Category: Autism

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Coffee and Chat | Q &A with Chewigem and Sensooli

Join us for coffee and chat this week.

We will be hosting a Q & A session tonight. Come and join us to hear about Sensooli and Chewigem products. We will be joined tonight on the call by Jenny McLaughlan and Loz Young, who will be telling us more about Chewigem and their new initiative Sensooli . They are keen to hear therapist feedback about their products and how this relates to our practice;including what we might like to know more about. For more information please see https://chewigem.com/ and their new space https://sensooli.com/.

Please post any questions before the session to the ASI in Practice Telegram Group or email through to hello@asi-wise.org.

This is an open evening session, so please also do bring any others questions or chat about anything related to ASI.

Book here now: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/asi-wise-coffee-chat-q-a-session-with-sensooli-chewigem-tickets-212407796437

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Research Update: Moving Toward Understanding Autism: Visual-Motor Integration, Imitation, and Social Skill Development

Despite high phenotypic heterogeneity in ASD, a meaningful subpopulation of children with ASD (∼90%) show significant general motor impairment. More focused studies on the nature of motor impairment in ASD reveal that children with ASD are particularly impaired on tasks such as ball catching and motor imitation that require efficient visual-motor integration (VMI).

Lidstone et al 2021.

Read more here : https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0887899421001399

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RCOT Conference : Alexis Quinn | Awesome | Advocate | A voice

If you were not at the RCOT Conference, you have missed the opportunity to hear Alexis speak with powerful words about her experience as an autistic person being detained under the Mental Health Act, her escape to Lagos and her return to the UK to tell her story and advocate for improved support and care for autistic people within the mental health system.

It’s not too late to register for the RCOT Annual Conference, and with conference materials available for the next 6 months, the £99 registration fee, with a chance to hear Alexis’ story and her clear understanding of what OT can offer to the healthcare system, it’s great value for money CPD.

Here is a video of her speaking on Youtube.

 

 
 

Alexis’ Story can also be read in her book,

Amazon Shop 
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Coffee and Chat: The ABC’s of Sleep with Jan Jenner

Register on Eventbrite
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Best Practice Guidelines? Analysing Novak and Honan (2019)

Novak and Honan (2019) published a paper in the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal which has caused controversy, which was discussed in an earlier Sensory Project blog post: https://sensoryproject.org/novak-and-honan/.

Particularly upsetting was a traffic light system which indicated that sensory integration therapy is a red light (or do not do) intervention but that ABA (short for applied behaviour analysis) could be viewed as a green light (or can definitely use) intervention.

This is especially concerning as ABA has been linked to PTSD. Testimonials from those who have had ABS therapy have told us about the negative affect they have found this therapy has had on their lives.

Recently, the US Government has issued a report worth sharing that adds further information about ABA and it’s usefulness, which is in contrast to Novak’s article. The report, about comprehensive autism care, found that at best ABA does not change symptoms and at worst, ABA worsens them: https://www.altteaching.org/us-government-reports-that-aba-doesnt-work/

We are keen to hear your thoughts about the Novak’s article and the traffic light system. Follow the link below and join the discussion:

https://forms.gle/5rjeRKTVYzhwBHiGA