I have childhood photos indicating Rickets from as young as 5 months old. It shows itself in the forehead, bulges at the wrists, banana shaped bowed arms and legs and distended belly. But this severe vitamin D deficiency has more extensive impact than just bone development. It impacts the entire immune system, later teeth development, the muscles, the spleen, the liver, the gut, and the nervous system – yes, the brain. Read the rest of this entry »

Economies are going down the spout, there is enough OPEN instruction out there to start training yourselves so you can spend your income on a trampoline, a pool, some horse riding, drums or anything else that you’d have had no money for if you were PAYROLLING the professionals who are living off the one size fits all PATENTED products they are selling you. 2012 is the year to stop bleating like a sheep. Take back the power. I have empowered parents to do this since 1996. Step up to the plate. Test your own potential and be part of your own solutions. Read the rest of this entry »

What do you think of the term ‘Naturally Autistic‘? I think it depends on what made you so autistic in the first place Read the rest of this entry »

Hi Folks,

we wish you all an abundance of music and merriment
that the sun shines enough to dance naked in the living room (at least)
that you get a good joke in a Christmas cracker
that you can see the funny side of a Nativity for sale in an undecorated Christmas window
that you have the courage to say ‘no thanks’ as well as the humility to remember all the things you are so grateful for
that you remember the third world without guilt but throw them at least a few crumbs from the abundance we enjoy
that you cry if you want to but never so long as to fall down rabbit holes and stay there
that you laugh at yourself more than worry about being fat, ugly, boring, stupid
and kiss your reflection just because its yours
and in reminder that we’re so lucky we get at least 10 years, 48 years or 98 years of good, bad and ugly on this earth
we wish you bubble baths and rubber duckies
we wish you Monty Python DVDs and daggy musicals
we wish you a fabulous goodbye to 2011 and hello to 2012

warmly,

Donna and Chris Samwellygog Read the rest of this entry »

PERSONAL EXPERIENCE, PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE, AND QUALIFICATIONS

I was two years old in 1965. It was a time when autism was deemed ‘childhood psychosis’. After three days observation at St Elmo’s Private Hospital, I was diagnosed as ‘psychotic’. I was diagnosed with language processing disorder in late childhood around 1972 then later diagnosed with the tidier label of autism in 1990 by Australia’s most eminent autism experts, Dr Lawrie Bartak.

In the same year I built on my existing post graduate degree in sociology and degree in linguistics and did a Dip Ed, becoming a qualified teacher whilst progressively going on to author 9 published books in the field of autism, become an international public speaker since 1994, and an autism consultant since 1996. My text books are used in courses on special education & psychology. I have been hired by health services, human services and education departments to work with people in their care and provide training.

WHAT I DO

My job as a consultant is perhaps closest to being a ‘specialised case manager’ for hire. I assess ‘developmental fruit salads’ and I have worked with over a thousand families. I look at a person’s current communication, interaction, behavior, development. I then look at which low or no cost strategies might help that person lead a fuller life, better reach their potential and establish more harmonious relationships with those in their life. Read the rest of this entry »

DINNER CLUB, MELBOURNE (Belgrave), AUSTRALIA

WHEN: 7pm, 4th Thursday of the month
WHERE: Honey Thai Restaurant, 1678 Main Rd, Belgrave (just up from Belgrave railway station footbridge)
WHAT: Dinner (meals start from around $17 and special diets can be catered for) with others on the spectrum
WHO: teens and adults on the autism spectrum and their direct support people.
This group has been successfully running since 2006.
Note: we have established 2 important ground rules for attendees
1) this is NOT an opportunity to study people with autism or explore ways to enter the autism field
2) those attending are expected to be self management skills (ie: able to respect other people’s space, have reasonable hygiene, respect the venue etc).
Any doubts whether this group is for you, please contact Donna: bookings@donnawilliams.net
Read the rest of this entry »

Imagine a Christmas in Melbourne where there were virtually no street decorations, where shopkeepers didn’t make Christmas windows, where the houses largely had no Christmas lights, no wreaths or garlands, often not even an indoor Christmas tree. Well, in 2011, it happened. Person after person began spreading news not of Christmas cheer, but of Christmas sneer. Read the rest of this entry »

However appalling the topic, when it comes to hearing from women sexually abused by fathers, uncles, brothers, grandfathers, society is at least aware of the issue. As a society we have become so used to the potential of men to abuse that men working with children or interested to do so are sometimes instantly under suspicion. Yet up to 40% of those who sexually abuse children are women and around 10% of reported child sexual abuse of girls is perpetrated by the child’s mother. Read the rest of this entry »

Welcome to the Dec 2011 poetry challenge started over on my FB page. Feel free to send me a 1-2 word TITLE or THEME to write to in the comments section and up to the end of Dec, you’ll find I’ve responded by posting a poem here addressing it. Here’s the poems so far… Read the rest of this entry »

Sick of attracting needy, greedy, me me me types? Then….
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