NEW Intake! ASD Parent Training & Support Series 2012 in Petaling Jaya, Selangor

The next intake of the ASD Parent Training & Support Series starts in February, 2012 here in Petaling Jaya, Selangor. We will only be able to take 6 families for this intake. For more information, please click HERE.

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Parent Testimonial about the ASD Parent Training & Support Series

Dear Intan:

I am not much of a writer, but I will just tell you in my own words how I feel for the past 2 months. I would prefer my name not be revealed here, a bit shy. However, I definitely can take phone calls from other parents.

When I first joined this parent training programme 2 months ago, I had already passed the stage of denial and depression, and was very hopeful about going all out to help my son.

As I learned more, I was amazed that so much can be done! I feel like I am slowly reaching out to him and we have more interaction. More interaction goes hand-in-hand with more learning. In the past, it had been difficult for him to learn effectively. Even the more basic skills like natural eye contact (referencing), or responding to me calling his name was difficult, which is very common for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

I will not deny that all the progress so far needed (and still needs) lots of hard work, I have to say the ANDI Initiative parent training programme is providing a means for me to go into his world and engage him in various activities and subsequently promote learning .

There is a tangible improvement in terms of my son's imitation skills and speech. I understand that to catch up in those delays in developmental milestones is a long process, and sometimes could take years rather than these few months. A more important achievement that I notice in him is his willingness to learn, and his involvement with more variety of play, and occasionally his pleasure when engaging in proper activities.

Last but not least, I have to say this wouldn't be possible without you, Intan. Thank you so much.


Regards,

(Parent of 3-year-old, Kuala Lumpur, currently in ASD Parent Training 2011 Intake 2)

For more info on this parent training programme, click HERE. For more Parent Testimonials, click HERE.

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Sponsorship Opportunity

Hello everyone:

ANDI Initiative is offering to provide a 50% sponsorship for 3 parents (of children on the autism spectrum) to attend the following event.

Autism Workshop

Date: Tuesday, 6th September, 2011

Venue: Medical Academies of Malaysia, 210 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 KL.

Registration Fee: RM200

Organised by Child Development Centre, UKMMC, and Chapter of Child Neurology and Developmental Paediatrics, Malaysian Society of Neurosciences.

Speakers include: Prof Catherine Lord, PhD (USA), who has been integral in the development of ASD assessment tools such as the ADOS and ADI-R.

In return, ANDI Initiative would appreciate it if each sponsored parent would write 4 book reviews of their favourite autism-related books, as a service to other parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The reviews will be shared on the ANDI Initiative blog and Facebook page.

To request sponsorship, or for a pdf copy of the event brochure, please respond by EMAIL ONLY to ANDI.Initiative@gmail.com.

(photo above is from a previous event)

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Angels Come in Many Forms...

...to borrow a saying by some of my friends.

I'm overwhelmed to receive this gift to ANDI Initiative from Brenda Smith Myles, Ph.D and Autism Asperger Publishing Company (with many thanks to Judy Endow, MSW, for the hook-up).

Truly Angels!

After I process them, these 42 titles (yes, forty-two!!) will be listed in this blog, our Facebook page, and available for loan to parents of children with special needs.

Happy Reading!

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Unique Voices of those on the Autism Spectrum

If We Listen (and Read), We May Just Learn Something...

Not every person with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) grows up to be an accomplished speaker or author. But then, come on, not even the neurotypical (non-autistic) population have too many eloquent and insightful "representatives" right?

However, we are fortunate when ASD adults like Judy Endow, Temple Grandin, Sean Barron, Donna Williams, Stephen Shore, Wendy Lawson, James Williams (and many more) choose to give up their privacy. The rest of us gain from their INSIGHTS and their UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE.

It changes the way we view, raise, or teach those on the spectrum. It helps us treat those around us with dignity, respect, compassion, and many times, AWE.

Click HERE for several of the books by authors, speakers, advisors, consultants, educators who have an Autism Spectrum Disorder. These are available for loan from ANDI Initiative.

(Also here's a shout-out to Dr Stephen Shore himself, who - as I write this - is in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia speaking at the conference there!)

Judy Endow (left) in April 2011, at the ASW Autism Conference, WI, USA.

Empower Yourself

ASD Parent Training & Support Series - A Training Programme for Parents of Children with Autism (2012 Dates)

9th Intake since 2007 !

