Sensory Integration for Parents
Knowing when to use it with Children on the Autistic Spectrum
Wednesday Nov 16th @ 7pm-9pm
Free of Charge
Brookfield Health Sciences Building, UCC, College Road, Cork Lecture hall G04
Speaker: Marie Anzalone, ScD, OTR, FAOTA
University College Cork/Virginia Commonwealth University
Time will be made available for questions after the presentation.
A small number of parking spaces are available, €2 on exit.
On street parking is available in the locality.
Marie Anzalone, ScD, OTR, FAOTA, is Assistant Professor of Occupational
Therapy at Virginia Commonwealth University and a LEND Faculty
member at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY.
She was previously on the faculty of the Occupational Therapy Program
at Columbia University. Marie has presented and published extensively
in the area of sensory processing in infants and young children.
Dr. Anzalone is a Graduate Fellow of Zero-to-Three: National Center
for Infants, Toddlers, and Families (she was the first occupational
therapist to have received this honor), and a Fellow of the American
Occupational Therapy Association. She has served as a consultant
to the New York State Department of Education in the development
of preschool service guidelines, the New York Early Intervention
system in the development of practice guidelines, and a contributor
to the Zero-to-Three and ICDL diagnostic taskforces, is a member
of the Early Head Start Infant Mental Health Taskforce, and the
American Occupational Therapy Association Taskforce on neonatology.
Her current research is focuses on mother child interaction during
play, goodness of fit between parents and children with regulatory
or sensory processing disorders, and the efficacy of sensory integration
intervention with children who have autism. She, along with Gordon
Williamson, is the author of Sensory integration and self-regulation
in infants and toddlers: Helping very young children interact with
their environment, published by Zero-to-Three. Marie is currently
a Fulbright Scholar in University College Cork.
THE AUTISM RIGHTS & ALLIANCE(AREA).
Shine/IPAA has been part of AREA since it was formed in 2010. The
alliance is made up of individuals, and ASD groups who have an
understanding of autism spectrum conditions. Considerable work
has been done over the last few weeks and months to promote and
protect Human Rights and as part of this remit we have forwarded
a submission , under the UNIVERSAL PERIODIC REVIEW for Ireland,
to the united nations. This is the first occassion that AREA has
interrelated with the UNited Nations. AREA wisheds to support the
most fundamental freedoms and protections that disabled people
are entitled to. These human rights are universal, inherent, inalienable,
indivisible and interdependent.
AREA seeks to represent a unified voice amongst the Irish autism
community: and are prepared to work through the U.P.R. process
with the government of Ireland and the OHCHR to promote a comprehensive
plan to address the needs of Irish People with autism spectrum
conditions to achieve equality of rcognition and non-discrimination
within the disability and mental health planning in Ireland. In
the first instance this can be done through the measurement and
collection of raw data on autism spectrum conditions in Ireland.
Area have identified a number of issues that must be addressed
by the government of Irealnd to develop a comprehensive Autism
Lifespan Strategy for Ireland. Actions must be taken to improve
our collective understanding of autism spectrum conditions, share
best practice on interventions, raise awareness and respond to
the immense challenges faced by Irish Families caring for their
family members with autism.
Given the increasing prevalance of autism and the substantial costs
incurred by the state when crisis occurs, AREA feel that the following
proposals are timely from an Economic and Human Rights stand point:
1. AREA asks that all government departments recognise that all
individulas with autism spectrum conditions and their families
make upa unique grouping, that requires services and supports based
on an indepth undersatanding of autism and the challenges living
with it presents.
2. AREA asks the government of Ireland commits to amending the
national census form for 2016 to include relevant questions related
to autism. Furthermore AREA asks that the government commits to
a single unified national disabilities database covering all disablities
which has the capacity for monitoring and updating as required.
This latter point will, hopefully, eradicate all the inaccuracies
that are present today.
3. AREA requests that the government of Ireland set up a Disability
Savings Scheme for people with disabilities similar to the proven
systems that have been set up in Canada and the U.S.A. This would
signal a shift towards an investment -based approach which would
promote self sufficiency and personal responsibility.
OTHER KEY DEMANDS.REQUESTS FROM AREA.
1.NO MORE CUTS TO EDUCATIONAL AND WELFARE SUPPORTS.
2. IMPROVEMENT IN STANDARDS AND INSPECTION. There is currently
no inspection of disability services for children and adults. Services
must be inspected against standards developed by H.I.Q.A.
3. Modern Capacity Legislation. Ireland's current law on decision
making(capacity) dates back to 1871. This legislation must be updated.
Without a new ACT covering this area we, as a country, cannot ratify
the U.N. convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
4.Closing of 'INSTITUTIONS'. Over four thousand people with disabilities
live in institutions, many of which have substandard conditions.
The H.S.E. Report on Congregated Settings must be published and
an implementation plan on closing these institutions drawn up.
5. National Disability Strategy: Vitally important parts of N.D.S.
2004 have been halted indefinitely. A good example of this is the
halting of the right to an assessment for children aged 6-18 and
for adults. There must be a firm committment to full implementation
of the N.D.S., in line with the agreed 'N.D.S. Recession Implementation
Plan'.
