ACN NOTICEBOARD
NEWS / EVENTS / UPDATES
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ACN TO RESUME PHYSICAL MEETINGS FROM JULY
With Covid restrictions easing further, we are aiming to resume our regular support and social groups again from July. While we are optimistic, we will be guided by any new advice or rules put out by government. Our Parramatta Walking club came back this week, so in the meantime this is one nice way for carers to connect with others once again. Get to stroll together over casual conversations and much missed companionship. TRANSITION TO SCHOOL SEMINARS
Using Zoom online, ACN will be running seminars during the upcoming school holidays to help carers with information on Transitioning to school for their children on the spectrum. These will feature Transitioning to school, Transitioning to High school (Yr 7 to Yr 10), and Transitioning to Post School Options. Spaces will be limited, so you will need to book in to be provided the code to join in. ACN PARRAMATTA WALKING / SUPPORT GROUP IS BACK
With Covid restrictions easing, the ACN is bringing back the walking group for carers who want to connect with others once again. Get to stroll together over casual conversations and much missed companionship once again. When: Second and Fourth Fridays 10am to 12pm | Venue: Parramatta Park. | Facilitator: Belinda Meet at Paperbark Playground (the new inclusive playgroup) from there we will walk for about an hour and then meet at The Gatehouse Tea Rooms for a coffee at 11am. LEGO CLUB ONLINE
Apologies for the glitch that prevent us from providing the Lego club last week. It will be back this week. Each Tuesday, children can connect with us (ideally with their parents present) and we set a task for everyone to complete. For example, everyone builds a ship at home and at the same time next week we meet up again to see all the amazing things created ACN BIRDHOUSE FUNDRAISER
The Autism Community Network has been keeping busy building timber birdhouses to sell to the local community . Our bird population is on the decline due to human expansion. By purchasing one of our birdhouses you will be providing a simple nesting and safe place for them to live, to keep their numbers strong whilst providing warmth and protection in the colder months. Birds are a critical part of our ecological system. We are selling our houses for $100 raw or $115 painted with all proceeds going towards our programs for our autistic members and their carers. See our website for photos. If interested please email: amie@autismcommunity.org.au 
NEW: STARTING THIS TUESDAY 4 PM – YOUTH MUSIC CLUB
Join Mitchell and other teens and young adults on the spectrum for a chat about all things music that you like. Share your thoughts, your clips, and make some friends along the way. 
ACN SUPPORT GROUP FOR CARERS WITH DUAL DIAGNOSIS AND COMPLEX ISSUES
Is it time to talk about your mental health? Or challenges you are facing? Interested in learning and sharing tips, helpful ways to move forward in a more hopeful, joyful way? With the extra stresses now as we live in the Covid 19 Regime, it’s time to make sure you are caring for your own Mental Health and Wellbeing. Join our facilitator, Carmel, in discussion on topics such as NDIS, Advocacy, self-care, tips, routines, time management, recommendations of providers, and what to look out for, trauma informed care, meditation and much more. Every Monday from 11-12pm 
LEGO CLUB ONLINE
Our weekly Lego club has now begun. Each week, children can connect with us (ideally with their parents present) and we set a task for everyone to complete. For example, everyone builds a ship at home and at the same time next week we meet up again to see all the amazing things created; and we post the best ones on our website for the world to see. Of course, they will all be great. 
PLAY ACN BINGO
Have you seen last week’s Bingo winners on our Champions page? Every Thursday from 2 pm, our kids can engage together for a bit if fun with Bingo via Zoom. All ACN kids (siblings included) who would like to play, simply select 7 numbers from 1 to 75, and then watch our game host George on zoom draw the numbers. We’ll play a round or two each week, and the winners will be posted on our website for bragging rights ACN NOW PROVIDING CARER AND CHILDRENS GROUPS ONLINE
As we all adjust to the new way of living for now, ACN has started a number of new support groups for our community. Each Monday, carers of anyone on the spectrum, from any region in NSW, are welcome to join us via Zoom for a support group. The same applies each Friday for carers during the day time. In addition, kids, or entire families for that matter, can join in for a round of Bingo, a Kahoots quiz, or the Lego club. Please see events section below for details on how to join in. 
ACN SUPPORT GROUPS WILL CONTINUE VIA “ZOOM” AND OTHER MEANS
It’s a challenging time for everyone but we are determined to do all we can to continue providing support to the many families who rely on ACN. One of the ways will be to replace many of our physical meetings with online catchups using “Zoom”. Zoom is similar to Skype except you do not need to have an account to participate. You simply click on the link you are sent and enter the code to join the meeting. We will start posting the links for those meetings which will continue to run, as soon as possible.
