Taranaki

Branch
Newsletter

Hi Everyone,
Dec/Jan/Feb
Here we are nearly at the end of 2010! The
Taranaki Branch of Autism NZ recently had their
2011
AGM and a presentation on visuals took place on the
same evening. Two Mum’s (Rowena and I), talked about how visuals
have helped our sons (both called Isaac), and brought along examples of Pg 2 - Judi Gopperth
visuals we had made and used with our sons. It was quite hands on as at the our Information
Co-ordinator
end everyone was able to come up and look at the different visuals - photos,
Pg 3 - Apptitude
books, clocks, calendars, charts, schedules etc. A Clinical Psychologist by Pg 4 - Paediatric and RTLB
the name of Nicola Waters also spoke about the use of visuals in people conferences
with ASD - the visual thinkers! So you basically had the best of both Pg 5 - A note from a parent
worlds - a professional who has worked with clients and taught them to use Pg 6,7&8 - Living with
visuals and two Mum’s who use visuals daily and have made/or adapted a lot Extreme Anxiety
of what they use. Pg 9 - Social Learning
Pg 10 - What’s On?
This talk will be repeated in March 2011, see below.
Pg 11 - Items of Interest
Have a great Christmas!

Karen - akglenny@ihug.co.n or 7512287

President
Mairi Wharehoka

Visuals and ASD talk

Ph 7591861

Secretary
coming MARCH 2011 Currently covered
by President and Treasurer
date and venue to be confirmed

Treasurer
Vanessa Elliott
Anna Tullemans is coming to New Plymouth Ph 7579231

Information
Anna will be in New Plymouth on Saturday 27th November. Coordinator
She is a practicing consultant specialising in Asperger Syndrome. Judi Gopperth
This workshop will be full of practical examples and strategies that Autism NZ Inc.
Taranaki Branch
can be used in the classroom and will leave you with a better
Communication House
understanding of ASD. 62 Powderham Street
If you missed seeing Anna in New Plymouth she will also be speaking in P.O. Box 3355
the following areas New Plymouth
* Auckland 29th Nov taranaki@autismnz.org.nz
* Hamilton 30th Nov Ph (06) 7695958
* Tauranga 1st Dec
National Office
For more details email Pat Gluck on Pat.Gluck@autismnz.org.nz
0800 AUTISM
or ph 04 4707616
 Notes from our Information
Co-ordinator
Judi Gopperth

Welcome to our 2010 end of year Autism New Zealand Taranaki Branch Newsletter. I have no idea where the
year has gone-just know that Christmas and the holiday season will be here soon.
The last three months have been exceptionally busy with many opportunities to increase ASD knowledge and
awareness.
National Conference
Autism NZ- Celebrating ASD in New Zealand conference held in Wellington during September was well
attended by over 500 delegates Nationwide. The calibre and information received from speakers and
presenters were second to none. If you were unable to attend the conference, an mp3audio CD of conference
presentations if available for loan from our branch office.
Taranaki Branch AGM
Our AGM was held recently and was another inspiring opportunity to learn. Wonderfully informative and
practical presentations were given around the use of visuals and ‘Trakakiwi’ – a locator device.
Showcasing
Autismnz National office and our Taranaki Branch have worked closely in rising ASD awareness and information
at the recent National RTLB Conference held in New Plymouth and will also be showcasing again at the
Paediatric Society NZ conference.
Training
• Anna Tullemans Morning Seminar 27th November 9.00 – 100pm @ the Auto lodge. Anna’s workshops are
full of practical examples and strategies that can be used in the home or classroom leaving you with a
better understanding of ASD.
• Earlybird (a programme for parents of children under 5 years of age diagnosed with ASD) is coming to
Taranaki very early 2011. Dates, times and registration forms for expressions of interest will be
forwarded in the near future.
Social and Support groups (Friendly, informal, helpful and inclusive)
A reminder that you are invited to join in with a group(s) of your choice. All welcome
• Girls Night Out – monthly ‘Coffee and dessert’ Thursdays 7.30
• Coffee Group New Plymouth – monthly Mondays 10-11.30
• Coffee Group – Hawera – every second month
• Social Group – monthly Sundays @ Espresso 2 pm
Christmas and Holidays
Autism Taranaki Branch office will be closed from Friday 24th December and re-opens Tuesday 18th January
2011
Friday 24th December – closed
Tuesday 18th January – re opens General Reminders
Ordinary Office hours: Tuesday – Thursday 9.30 – 3 pm
Library loans: love to receive any outstanding loans back - no questions asked-will just appreciate having
resources back to lend out to others.

