Shire House

The rationale was to occupy participants and train them for jobs that required limited skills, but having worked with people with autism and other developmental challenges, I know they are capable of so much more if provided with the right training, goals, and opportunities.

Don’t ever give up on yourself and always follow your heart, Martins advises, crediting the staff in the college’s Office of Disability Services and Chef Gloria Cabral, associate professor of Baking and Pastry Arts, for building his confidence and for their unfailing support and constant encouragement.

Failing in college as a teen or young adult with learning differences is a stressful time for the entire family. The student may experience failure internally and become depressed or anxious about their future, making it more difficult to motivate them to pursue a productive path forward. When things don't go as planned at the college level, it's a good time to...

The good news is, there's no need to cancel the holidays this year just make them unique! There are lots of ways to help ensure the 2020 holidays still bring comfort and joy.

Articles tell us what to do, but apps help lead us and remind us to practice self-care every day. https://psych.ucsf.edu/copingresources/apps

Known as Project Connect, the telehealth line is free and available anytime for people with disabilities, their families, caregivers, and other members of their support teams across the nation.

"I push through every roadblock that I come across because I know I’m strong enough after all of the hardships I’ve faced." Patrick K, 29

It is not happy people who are thankful. It is thankful people who are happy. ~Unknown

Housing for neurodiverse adults is not often addressed but is a major issue. Different Brains presents a video and audio recording of a discussion between Ashley Kim of Elevare Community of Los Angeles, which provides supportive housing and services for adults with special needs, and Harold Hackie Reitman, M.D., founder of Different Brains.

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Apply by October 14, 2020

The global pandemic and attendant economic crisis are making things that much more difficult for everyone, especially the most vulnerable among us. There’s a growing awareness that taking care of mental health is crucial to our own wellbeing as well as society. An important part of that work is going to therapy, where we can address our personal traumas, find an empowered sense of purpose, talk out our day-to-day frustrations and make sense of our place in the world so that we can take meaningful action. Below is a list of affordable and culturally competent therapy services and directories, as well as crisis hotlines, to help you on your way to healing.

Want to understand autism? No words can describe how what I learnt brought autism understanding to a new level. ~ Aileen Cashman, Mother & Conference Atte...ndee At the 2020 ONLINE AUTISM: BEYOND BEHAVIOURS Conference with Dr. TEMPLE GRANDIN + other speakers, you’ll learn Practical Strategies and Understandings to support Autistic Individuals. EARLY BIRD Tickets NOW Nearly Sold out! Make a difference in autistic people’s lives and REGISTER TODAY to SAVE up to 50% https://www.autismcork.ie - Don’t miss out!

Osborne has the same reservations I do about the DSM. Some of the listed mental disorders are the names of personality traits. At what point, after all, does a variation in personality become a true neurological disorder such as severe depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, or obsessive-compulsive disorder? When does moody become manic depressive? When does feeling blue become depressed? When does being fussy about cleanliness slip over into obsessive-compulsive disorder? When does autism turn into Asperger’s, and when is Asperger’s mild enough to be called something like computer nerd?

Before COVID, SBN had been providing free live virtual nature hikes for those living with a disability for over a year. Some viewers had cerebral palsy, multiple sclerosis, and head or neck injuries. Today, they are proud to provide virtual nature hikes for the entire community. https://www.savedbynature.org/gallery

Neurodiversity Pathways is looking for volunteers to be part of a test team interested in attending their newly created online courses and willing to provide valuable feedback for use in refining and shaping the online learning experience. Anyone participating in all 10 sessions will receive a $100 gift card, as a token of their appreciation. If you know someone who may be interested in participating in this opportunity and be willing to contribute and influence our course design and the overall learning experience, please have them click on the link below to visit our website and complete the application steps. https://ndpathways.org/workplace-readiness-program-online/

This is an excellent employment readiness program, and you can participate from wherever you are! Shire House has had the privilege of hosting several Cohort participants, many who continue to be employed in the jobs they were connected to by this program.

Shire House now has a Facebook Group for parents of or professionals who work with adults with Aspergers and are looking for resources or to share resources. Shire House is creating this space for us to share what has worked or is working for our adult children or clients. Or you might be looking for guidance on how to start your own programs or services such as we have. We continue to use the term Aspergers since this gives a clearer description of where in the Autism spectr...um one is. We don't have all the answers but we will look for or find them together. https://www.facebook.com/groups/shirehousegroups See more

The AASCEND Job Club meeting via Zoom will feature Marcia Scheiner, the author of An Employer’s Guide to Managing Professionals on the Autism Spectrum. http://www.aascend.org/

Our sympathies to the Almaliti family, so sad.