“There are many things that I liked about the parent training programme. Firstly, the training was very 'hands-on'. Parents were actively involved in discussions and question-answer sessions. Teaching and learning took place in a very informal way. There was not a dull moment and I felt enriched each time a class ended.

It has been a wonderful experience for me. I understand my child better. I can connect to my child easily. I teach my child more effectively. I play with my child more enjoyably. The reasons behind his tantrums and behaviour are now much more predictable.

The gains were not only for my child. I definitely had my share of self-improvement too.”

Parent of 8-year-old,

Johor Bahru, Johor

2010 Participant

"When I discovered my son had autism at the age of two, I scrambled around for another year to look for someone to help him. I heard about ANDI Initiative's Parent Training programme and was excited at the prospect of learning skills to help my son. After undergoing the Parent Training course, I could see positive changes in my son. His therapists and I tracked his improvement from a boy trapped in his own head to a child who loves people. He's still a work in progress, but I'm now able to explore other forms of techniques of helping and connecting with him, because the initial training by ANDI Initiative made me brave, skilled, proactive and empowered."

- Parent, 2007 Participant, Petaling Jaya


"The training helped me to communicate with my son effectively. In return, he is able to relate to me in a sensible way. Introducing a new routine is no longer a struggle."

- Parent of 7-year-old, 2008 Participant, Putrajaya

The ASD Parent Training & Support Series is a four-month training programme for parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder who want to learn how to teach their child skills, improve their child's cooperation and other behaviours, and have fun with their child during this process. The trainer uses both and relationship-based methodologies and Applied Behaviour Analysis. The trainer is equally influenced by the HANDLE (R) approach, the sensory integration paradigm and Social Thinking (R).

Totalling more than 40 hours, this training series provides guidance, information and support about:

- setting up a learning programme at home
- troubleshooting difficulties
- improving behaviours
- keeping learning fun!

Through small-group training sessions, verbal and video feedback, home visits, written data and phone consultations, parents will give the trainer information on the child's progress in order to get the next steps in each child's learning programme, and to get guidance from the trainer in determining what those next steps would be.

The training includes:

- FIVE small-group training sessions
- SIX support visits to your home
- Phone/email consultations
- "Parent-to-Parent Support": During the training series, parents will be able to access moral support and information from several parents who participate in previous intakes of this training series

Small-group Training Dates:

Initial Training (Session 1)
Monday, 13 February, 2012
9:00am until 3:30pm

Initial Training (Session 2)
Monday, 20 February, 2012
9:00am until 3:30pm

Training Session 3
Monday, 19 March, 2012
9:00am until 3:30pm

Training Session 4
Monday, 23 April, 2012
9:00am until 3:30pm

Training Session 5
Monday, 21 May, 2012
9:00am until 3:30pm

Venue:

SS2, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. Address will be given to confirmed participants.

Support Visits to the Home:

A total of 6 support visits will be made by a member of our Support Visit Team to the home between February and June 2011, at a time suitable for the family.

What families have said about this training series:

"After 13 weeks of this programme, my son has shown improvement. Thanks to this effective programme, I feel more calm..."

- Parent of 2-year-old, 2007 Participant, Cheras

"I have benefitted a lot from this training...I can now communicate with my child who was previously non-verbal using the communication tools introduced in the training, we have fun during the therapy sessions, we have bonded so much more and most important of all - both of us are no longer frustrated with each other.

- Parent of 4-year-old, 2009 Participant, Ampang

“This is truly a one-of-a-kind programme where parents are trained and given full support be it techniques, trouble-shooting, advice and counselling to start specific learning or behaviour management programmes with the child. I learnt so many new things and methods, and the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’.

What gave me confidence was Intan's approach to fine-tune/correct our skills during home visits. He still has a long way to go but this parent training has given me the skill, confidence and hope to carry on.”

- Parent of 3-year-old, Cheras, Kuala Lumpur, 2011 Participant

There are only 10 total spots available for the ASD Parent Training & Support Series, and these spots may be determined by age, diagnosis or suitability of the child for this programme.


To enquire, or to request the training scope and application form, please contact ANDI Initiative at ANDI.Initiative@gmail.com or leave a message at 012-538-6134.


To read parent testimonials about this Parent Training programme, please click HERE.