Many thanks,

Judi Gopperth

Page 2 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 "One year milestone for the Apptitude group"
____________________________
A.P.P.T.I.T.U.D.E
Autistic People Progressing Together inspired Totally United & Determined Everyday

Introduction:
The Apptitude group is a Taranaki group for people on the autistic spectrum and also for the loved
ones & family of those who are affected by autism.

About the group:

The group is basically a small group of individuals that meet once a month & chat about life in
general over a coffee in a cafe environment in New Plymouths CBD.
Any suggestions for other activities are most welcome, get your thinking caps on!

Reflection from over the last year of the group:

There are a couple of group members that have held the group together, in particular Mr & Mrs
Poole, many thanks for your continued & consistent support.

One issue that we do face due to the nature of autism is that it has often been difficult to get
attending numbers up as many people on the spectrum are not particularly sociable & withdrawn
by nature, someone used the analogy of it being like organising a banquet for anorexics.
Some people float in & float out over the months, when we see them it is good to catch up with
them to see how they are progressing with things since we last met with them.

One benefit that has come from the group I believe is that it gives people the opportunity to mix
with out having the fear of being judged & they can walk away feeling like they have been listened
to & that they have contributed in some way to the group, which is satisfying.

The website:
The website has had over 14,000 hits in the last year, many people from all over the world stop by
to have a look but unfortunately numbers for people who join the website are low.
I would like to see more people over the next year join both the group & the website, even if it is
just to leave some feed back or ideas.

It is difficult to grow & progress & satisfy a market when there is nil feed back, therefore your
contributions & ideas for improvement are most welcomed & needed.

I can be contacted regarding any suggestions, idea's, comments, questions or inquiries that you
may have about the group by using the contact details below.

Regards

Christopher O'Connor
_________________________________________________________________________
_______________

Email- chris.oconnor@windowslive.com
Web- www.autismnz.help-out.net
Mobile- 027 5676049
Home- 06 7546222
________________________________________________________________________
________________

Page 3 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
!RTLB Conference in New Plymouth
A highlight of the recent RTLB conference in New Plymouth was the inclusion on the programme of Dr
Libby Weaver. She was able to speak to over 500 RTLB from all regions of New Zealand on her
research and associated work around micro-biology and nutrition.! For those of you who have not seen
or heard of! Dr Libby's work, it is very thought provoking and challenging to the field of knowledge
around Autism.! Dr Libby spoke for over an hour to a captivated audience who listened, intrigued by
her depth of knowledge and passion for her subject as she
described in great detail the work of the gut and the impact of diet and gut absorption on behaviour,
particularly relating to Autism.! She was not promising a cure for Autism, but was enlightening her
audience on the impact of diet and poor gut functioning on brain development and Autism
symptomolgy..
!!!!! I realise there is a need for further!research in this field and there have been some children who
have not responded as well as we may hope, but there are definitely many more who have benefitted
from the work and research supported and promoted by Dr Libby. The feed-back from RTLB was
extremely positive as there are very few people with the level of knowledge and experience out there
who can share with people who are dealing with Autism in their day to day
professional lives.
By Jenny Tippett RTLB

Paediatric Society of New Zealand 62nd Annual Scientific

Meeting
Autism New Zealand attended this year’s Paediatric Society meeting here in New Plymouth on
24-26 November.

Judi our Information Co-ordinator represented Autism New Zealand on a National level as well as
our local branch here in New Plymouth.

We had an exhibition stand and Judi was available to share information and network amongst many
Health Professionals. All those attending the event had the opportunity to take away some
information / knowledge related to ASD or Autism New Zealand which will be of benefit when working
alongside Young People and their families.
There were a variety of attendees from around the globe at the conference; Paediatric Consultants,
Registered Medical Trainees, Nurses and Allied Health Professionals, Researchers, Students and many
more.
Some of these professionals are involved with the assessment and diagnosis of young people with ASD.
This is such an important aspect of the ‘journey’ for many families. Judi had copies of the New Zealand
Autism Spectrum Guideline available as well as other documents and information related to ASD and
Autism New Zealand.

Judi also promoted membership to Autism New Zealand and the benefits / information which can be
obtained by becoming a member.

We were fortunate to be exhibiting at the conference and would like to thank the conference
organisers / committee for this.!" " " " " " " By Clare Back

Page 4 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 A note from a parent of a young person with ASD
Hi,

Mairi asked me to introduce myself to everyone involved in the branch, as I have recently joined
the committee of Autism Taranaki after been approached by Judi.

My name is Deborah Evans, and I have a son aged 8 1/2 years and a daughter aged 6.

