Building Sensory Bridges & Motivating the person with ASD to Communicate - Resources and Links.

Paula Aquilla, an Occupational Therapist from Toronto, Canada and Simone Griffin, a Speech Pathologist originally from Melbourne and now working in Toronto, Canada presented sessions for over 200 peopole in Melbourne and Albury in February 2012. Their presentation demonstrated the considerable overlap of the sensory preferences of children and adults on the spectrum and their motivation to communicate.

The presenters have made their slide set and other resources available for download on the Autism Noticeboard. We have also gathered some other links that could be of value. Thank you also to the attendees who forwarded useful information to us. If you have any further suggestions and links please email them to services@autismnoticeboard.com.au and we will add them to this resource.

• Simone's handout "Creating and Making the Most of Communication Opportunities"- pdf, 4 pp, 3MB - download here
• Slide Presentation February 2012 Aquilla & Griffin "Autism Spectrum Disorders: Pulling it Together"-
  • Part 1 Introduction - pdf, 8 pp, 2.4MB - download here
  • Part 3 Sensory Needs - pdf, 16 pp, 1.5MB - download here
  • FULL PRESENTATION - thanks to some valuable technical assistance, the full slide presentation is now compressed to a manageable pdf file, 41 pp - download here.
• Guide - "Simone Griffin's Top 10 ASD iPad Apps" - pdf, 3 pp, 1.7MB - download here
• Simone Griffin's website for Autism SLP is www.autismslp.com
• Paula Aquilla's email address is paulaaquilla@rogers.com

 Suppliers of the presenter's books and Sensory Resources:

• Simone's book Motivate to Communicate is published by Jessica Kingsley Press and distributed in Australia by Footprint Books. It can be purchased online from Resources at Hand (retail price is $29.95)
• Paula's book Building Bridges is not readily available from Australian distributors. You could try www.therapybookshop.com although a Noticeboard friend found it on a UK online shop called Book Depository - www.bookdepository.co.uk.  It is currently listed on their site here at a special price of $AUD34.94 and they deliver world wide - much cheaper than most other suppliers!
• For a good selection of sensory toys and other items try Resources at Hand listed on the Noticeboard here and Sue Larkey's Sensory Shop here. Nana's Weighted Blankets are listed on the Noticeboard here.
• My Diffability is a new website and online store stocking books and sensory resources - www.mydiffability.com.au. It has also been suggested that books can be found at www.fishpond.com.au at bargain prices, although their prices do change from day to day.

Other useful information:

• If you are looking for an Occupational Therapist we suggest going to Occupational Therapy Australia's website - Find an OT here and do a search. It is critical that you ask any potential OT what experience and expertise they have with autism and related disorders (and what ages they work with). Also be aware that not all OT's have been specifically trained in Sensory Integration Therapy so it is also important to choose an OT who has completed the post graduate course in Sensory Integration.
• You could also contact the Autism Victoria (Amaze) Information Line on 1300 308 699 or email info@amaze.org.au and ask for details of suitable OT's listed on their Services Directory.
• Some OT services can attract a Medicare Rebate. These items are under the Helping Children with Autism Program - Early Intervention Treatments - see here for details; or the Chronic Disease Management Program (previously known as the Enhanced Primary Care Plan) - see here for details. It is important to note that Medicare rebatable OT services must be provided under the management of a GP or specialist who will refer patients for OT services.

Attendance Certificates:

• Please find attached a pro forma Attendance Certificate which can be downloaded and details completed by hand or on your computer. Word document, form field enabled - Attendance Certificate.
• If you require additional information please contact Amanda.

Any queries? Contact Amanda at Autism Noticeboard on 0450 008 501 or 03 9560 3506 or email.