***Quotes reprinted with express permission.

Books Loaned Out at the Moment

Another Parent's Experience with the ASD Parent Training & Support Series, March-June 2011 Intake

Photo published with parent's permission.

My son is 3 yrs 6 months old (June 2011). We got the diagnosis PDD-NOS 1 year ago when we brought him to Child Development Centre at HUKM for delayed speech, poor eye contact and limited interaction.

I was devastated, even though I had already suspected it much earlier. There was a lot of information given to us by the HUKM consultant, and one of them was about ANDI Initiative.

I was skeptical at first, but knowing ‘the earlier the intervention the better the outcome’, I decided to contact Intan Miranti. We missed the 2010 second intake of the ASD Parent Training & Support Series, but made the commitment for the 2011 first intake. (I had the blessing of a supportive hubby when I went on no-pay leave for 3 months).

This is truly a one-of-a-kind programme where parents are trained and given full support be it techniques, trouble-shooting, advice and counseling to start specific ABA programmes with the child. I learnt so many new things and methods and the ‘whys’ and ‘hows’.

What gave me confidence was Intan's approach to fine-tune / correct our skills during home visits. My daily sessions with my son had its ups and downs with him being not cooperative some days, and other times me just giving up because it was going nowhere, but I ploughed on.

Slowly, a wonderful boy emerged from the shell. My boy Ryan was looking at me more, his learning and attending protocol improved, his play skills are better (thanks to an 11-year-old brother and a 10-year-old sister who actually go down to the floor to play with him).

Now I am back at work and he is attending playschool but we still do our therapy sessions at night whenever possible. Ryan still goes for speech therapy, occuptional therapy and weekly sessions with a special needs teacher.

He still has a long way to go but this parent training has given me the skill, confidence and hope to carry on. Personally, I think Ryan would not be where he is now (which is an improvement) had it not been for this four-month parent training programme.

THANK YOU, ANDI INITIATIVE!!!

- Parent, Cheras, 2011 Intake

Photo published with parent's permission.

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Parent Voices Support Group is Back!

What's the latest buzz in educational interventions for learners with ASD?

A parent who recently attended a 3-day conference in Wisconsin, USA, will informally share what was covered at the conference, including:

• the latest research on what the "best practices" are for teaching ASD learners
• using technology
• what teenagers and adults with autism want you to know about them.

As usual, the format will be 1 hour on the topic, moderated by the parent speaker, followed by 1 hour of networking and socializing with a light snack.

Date: Sunday, 22 May, 2011

Time: 10am - 12 noon
Venue: SS2, Petaling Jaya (address will be given to confirmed attendees)

Registration necessary. Please send an email to ANDI.Initiative@gmail.com

A Parent's Experience with the ASD Parent Training & Support Series

ANDI Initiative Parent Training Programme: My Story

By Syahida Yep

Johor Bahru, Malaysia

I have a child with autism. He is 8 years old this year (2011). Since he was diagnosed in 2005, I have tried my very best to educate myself. I read, I listen, I see, I feel. I use whatever means I have to make sure that my child grows perfectly, despite his autism.

His diagnosis was never taken negatively. I took it with an open heart and mind. I knew that my child was not the only one with autism. The word autism may have sounded familiar to me at that time but I knew little about it back then. As I went through with my child's autism journey, I was particularly devastated every time he threw a tantrum. It was bad, very bad. The worst part was that the tantrums seemed to happen without an obvious reason. He cried, he screamed, he shouted, he even tried to hurt himself. I did not understand what and why. Though this is no longer a frequent scene, it still happens once in a while, but in a much reduced temperament.

When he was younger, the rest of the family and I tried our best to 'connect' with my child. Sometimes we succeeded, sometimes we failed. Why? Because most of the time, we only made assumptions. We assumed this, we assumed that. Hence, some assumptions were correct, some were wrong. We also experimented with many things which I learned through reading. It was basically a 'trial and error' period. This scenario was somewhat prolonged until last year (2010), when I was introduced to the ANDI Initiative Parent Training programme.

I first knew about ANDI Initiative about a year before I enrolled for the programme. I saw Intan Miranti at an event (Autism Walk). We met briefly. A few months later, I borrowed some books from ANDI Initiative's collection. I met Intan again.

I was introduced to ANDI Initiative by an online friend. At that time, she was already a mutual friend and yes, she attended this course before me.

So, what made me choose to join? Many reasons. I was seeking knowledge, support and also motivation.

