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Autism Ontario celebrates International Women's Day 2021 in Ontario by honouring: Autistic girls and women of all ages who find ways, despite increased rates of mental health challenges during a pandemic, to learn online, adapt to new ways of being with family members during lockdowns, and share their stories and artwork with us. Amazing women caregivers/parents who, compared to men, have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19 in their roles as caregivers, in their own loss of income or employment due to becoming at-home teachers because their children couldn't attend school safely; and

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Ontario, March 11, 2021 Autism Ontario Congratulates Dr. Stelios Georgiades upon appointment as McMaster Children’s Hospital Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Autism Ontario Congratulates Dr. Stelios Georgiades upon appointment as McMaster Children’s Hospital Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders Download the PDF. FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE – Toronto, Ontario – March 11, 2021 - Autism Ontario extends its congratulations to Dr. Stelios Georgiades upon his appointment as the inaugural Chair in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders at McMaster

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Ontario, March 3, 2021 Statement by Autism Ontario: Guilty Verdict in Toronto Van Attack Trial has Lasting Implications for Autism Community Statement by Autism Ontario: Guilty Verdict in Toronto Van Attack Trial has Lasting Implications for Autism Community Download the PDF. FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE – Toronto, Ontario – March 3, 2021 - With today's verdict, there are no winners, but a measure of justice has been served for the families of those murdered: Beutis Renuka Amarasinghe, Andrea Knafelc Bradden, Geraldine Brady, So He Chung, Anne Marie D'Amico, Mary

My 10-year-old autistic son, Evan, and I wrote and illustrated children’s book together called I Wonder…A book to celebrate our differences. It embraces neurodiversity and how our differences make us special. Our book asks questions like, “Why am I different? And why do I need different things to learn and grow?” We answer these questions while making comparisons in nature: all trees are different, and all flowers need different things to grow. Evan has always been my biggest source of inspiration; I was inspired to write this book because Evan asks me questions about his differences. The

~ 3 minute read During these unprecedented times, it is more important than ever to show compassion and empathy for others. To help those who are in need. To be open and upfront by speaking out regarding mental health. During a global pandemic, I know this past year has taught me a lot. It taught me to be positive, humble, show dignity, reveal uncomfortable facts, appreciate the little things (the little things matter) and, of course, to inspire and lead by example. Living my life on the autism spectrum, I have struggled with so many mental health challenges related to living with the complex

~ 3 minute read As World Autism Month comes to an end, we want to thank everyone who helped us rally together to increase understanding, acceptance, and celebration of people on the autism spectrum, foster support, and inspire a more inclusive world. Thank you also for sharing your photos and videos with us; we were so inspired by the variety of flag-raising ceremonies you organized around the province! We are also grateful to the many businesses, small and large, who raised money for Autism Ontario this month and to every individual person who made a donation. You are all making a difference

Au terme du Mois mondial de l’autisme, nous souhaitons remercier toutes les personnes qui nous ont aidés à unir nos forces pour mieux faire comprendre et accepter les personnes autistes, pour leur rendre hommage, pour promouvoir leur soutien et pour inspirer l’avènement d’un monde plus inclusif. Merci également d’avoir partagé avec nous vos photos et vidéos; la diversité de cérémonies de lever du drapeau que vous avez organisées dans la province est certainement impressionnante! Nous souhaitons de même exprimer notre gratitude aux nombreuses entreprises, petites et grandes, qui ont amassé de l

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Ontario, April 27, 2021 Autism Ontario Teams with Crock A Doodle to Bring Fun to Families and Raise Funds Autism Ontario Teams with Crock A Doodle to Bring Fun to Families and Raise Funds Download the PDF. FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – Toronto, Ontario – April 27, 2021 - Autism Ontario and Crock A Doodle are partnering to raise funds for people on the autism spectrum in a fundraising event involving families across the province. The “Dish it Up for Autism” event, in place now until April 30th, provides a creative and fun experience for families where participants of

~ 3 minute read It’s been 6 years since I wrote the story, “Happy Birthday Matthew!” for raisetheflagforautism.com, and reading it and seeing Matthew’s smiling face brings me such joy! Now that we’ve passed his 28th birthday, I thought it was time for an update on his life. Matthew continues to enjoy so many of the life’s moments I mentioned in Part 1, and more! He lives in a wonderful autism-specialized home near us, and the staff and support has been amazing. We’ve had our Friday night dates at Swiss Chalet (temporarily on hold for the past year!), he loves to wade in the pool, still enjoys

~ 3 minute read Why is the title a not so clever pun you may ask? Well, the essence of this post is to embrace the idea of teamwork. This pandemic has placed an ample amount of stress on families with children in general, but particularly families with children on the spectrum. The confinement indoors is enough to alter an array of factors including one’s mood, behaviour, habits- you name it. However, I found there are strategies we can employ to alleviate the stress placed on our loved ones as well as ourselves. For someone who has a sibling with autism- my brother- these activities are

I am the mom of Makobe, an 18-year-old with severe autism who lives at home with us in Muskoka. My husband, Mike, works for Swift Canoe and Kayak, and we are the owners/operators of a local canoe paddle-making business, Badger Paddles. I wish to share our vaccine story as a parent of a child with exceptionalities. We were invited to get our vaccines this past week, and our family is beyond grateful for the experience. Makobe is essentially nonverbal and is unable to express himself as a neurotypical teen would. We did all we could to prepare him for the small needle, but when it was his turn

