involved with, so if you’re in Abu Dhabi around that time, why not?

As part of Hyatt Hotels & Resorts’ international Global Month of Service, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi has partnered with Abu Dhabi Cause Connect to support World Autism Awareness Day (WAAD) through a full month of initiatives to raise awareness on autism.

“As part of our on-going commitment to Hyatt Thrive and our local community, hosting and organising weekly activities throughout April (World Autism Awareness Month) was undoubtedly an important yet easy decision as it is a cause all our employees are committed to,” said Ashwini Kumar, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi general manager, in the statement.

One in every 88 children is diagnosed with autism and each year, more children are diagnosed with autism than with juvenile diabetes, AIDS or cancer, combined.

“Awareness is the first step to early detection. It is important for us to engage the community so that there is increased dialogue about how to recognise autism and how to find the proper help and support for your child,” said autism consultant Nipa Bhuptani. “Early intervention plays a large role in increasing the quality of life of children, family and their caregivers.”

“Our employees are volunteering their time towards increasing awareness and acceptance of autism families in Abu Dhabi,” added Kumar.

These are the activities Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi is working on:

Hotel Fundraising – 2 April
From WAAD until the end of the month, Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi will ‘Light it up Blue’ by switching all of its exterior building lights to blue – the recognised hero colour of Autism Speaks – to mark its commitment to the cause.
Guests visiting Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi will have the opportunity to assist children with autism by adding a ten dirham donation to the end of their bill at any food and beverage outlet, Rayana spa and at check-out.

Employee Education – 2 April
To ensure all employees of Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi are able to share informed knowledge about persons with autism, awareness and early detection, Nipa Bhuptani will provide an educational seminar to not only increase awareness amongst hotel staff, but to also allow staff to share their learning with all guests they interact with. All employees will be wearing a colourful puzzle piece ribbon on their lapel throughout April, and thus the hotel encourages all guests to please speak to its employees about this important initiative.

Art Display and Auction – 7 April
To celebrate the unique talents and skills of people with autism, from 7 – 30 April, various art pieces will be on display on level 18 of Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi, in reception, the lounge and the hotel’s signature restaurant, 18 Degrees (18˚).
Painted and drawn by children with autism, approximately 25 pieces will be displayed and showcased to all guests entering the hotel. Art pieces are available for purchase at a price dictated by the buyer as a donation. All monies received from the sales will be put towards purchasing ‘wish list’ items for autism schools and centres.

Fun Day – 20 April, 9:30am
To warmly welcome and embrace children with autism, a day for these unique individuals and their families will be hosted by Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi at the Corniche Beach. The hotel will not only be donating snack boxes for the children, but employees will also join the event to personally play and engage with, and support all that attend.

Inaugural Launch of Support Network for Parents – 24 April, 5:00pm – 6:00pm
Hyatt Capital Gate Abu Dhabi will host the launch of Abu Dhabi’s first parent support network for autism families, led by Nipa Bhuptani. Although the prevalence of persons with autism is high in the capital, no formal support network currently exists. All parents that have children with autism are invited to attend the launch.
For parents in need of additional relaxation, a complimentary coffee break and yoga/meditation session will also be hosted from 6:00pm – 7:00pm by Rayana Spa, located on level 19 of the hotel. Prior registration is required and availability is on a first come first serve basis.

For those wanting to attend the Fun Day and / or Launch of the Support Network, please contact Nipa Bhuptani at nipa@nipabhuptani.com or +97150 7929965.