For us the process of getting a diagnosis for our son was quite quick, thanks to a great
psychologist at CAMHS. Although it was still a shock to be told that he had an ASD, the fact that
he was different to other kids, and that he was having a lot of difficulties, had always been
obvious and was becoming more obvious as he got older, particularly in relation to school.

The last year in particular has been extremely difficult for all of us, particularly our son, due to a
total lack of any understanding or support at school, which has resulted in very serious
consequences. The decision was therefore made to change schools, which has turned out to be
the best decision we could have made.

Thanks to finding a small, inclusive school where the staff and students are very accepting of
differences, where the teacher and support staff have gone out of their way to work with us and
the professionals, and have been prepared to start implementing strategies, and to seek
outside help and advise for our son, things are starting to improve. We have been very lucky to
have had tremendous ongoing support from the psychologist at CAMHS.

Through these experiences, it has been obvious to me that there is still a long way to go to
educate some people about ASD and difficulties this posses for people on the spectrum, and the
importance of the need for all children affected to be supported by a team of people, who work
together towards improving their ability to function in the ‘real world’.

Because of this I hope to be of some help on the committee to continue their work in this area.

Page 5 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 Living with extreme Anxiety
I wanted to share with you about anxiety and how it affects children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder, A.S.D. It is easier for me to specifically recall this from my own experience with my child
who has a diagnosis of Autism.
This is how Anxiety presents with my child but it may be different for yours. All children with a
diagnosis of Autism or A.S.D will be affected by the disorder differently.
Autism is a very debilitating disorder and it quietly takes hold of your child little by little, day by
day. It is often referred to as a puzzling disorder because it is many things that make up to the
whole that completes the symptom picture of Autism.
Our happy contented baby turned into a crying, screaming, flapping child, who I simply could not make
sense of.
I became consciously aware of his flapping around the time he was three years old, but initially put
this down to excitement. He suffered night sweats that were so bad we had to completely change his
whole bedding and clothes on a regular basis from three to three and a half years old. Blood noses
also occurred around this time, maybe because of overheating, as he would only be able to sleep if he
was hidden under all the covers even in the summer.
He became obsessive. Specifically about broken cracks in the ceiling, walls and tables, to the stage
where he would point them out repetitively and at times wake in the night talking in parts about
broken things.
He became obsessed with going to bed at 7pm but somehow knew this through his own body clock -
great at the time but not normal for a child of this age.
He would be screaming and crying for long periods of time after kindergarten, day-care and school.
He would jump and flap his arms continuously with a contorted face. He would use fragmented made
up language, e.g. “nah I do it, you do it”, and “Ava” for ice cream and “Ar-de-da” for helicopter.
He would not be able to listen and concentrate when he would flap and go off into his own world. He
would have extremes of emotions but for the most part he would say he was sad. He often would say
“he wanted to go home” which I thought was odd considering we were home at the times when he said
this.
He would be running out of shops, lying on the floor and rotating in a circle, squealing, with the ability
to wind up and lose control, getting louder and louder. He would throw himself on the floor in the
supermarket and refuse to move, crying and screaming.
He would always have to run and be in front all the time when we would go for a walk. He would not
cope if we went for a walk in a different direction from our normal route.
He preferred to eat the same foods all the time. No two days would be the same so it wasn’t until
after we had his diagnosis that I recognised that these were the major signs of anxiety for our child.
What was the most obvious observation was his need to control everything around him. If he was not
given this control he would try and take control by himself. If this didn’t work then you would start
to see more extreme behaviour.

How we manage Anxiety

I think it is really important to point out that anxiety never leaves a child who lives with Autism. They
can however learn how to manage this with the help of understanding parents, caregivers, wh"nau,
teachers, RTLBS, Sencos, Principals, paediatricians, psychologists, coaches, etc.
If you have a child in your care who displays any of the above behaviours then they may have high
anxiety. It is your job to now work out how to reduce this anxiety which can be a daunting task.
Firstly you need to identify what are the triggers for your child’s behaviour e.g. screams in shops,
then the best solution would be to limit visits to shops and try and desensitise your child to this

Page 6 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
environment by doing short visits at low volume times.
Quite often teachers will say “he never does this at school” but the parents will always say he does
this after school. The school will still need to work with the family/wh"nau to try and reduce the
anxiety for the child. Anxiety needs to be taken seriously as the consequence for the child and family
are far-reaching. A good school will address these issues and will embrace working together to come
up with a better outcome for both the child and the family.
Children who are highly anxious will not be able to learn as their brain will be so busy trying to manage
the anxiety. I have seen the evidence of this with my own child who is now able to learn and express
his needs more because he is not so highly anxious.