SOMEONE TO TALK TO ABOUT AUTISM AND LGBTQI ISSUES
Sexuality is more fluid among people on the spectrum and for some, it can be a challenging time when trying to understand their sense of self – both from an autism point of view and their sexuality. If you want someone to talk to, who has been there, we want to help. Please read below and contact steve@autismcommunity.org.au if you would like to be put in contact with Jamie, a long time ACN dad, and his partner Josh. My name is Jamie and my partner is Josh, and we would like to give an open invitation to families who are wanting to talk to us about someone who has identified with the LGBTIQ+ sistergirl brother boy community. We offer listening ears and open hearts with no judgement. We are not health professionals; however we have lived experiences and two children with Autism. Personally, I spent some time working as a youth worker in a LGBTIQ + youth service. I ran a group for gender diverse and transgendered young people, many who also identified as having ASD. To both families and young people, I would offer support and happy to answer difficult questions. Josh has a background in coordinating and assisting with youth groups, in particular within the LGBTIQ+ groups in New Zealand. As a youth representative, he would go around to schools hosting open discussions and assisting with support groups. |
ONLINE EVENTS
Mon 11am-12pm All Areas Online Support Group - DAY Mon 4-5 PM ACN Movie Club Mon 7-8 pm All Areas Online Support Group - EVENING Tue 4-5 pm ACN Music Club Tue 6-7 pm ACN Lego Club Wed 4-5 pm ACN Kahoots Quiz Thu 4 -5 pm ACN Bingo Club Fri 4-5 pm ACN Youth Club Sun 4-5 pm ACN Sci-fi Club OUR NOTICEBOARD https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/acn-noticeboard.html OUR GROUPS https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/support-groups.html BOOKINGS https://www.autismcommunity.org.au/book-in-to-acn-event.html#/bookings |
ACN NOW PODCASTING
Coming Soon – ACN will publish regular podcasts covering a range of discussions, interviews, talks and tips. We’ll let you know when there is something new, or you can just click on the podcast button on our website. |
CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY WITH FRIENDS AT OUR ADULTS PEERS EVENTS
Starting from January (our January dinner will be Monday 14 Jan) we will be including the opportunity for adults on the spectrum to celebrate their birthday with friends at the event. This is something ACN has done across other groups for some time. Simply, if you have your birthday that month, let us know in advance, and we can include you on our birthdays list as we wish you a happy birthday (we won’t sing that terrible song, we know many of you hate it) and you can be up the front as we cut a cake for all to share with you. |
FREE 30 MINUTE CONSULTATIONS AT ADULTS SOCIAL
As of December, Chiu Lau, a prominent psychologist who has been a volunteer with our Autistic Adults Peer event, has offered to provide the opportunity for guests to receive one 30-minute consultation with her at no cost. First priority will be given to adults on the spectrum in attendance, however, any other member of the community who is Autistic or who is caring for someone with Autism can also book in to see Chiu during the event. If you would like to reserve a time slot (between 6 and 8 pm, (next event is Monday 2 December) please contact steve@autismcommunity.org.au
As of December, Chiu Lau, a prominent psychologist who has been a volunteer with our Autistic Adults Peer event, has offered to provide the opportunity for guests to receive one 30-minute consultation with her at no cost. First priority will be given to adults on the spectrum in attendance, however, any other member of the community who is Autistic or who is caring for someone with Autism can also book in to see Chiu during the event. If you would like to reserve a time slot (between 6 and 8 pm, (next event is Monday 2 December) please contact steve@autismcommunity.org.au
PHOTOGRAPHER WANTED
As our profile and activities continue to grow, ACN is looking for a volunteer who would like to support using your skills with a camera It would only be a few times a year to help us capture some of our important events and moments so as we can show the community more professionally what we are about. . If you would like to know more, please call Steve on 0431 724 229 or steve@autismcommunity.org.au
As our profile and activities continue to grow, ACN is looking for a volunteer who would like to support using your skills with a camera It would only be a few times a year to help us capture some of our important events and moments so as we can show the community more professionally what we are about. . If you would like to know more, please call Steve on 0431 724 229 or steve@autismcommunity.org.au
USING THE NETWORK FOR FEEDBACK
ACN has Members Only secret status Facebook pages to help you seek feedback on issues, services, products etc from each other. We are receiving a rising number of emails asking us to provide advice and that is not something we can manage. Please use the network pages, they will give you current feedback by people with direct experience. If you are not currently on an ACN Members page, and would like to be, please send a request to be invited to ula@autismcommunity.org.au |
SEEKING CO-FACILITATORS
When one of our volunteers who runs a group is ill, we often have to cancel. To avoid having to cancel support groups or kids clubs, we are seeking volunteers to join their local groups to co-facilitate them. This way, our kids or carers don't miss out when there is illness, and volunteers don’t have to feel pressure if they are unable to be there. If interested, please contact steve@autismcommunity.org.au or 9543 9036 for more info. |
WHY JOIN ACN’S FACEBOOK PAGES?