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Ontario, June 21, 2021 OTF grant helps Autism Ontario and OAAI launch report led by autistic adults, caregivers and allies on service gaps and needs in Ottawa OTF grant helps Autism Ontario and OAAI launch report led by autistic adults, caregivers and allies on service gaps and needs in Ottawa Download the PDF. FOR IMEDIATE RELEASE – Ottawa, Ontario – June 21, 2021 - Creating a supportive and inclusive Ontario for autism is the mission of the Autism Society Ontario, also known as Autism Ontario. In 2019, the organization was awarded an Ontario Trillium Foundation

~ 5 minute read Adapted from: P. Kluth (2010). “You’re Going to Love This Kid!”: Teaching Students with Autism in the Inclusive Classroom (Rev ed.). Baltimore: Brookes. This article is from the website of Dr. Paula Kluth. It, along with many others on inclusive schooling, differentiated instruction, and literacy can be found at www.PaulaKluth.com. “I have a new student coming to my sixth-grade classroom and I am stumped. Ben does not speak very much but he sometimes uses an electronic device to make choices and greet people. He also knows some sign language. I am not sure how to include him in

~ 4 minute read Like the all of Canada, I was affected when COVID-19 officially arrived and started wreaking havoc. And while I didn’t really notice during the first few months, I really had my eyes opened to the situation we were in when the government gave the order to shut down the majority of businesses to help contain the virus. That was when it really sank in that it was a serious issue. When the realization hit, I was stricken with fear. What was going to happen? Will life be over as we know it? Will I ever do the things I loved ever again? And I’ll admit, when I had that thought, I

4 minutes de lecture Comme tout le reste du Canada, j’ai été affectée lorsque la COVID-19 est arrivée officiellement et a commencé à faire des ravages. Même si pendant les premiers mois, je n’ai rien remarqué, j’ai vraiment ouvert les yeux quand le gouvernement a donné l’ordre de fermer la majorité des commerces pour aider à contenir le virus. C’est à ce moment que j’ai vraiment compris la gravité de la situation. Quand j’ai réalisé ce qui se passait, la peur m’a envahie. Qu’allait-il arriver? Notre vie telle que nous la connaissions était-elle terminée? Est-ce que je pourrai à nouveau faire

POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE Toronto (Ontario), le 30 juillet 2020 Un sondage d’Autisme Ontario recommande une augmentation des soutiens en milieu scolaire pour les enfants autistes en prévision de la rentrée Un sondage d’Autisme Ontario recommande une augmentation des soutiens en milieu scolaire pour les enfants autistes en prévision de la rentrée Télécharger le PDF. Autisme Ontario a publié les résultats d’un sondage mené auprès de 2 400 parents et aidants d’enfants autistes ontariens, portant sur les expériences vécues durant la période de fermeture des écoles et sur leurs inquiétudes entourant

~ 3 minute read These are very strange and trying times indeed! As one of the Autism Ontario Service Navigators working in North, we usually come across unique challenges and obstacles as we try to reach families to offer support, and provide information and resources. The main obstacles are a lack of local resources and service providers, and long distances (some as long as eight hours!) between towns/cities; to get to the James Bay coastal communities, for instance, you have to take a train or plane! COVID-19 social distancing has brought about new challenges, but it has also helped us gain

3 minutes de lecture Cette situation est certainement étrange et éprouvante! En tant que l’une des prestataires des services de navigation d’Autisme Ontario travaillant dans le Nord, nous sommes souvent mis à l’épreuve et rencontrons des obstacles particuliers en tentant de rejoindre les familles pour leur offrir du soutien, des renseignements et des ressources. Le manque de ressources locales et de fournisseurs de services est le principal obstacle que nous rencontrons, ainsi que les longues distances à parcourir entre les villes (parfois jusqu’à huit heures!). Par exemple, il faut prendre un

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Toronto, Ontario, July 30, 2020 Autism Ontario Survey Recommends Increased School-Based Supports for Children with Autism Ahead of Return to School Autism Ontario Survey Recommends Increased School-Based Supports for Children with Autism Ahead of Return to School Download the PDF. Autism Ontario has released the results of a survey of 2,400 Ontario parents and caregivers of children on the spectrum regarding their experiences during the school closure period and their concerns regarding a return to school in the fall. Primary among the report’s recommendations was a call

~ 2 minute read March 24th was our son’s 27th birthday. We ventured to Matthew’s home with a birthday cake his sister baked, and while there were not yet official isolation rules in place, we kept a respectable distance from the personal support workers and staff at his group home. Little did we know that it would be weeks, possibly months, before we would be able to kiss him, hug him, or have our Friday ‘date night’ at Swiss Chalet again. Our son has autism. He is non-verbal and requires 24/7 care. Matthew requires considerable supports but has an incredible ‘filing cabinet’ memory – he knows

2 minutes de lecture Le 24 mars dernier, notre fils fêtait son 27e anniversaire. Nous nous sommes rendus au foyer de groupe de Matthew avec un gâteau confectionné par sa sœur, et bien qu’il n’y avait pas encore de règles officielles en place concernant l’isolement, nous avions gardé une distance respectable des travailleurs de soutien et du personnel du foyer de groupe. Nous ne savions pas que des semaines, possiblement des mois, passeraient avant que nous puissions l’embrasser, le serrer dans nos bras ou souper en tête à tête avec lui au Swiss Chalet les vendredis soirs. Notre fils est