Things that work for us

Please note these things are on-going and are not removed or discouraged when more language comes
in, simply because he would revert back to some of his old behaviour. They are, however, adjusted
according to his development or stress levels.
Visuals – pictures to help explain the child’s world around him/her and what is expected of him/her.
Children with A.S.D are literal so everything needs to be crystal clear.
There can be no shades of grey. Instructions must be concise and able to be understood immediately
by the child.
Language - Please remember Autism is not a language disorder which people often get caught up
with as the child develops more language. Asperger children who have very
articulate intelligent language are often misunderstood and unrealistic expectations put on them. I
have found as my child has developed more language with age he cries less so language definitely helps
reduce anxiety.
Comprehension – Quite often children have the language but their brains are still not able to put
the words in the correct context. They often are misunderstood because of this. An example of this
is my son said to us the other morning “get out of bed you fools” - not really appropriate but quite
funny. He has also taken to calling people “liars” especially if they do not give him the right answer to
his question. When he gets this type of communication wrong it can cause great anxiety as he cannot
understand what the problem is.
Social skills – Knowing what is appropriate socially or the social rules is important e.g. my son is
seven now and still forgets to say hello or good mornings so I normally use a gentle prompt. Other
times he will engage with someone but in an inappropriate context. An example of this is when we
were at the doctors he went up to a complete stranger and leant right over his book so he could see
what he was reading. I was lucky the man thought this was amusing but as he gets older these types
of situations will be misunderstood by others. He will also still say “I don’t know how to make a friend”
even though he has been shown numerous times.
These types of situations are very stressful for him and I find he will remove himself or not join in so
he does not have to work it out. This is an on-going battle and he has improved greatly over the years,
but still has a long way to go. Social stories have helped with this.

Moving Forward
Over the years I have had professionals say that they do not understand why they have to use
visuals. For parents, when they are relearning about their child and this disorder, they can have the
same feelings. It is not until you use visuals and see how the child is less anxious that you really
appreciate the use of this tool.
For me it is really exciting to see him now ask to see a picture or he will say “can you show me on my
calendar”.
Visuals are the only method that has research based evidence to show that it works yet these

Page 7 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
children continually have to prove their disability to professionals. This is partly because a lot of
children with A.S D have language.
Let me ask you this, do we say to the blind child “you have to see now because I can’t be bothered
putting support in place for you today”. The answer is no - we do not say this because it would be
heartless and discriminatory.
Anxiety is not just a word - it has serious consequences for the child and also for families/wh"nau.
Assisting children to manage their anxiety will definitely help them to have a better future.

Examples of Visuals
Remembering that language is not their first language and predominately A.S.D children think in
pictures.

1. What are the sequence of events for the day, so they know what is coming next?
2. The fewer surprises the less anxiety there will be.
3. What is it that you want your child to understand to make your life and their life stress free?

Triggers
When I have to repeat myself or find I am stressed by his behaviour I know it is time to put in place
a visual. For me I could tell him a hundred times but it is not until he sees it that he truly
understands what it is I am trying to explain to him. Below are a few ideas that I have used and found
worked:

Toileting – the sequence of events in pictures which you can get free from a website http://
www.do2learn.com/

Teeth brushing – for us pictures did not work as the brushing of his teeth would cause too much
anxiety, crying and screaming. I find for situations like this that photos are much better. I took a
complete sequence of photos of how to brush his teeth with him in the photo laminated and put up in
the bathroom. I am pleased to say he now happily brushes his teeth morning and night but this has
been slow progress and has taken seven years.

Christmas – This is a very special time for us but he loves it so much that he wants it to be now and
gets extremely stressed because he can’t work out when it is. We use a calendar (thanks to Joan
from special education). This helps us to count down the months and days, with reduced crying!

Birthdays – same as above School – we use a monthly calendar and cross off the days, we use
pictures.

Holidays – we use social stories and show on the calendar with a combination of pictures and photos.

What I have worked out for us is that it is best to use photos for really stressful situations or when
introducing something new so the expectation is clear. As you can see we mix this up and have had to
adapt with age, comprehension and the specific situations.