We know the concerns some people have about using Facebook, but as the ACN continues to grow, we are using our special FB pages to bring you so much more.
SECURITY:
The ACN FB pages are all SECRET STATUS. This means that if you are not in them you can’t search for them, you can’t see who is on them, nor what anyone is writing. That means your family, friends or colleagues can never see anything you do on these pages.
Our pages are strictly for Members only: This means that we will never accept anyone invited by a member unless they are a member themselves. Once someone registers with us, we then invite them to access the pages.
And if you are still not comfortable using your name, we have no issue with you using a maiden name or pseudonym, as long as we know who you are and know you are a member.
BENEFITS:
You can speak with others on a local area level, a whole network level or via Common Ground pages.
With the amount of information that we receive each day, a lot of it will find itself shared through our FB pages rather than the website. This includes access to special events.
If you have an issue that’s troubling you, you can access real time support from the combined wealth of knowledge and experience from a network of families just like yours.
If you are not currently using ACN FB pages and would like to join, simply email ula@autismcommunity.org.au and provide your local area and any common ground groups you want to connect with as well as the email you use for FB so we can invite you.
We know the concerns some people have about using Facebook, but as the ACN continues to grow, we are using our special FB pages to bring you so much more.
SECURITY:
The ACN FB pages are all SECRET STATUS. This means that if you are not in them you can’t search for them, you can’t see who is on them, nor what anyone is writing. That means your family, friends or colleagues can never see anything you do on these pages.
Our pages are strictly for Members only: This means that we will never accept anyone invited by a member unless they are a member themselves. Once someone registers with us, we then invite them to access the pages.
And if you are still not comfortable using your name, we have no issue with you using a maiden name or pseudonym, as long as we know who you are and know you are a member.
BENEFITS:
You can speak with others on a local area level, a whole network level or via Common Ground pages.
With the amount of information that we receive each day, a lot of it will find itself shared through our FB pages rather than the website. This includes access to special events.
If you have an issue that’s troubling you, you can access real time support from the combined wealth of knowledge and experience from a network of families just like yours.
If you are not currently using ACN FB pages and would like to join, simply email ula@autismcommunity.org.au and provide your local area and any common ground groups you want to connect with as well as the email you use for FB so we can invite you.
PLEASE DON’T BOOK IF YOU CAN’T ATTEND
Unfortunately we are seeing a growing number of people who regularly book in to attend ACN events but fail to turn up. This costs others the opportunity to attend and for some groups it also costs us money. Please note that consistent failure to attend a booking will result in exclusion from our events. 
RESEARCH PROGRAMS
We are regularly approached to promote credible research programs seeking participants. As we believe the more research out there the better for the future for our children, we post these requests on the Research section of our website. You can view these or respond to them by simply clicking on the black Autism Research button on our website. |
“FIRST OPTIONS” PAGE
When my son was diagnosed 13 years ago, everything changed. I needed to learn a lot in a short time. If only there was a document, ideally put together by other parents who knew more than me, to help me get started with navigating the autism world. There wasn’t, so we created one. We have now moved that to our website, in the form of pages providing advice on First Things to Do, Therapy Options, and available programs to consider. It also allows our members to send us your own recommendations so we can keep it current and helpful to those new families in the position every one of us have been in have something to look at. You can find the info in our Services tab on our website. – From Steve Drakoulis 
REMINDER: PLEASE DO NOT INVITE FRIENDS TO OUR FACEBOOK PAGES
We created our Facebook pages for ACN members who are part of this local community. It is a means for parents and carers of children on the autism spectrum to communicate for mutual support. Each person who registers is invited to join their preferred pages. Non members will not be given access so please do not invite them. Our pages has been set up with secret status so that non members cannot search for it or see who is in it or what's being said. Ask your friends to register and they will be invited, non members will always be rejected. Your privacy is a priority for us. |
