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iPad opens up world for youths with autism Continued from page 16 17 · Thursday, November 15, 2012 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Many of the Autism Ontario programs are offered at no charge or can be accessed for a nominal fee. "We really just want to give the families an opportunity to experience a typical life, typical community life with their child with autism without feeling pressured or scared or uncomfortable," said Simons. Rowe, Jack's mom, gained valuable insight from attending an annual conference on autism, hosted by a naturopathic doctor Sonya Doherty, of the Natural Care Clinic in Burlington. The third annual Emerging Trends conference is designed to educate parents, caregivers, teachers and members of the health and medical community on new biomedical strategies in treating symptoms associated with autism, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, pervasive developmental disorder and Tourette syndrome. "It's very educational," said Rowe of the Emerging Trends event, which she helps coordinate. "It's definitely a learning experience." The day-long Burlington event, attended by some 125 guests, features guest speakers, exhibitors and lots of information to help families navigate through the fog of autism. "There is hope," assured Rowe, who has spoken at the conference about her family's experience. "It doesn't have to be the worst diagnosis in the world when your child has autism; it can be that your child has unique needs and perhaps unique abilities that other children don't have." Autism spectrum disorder falls under the Ministry of Children and Youth Services' umbrella. The provincial ministry offers resources to families, depending on how severe their child's autism symptoms are. They include support services, such as advice, information, material, consultation and training to get children ready for Intensive Behavioural Intervention (IBI). Technology, too, has proven to be a reliable and effective tool for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders, says a pair of experts from Peel Region. By using the iPad and other devices, families can now communicate with their children and help them develop cognitive, motor and speech skills, said Jahmeelah Gamble, a developmental services worker. Milton's Alicia Cockhill, 5, was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at age two. She doesn't talk and communicates only by pointing at various objects. For her mom, Angela Oversby, the iPad and its various apps have had a huge impact on making life simpler. The device and its programs help entertain and brings her happy, playful side out from the fog of autism. Communication aids (devices or improvements made to the wheelchair or installed in desktops) have to be specially ordered and are not cheap, Gamble said. Typically, they range from two to tens of thousands of dollars. On the other hand, she noted, iPads are easily available and can be brought from the store. "The beauty of it is there are apps that cost just $4.99. Some are even free," she said. Traditionally, some parents of autistic children use a book with a clip art of pictures known as Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) to understand their child's needs, said Gamble. Often these would be in bulky folders that had to be lugged around. In Oversby's case, finding the right gift for Alicia is never an issue; Apple iTunes gift cards are all she needs to download the latest autism educational application. The iPad not only stores a digital version of PECS, it can help create custom-made ones, said Gamble. Clinicians working at ErinoakKids "It doesn't have to be the worst diagnosis in the world when your child has autism; it can be that your child has unique needs and perhaps unique abilities that other children don't have." Lizanne Rowe Centre for Treatment and Development's autistic services were initially skeptical about touting the iPads, but a few years ago they decided to test and see the results first hand. One child who was considered ready for technology was able to proceed with labels and identification faster than what the clinicians anticipated and within a matter of six to nine months had a good receptive vocabulary, said Anita Ramani, associate clinical director of autism services at ErinoakKids, which has its offices in Mississauga. Ramani cautions not all children take to technology. What works for one child may not necessarily appeal to another. She found while some children took to technology easily, others were put off by it. Being a mom to an autistic son is no easy feat, something Katrina Carefoot, of Oakville, knows all too well. To help her cope with challenges, she takes to the Internet, where she maintains a popular blog. It's on that online site that she shares personal experiences and celebrates her son, Max's successes. "It was really important for me to share with family and friends, now it has become a bigger thing," said Carefoot. "I think a lot of people in the autism community draw a lot of inspiration and hope from Max's story." Blogging, she said, is therapeutic and offers an opportunity to "celebrate a little boy." ERIC RIEHL / OAKVILLE BEAVER / @halton_photog ME AND MY SHADOW: Brava, a chocolate brown Labrador retriever, helps five-year-old Alicia Cockhill, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of two, go out on family outings. The dog has a calming influence on the youngster and stops her from fleeing while on family outings. Service dog provides relief By Julie Slack METROLAND WEST MEDIA GROUP Angela Oversby's world has been turned right-side up thanks to a four-legged miracle. At least that's what she refers to Brava as. Brava is a chocolate brown Labrador retriever who has changed her life and that of her young daughter Alicia, five years old. Alicia Cockhill was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder at the age of two. She doesn't talk and communicates only by pointing at various objects. Oversby is mom to two other youngsters, Aidan, nine years old, and Austin, two years old. Trying to go for a walk or do anything in a public place used to be a nightmare for the Milton family. Alicia would often dart away or have a tantrum. Brava has changed all that. `Calming influence' Brava is an autism service dog, provided to the family by Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides program. The retriever walks beside Alicia using a hand-held harness that keeps the youngster safe by preventing her from taking off. "Brava is a calming influence on her," said Oversby. "If you take her (Alicia) to a place where there's lots of people, she'll get agitated... Brava calms her." As a result, Oversby, who rarely takes a chance on dropping in to a shopping mall with her three youngsters, finally has the courage to visit public places without fear of a meltdown. Alicia's father Adam Cockhill, who lives in Mississauga, agreed that Brava makes a huge difference. He said the little girl, who's obsessed with keyboards, accordions and her iPad, loaded with autistic apps, has changed since Brava came into her life in late spring. That's the goal of the Dog Guides programs, which see the non-profit organization providing service dogs for: vision, hearing, special medical or physical disabilities, seizure response and autism assistance. Dog Guides are trained to perform a set of basic skills that are useful to all handlers. Some of their training is then tailored to meet the specific needs of their future handler. They're trained out of the Oakville facility and head office on Wilson Street. The Lions Foundation is the founder and primary funder of Dog Guides Canada, which provides dogs to families across the country. Autism Assistance dog guides have been helping families and children, three to 18 years old, diagnosed with ASD since 2009. Lions Foundation of Canada/Dog Guides Canada communications manager Natalie Moncur said the dogs provide a calming effect on children in high-anxiety situations and reduce the stress commonly experienced in public places. The special bond between the dog and the ASD individual also helps build social interaction for the family and the child, she said. Annually, some 160 dogs, which are first fostered by volunteers in the community, are graduated in all five programs. The average cost of raising and training each Dog Guide is approximately $20,000, however, they are provided at no cost to the recipients. The investment is well worthwhile, especially after hearing stories like that of Alicia. Oversby said Brava, who sleeps in Alicia's room, recently alerted her to the fact that the little girl had decided to get out of bed one night. It wasn't an emergency, but Oversby said it's nice to be able to sleep a little more soundly knowing that Alicia has an extra set of eyes watching over her 24 hours a day. Visit www.dogguides.com for more information, to donate, or to apply for a dog guide.