I was aware that this parent training programme emphasizes the ABA (Applied Behaviour Analysis) method. Although I have heard of criticism against ABA, I was rather ignorant about it. Prior to registration, Intan suggested that I call a previous participant to ask further about the programme. I did and I was glad. It helped me to get a clear picture of the whole programme and I went on with my decision to join.

The schedule of the program was rather flexible. Except for the first two classes which was held on two Saturdays (on two consecutive weeks), the rest of the classes/meetings was done once every month. This has contributed to my 100% attendance for the program (FYI, I am 4-5 hours away by car from KL).

There are many things that I liked about the parent training programme. Firstly, the training was very 'hands-on'. The speakers (during my batch, it was Brenda Boehm and Intan Miranti) did a great job with live demonstrations and role plays (among participants). Parents were actively involved in discussions and question-answer sessions. Teaching and learning took place in a very informal way. There was not a dull moment and I felt enriched each time a class ended.

I also liked the running of the programme. After each class, every parent was given their 'homework'. We practised what we have learned. We recorded it on video to present to the speakers at the next meeting. Feedbacks, information-sharing and ideas-exchanging happened during the video presentation. We could even 'approach' Intan (via email or phone) anytime with any doubts or for troubleshooting. Ample time was provided. We usually had at least 2-3 weeks to do this, before our next class/meeting. This has somehow helped me to become an 'expert'. We learn and master, both the theory and the practical.

Apart from the enjoyment I got throughout the programme, I did feel pressured at times. I had to 'force' myself to start with my own therapy sessions at home. I had to 'squeeze' my schedule to do the sessions regularly and consistently. I also had to 'burn' my pocket to buy some new toys and also items for rewards (reinforcer). Not to mention, I had to be creative and innovative all the time to change whatever is ineffective, to change whatever is boring and uninteresting and most importantly, to adapt to my child's behaviour. Basically, I now felt how it was like to be a therapist.

Anyway, I welcomed the pressure and tension. It somehow kept me going. I took it as a challenge, a positive one. It helped to groom good self-discipline in me. In fact, it made every little progress shown by my child taste 'sweet and juicy'. The sweetness and juiciness does not end with the programme, I still feel it every now and then. It is definitely a gift to all parents who are involved with their special child.

I still hear, read and listen to the controversy of ABA. Some claim that the ABA teaches children to mimic neurotypical behavior without really understanding the meaning of the social cues they are using. Some argue that ABA teaches the person with autism to suppress natural and harmless stimulatory behavior (also known as 'stimming').

My perspective, it all depends on you. Yes, there are some elements of 'mimicking', but ABA is more than just that. Personally, I do not feel that it teaches my child to become 'robotic'. Also, some stimming behaviour certainly needs to be controlled (not suppressed). Well, you need to join the programme and see for yourself.

To me, whether or not you practise what you learn, there is NOTHING to lose. It has been a wonderful experience for me. I understand my child better. I can 'connect' to my child easily. I teach my child more effectively. I play with my child more enjoyably. The reasons behind his tantrums and behaviour are now much more predictable. The gains were not only for my child. I definitely had my share of self-improvement too.

Thank You and Well Done, ANDI Initiative!!!

Syahida Yep

Johor Bahru, Malaysia

April 2011

More Books Available May 2011 Onwards

To see more books, click on Books for Loan in the Quick Search section in the column on the right.

New Books Added to the Collection for Loan

The following books are available for loan starting end of April 2011. This free service is for parents of children with special needs, and a small deposit applies. To check on book availability, please email ANDI.Initiative@gmail.com .

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Learning Materials for Loan

Where our materials have been travelling lately:

The following Magnetic Emotions set was borrowed by a mom in Cheras....

These 3 Floor Puzzles are now on loan to a 3-year-old in Ampang...

...and these Irregular-shaped Puzzles are with a child in SS2, Petaling Jaya.

This language and perspective-taking game...

...this addition and subtraction board game...

...and this wooden Dominoes set are being borrowed by a little girl's family near Kepong.

And this Calendar is being used by a little boy in Subang Jaya!

See more of our stuff at ANDI Initiative's Learning Materials for Loan

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January 2011 Addition to the Book Collection for Loan

NEW YEAR NEWS: The following book is now available for loan to parents of children with special needs. You can read more about the book here.

A small fully-refundable deposit applies.

Happy Reading!

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