I would like to thank Brenda McLeod and Joan Mills from Special Education for their dedication to my
son by helping me understand the importance of visuals. I would also like to thank Central School for
believing in our son and his ability; this has certainly changed my son’s life and ours as a family.
For more information please contact me 06 759 1287
by Rowena Newey©

Page 8 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 Feedback from conference - social learning

I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Autism NZ’s

conference “Celebrating Autism in New Zealand’, which was held in Wellington in
September. I was hoping to learn more about teaching social skills as this is what our son
needs at this point in time (he is 9 and has high functioning autism). Danuta Bulhak-
Patterson, who is a Psychologist @ the Minds and Hearts Clinic on the Gold Coast of Australia
spoke on social learning. She said “More emphasis needs to be put on social learning in
schools for kids with ASD. Teacher’s have incredible power to improve social skills”. It is
important to know your child’s strengths and weaknesses, friendship skill level and how they
differ socially, in order to work out where to start teaching. Once you have done this you
can start doing the following things;
• Build acceptance of student’s unique profile and give them special roles. If they are good
with computers, make them the computer monitor etc.
• Find other children who are socially skilled/kind to be mentors.
• Social engineering - set up experiences with children who will help.
• Develop/teach specific skills and practice repetitively. Repetition creates stronger
pathways in the brain. Teach and practice new skills - the brain will build more connections
and habits.
Use social stories *encourage and reward for trying
* teach how to be a friend
* label prosocial behaviours “friendly”
* prosocial behaviors to encourage include, sharing, turn taking, listening,
helping and compliments.
Common difficulties kids with ASD have;
• Turn-taking
• conversations
• waiting in line
• perspective taking - seeing someone else’s point of view.
Use a visual card to remind the child - put this on their desk. A visual prompt is better
than an adult verbal prompt as this way the child is more independent.

Repeat daily what you are teaching. Start with pairs and then build up to group work.

Playground Issues
*Create a playground plan and routine - the playground can be chaos for ASD kids
*Set up a friendships station - a place to go.
*Educate other kids
*Structure break time
*Teach compromise - I’ll play your game if you’ll play mine
*Set up buddies - get the kids to take turns
*Make sure the ASD child knows the rules of the game before hand - use visuals and social
stories - he may tell you he knows what to do, but in the heat of the situation it is easy to
forget.
Visit Sue Larkey’s website on www.suelarkey.co.nz for a list of books. By Karen Glenny

Page 9 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 What’s on in
Dec/Jan/Feb?

Coffee Group
Monday, from 10-11.30
Mon 13th Dec @ Gayle’s house, 25 Parrs Road
No coffee group in January
Mon 21st Feb @ Rowena’s house, 44a Waiwaka Terrace, Strandon
Contact - Rowena 7591287

Girls Night Out

Thursday once a month.
Meet @ Elixir at 7.30pm for dessert and coffee.
Thur 16th Dec, Thur 13th Jan and Thur 17th Feb.
Contact - Karen 7512287 or 0277157751

Hawera Coffee Group

Every second month @ Hawera playcentre.
Children welcome.
Contact - Lynda parata 06 2788314

Apptitude
Our Taranaki based social group is for friends, partners or family of people
on the autism spectrum.
We meet monthly for a coffee and a catch up on the second Sunday of each
month @ Expresso cafe in Brougham St at 2pm.
Dec 12th, Jan 9th & Feb 13th
All welcome.
Contact Chris O’Connor 7546222 or 0275676049

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this newsletter are not necessarily those of Autism
NZ Inc. From time to time in the interest of providing the widest possible range of
information to our members we may include some approaches to Autism Spectrum
Disorders now available. This does not, however, imply that Autism NZ Inc. endorses
any particular

Page 10 Dec/Jan/Feb 11
 Items of interest

Halberg Trust Funding

The Halberg Trust Activity fund will meet costs over and above what it would cost an
‘able-bodied child’ to participate in sport. Examples of funded activities include
specialised sports equipment, sports activities, coaching and school camps, as well as
swimming lessons. Your child must be at least five years old.
Contact John Sigurdsson at Sport Taranaki 7590930 ext 702

Moveable in New Plymouth

Gym class for 5-13 year olds with disabilities. Held at NPGHS in their bouncy floor
gym, on Fridays at 10-10.50 & 11-11.50. Cost is $25 per term and those attending
need to come with a caregiver.

Moveable in Hawera
Special needs gym class held at St John’s Gym Club in Burnside Ave, Hawera on
Mondays from 11-11.45. Ph 06 2786766 or you can contact Morven Woodhead at 8am
on 06 2784033.

Taranaki Guide to the Gluten free/Casein free diet

You may have read that some people with ASD find removing Gluten (wheat protein)
and casein (dairy protein) from their diet improves their concentration and general
wellbeing. We are a group of Mums here in New Plymouth who have tried this diet
with our kids, and have found it makes a difference to them. We have put together a
list of recipes and products and where you can buy them locally. If you’d like a copy
contact Karen Glenny akglenny@ihug.co.nz

If you do not wish to receive this newsletter please hit reply and put ‘unsubscribe’ in the
subject line

Page 11 Dec/Jan/Feb 11