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Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Canada is on the Rise

May 22, 2019 by Melanie

A report released last year by the Public Health Agency of Canada was the first “Canadian-made” report to look at the prevalence of Autism Spectrum in our country. It reveals that approximately 1 in 66 children and youth are diagnosed with ASD in Canada. Across participating provinces and territories, for every 1 female diagnosed with ASD, there were 4-5 males diagnosed, and these numbers are on the rise.

Earlier this month, Creating Together staff held an information session on Autism Spectrum Disorder, to shed some light on ASD, share some resources, and offer support for parents and caregivers.

Key topics at the information session include:

What is Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)
Characteristics of ASD
Prevalence of ASD
Possible causes of ASD
What to do if you think your child has ASD
Diagnosis of ASD
Treating ASD
Resources for ASD

If you weren’t able to make it on May 9th, please come to the session on May 31st at 10am. Hope to see you there!

Water Sensory Play

February 16, 2019 by Melanie

This month’s information sessions helped parents and caregivers understand the benefits of water sensory play, and how to encourage this kind of play with children. Below are some tips from staff at Creating Together, which were shared with families this month:

WHERE: You can provide opportunities for your child to play with water in the bath, in the kitchen sink, in a washing up bowl or a baby’s bath, weather permitting, in a paddling pool or bins with water.

PREPARE FOR A MESS: This type of play is likely to lead to some mess, but your child should not feel under pressure to keep dry or not make a mess. It is better to try to encourage children to limit the mess and for them to help clean up afterwards.

THE VALUE OF SENSORY PLAY: Sensory play is a valuable part of quality early childhood programs. Children are provided with sensory materials used to enhance their senses of touch, sight, taste, smell, and hearing. The use of sensory materials allows children the opportunity for hands-on and self-directed play to encourage the development of fine / gross motor skills, creativity, self-esteem, social development, and cognitive development.

A FEW THINGS CHILDREN LEARN WHEN PLAYING WITH WATER:

To improve their skill at pouring by developing their arm and hand muscles
How water behaves when you pour it from one container to another
How water feels and that it can be squirted
Objects either float or sink
That containers hold the most or the least
That water leaks from containers with holes
Eye-hand co-ordination

The staff at Creating Together are trained in helping children achieve indicators of success in a number of key areas of development. While many of these were shared in our information session this month, we wanted to include them here so you can be more informed when playing with your child, so you too can encourage their development and success!

Fine Motor – holding objects with hand.
Coordination – holding and transferring object from hand to hand; manipulating small objects with improved coordination.
Autonomy – initiating activities.
Tactile – tracking moving objects with eyes; touching, rubbing, squeezing.
Words with Gesture – speaking with words and gesture.
Vocabulary – repeating words.

Moving forward, we hope you’ll take the dive and explore the benefits of water play with your children!

Understanding Childhood Fears

May 31, 2018 by Melanie

No matter how much some children are told not to worry, they continue to do so. And these worries, along with overwhelming feelings that seem to put a damper on everything, rob them of much pleasure and fun. As we age, we release many of these fears – but as a parent or guardian, you might want to understand how can you best understand your child’s fears, and how can you help ease your child’s worries and anxieties.

Understanding Fear and Anxiety

Simply put, fear is:

an agitated feeling associated by actual or threatening danger, pain, or harm. It is a normal and sensible response to something that could reasilistically cause harm.” (http://www.sickkidscmh.ca/ABC/Parent-Resource/The-Worried-Child/Specific-Fears.aspx)

Young children have less experience with the world, they encounter things for the first time and don’t understand what is either reasonable in terms of danger, pain, or harm. As a result, children tend to have many more fears than adults.

Anxiety on the other hand, brings out the same physical responses associated with fear, but to events or things that are not dangerous, or much less dangerous than the person imagines them to be. For example, some children are anxious about being left with a stranger, when, as the adult knows, there is absolutely no threat from Aunt Mary. The child’s perceptions result in powerful feelings that harm is likely to come their way.

“Without fear, we’d jump headlong into things we shouldn’t,” says Tamar E. Chansky, PhD, author of Freeing Your Child from Anxiety. The first response to fear and anxiety is to try to avoid the feared object or situation – and for many young children, this solution seems to be adequate. From their perspective there is no need to do anything else. Most adults, however, see that this is not the best solution, and if you avoid the things you fear, then the fear increases and you may lose out on positive experiences like play dates and sleepovers.

Common Fears

Children and parents share many of the same fears (e.g., getting lost, unexpected noises, silence in a new environment), but also fear things that come from their own imagination (e.g., monsters). According to Amy Stuart of WebMD, Some of the most common things young children under the age of 5 are often afraid of are:

Fears of an Infant / Toddler

Loud noises or sudden movements
Large looming objects
Strangers
Separation
Changes in the house

Fears During Preschool Years

The dark
Noises at night
Masks
Monsters and ghosts
Animals such as dogs

[https://www.webmd.com/parenting/features/childhood-fears-anxieties#1]

What to Do: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Each month, Creating Together holds information sessions for parents and caregivers on different topics of interest to the community, and May’s topics of conversation were “Childhood Fears”. The information sessions were focused largely on 2 of the most common childhood fears:

Fear of being away from parents: Even if the parent / caregiver leaves the room for a few minutes, the child may get upset.
Fear of strangers: Up to about 6 months, babies usually smile and “go to” almost anyone – but by about 7 months, many will show a fear of strangers, especially if the stranger gets very friendly too quickly.

Below are some tips for helping your child feel better while you’re away, and helping them feel better with “new” people. For more information, please come to Creating Together and ask for the Toronto Public Health handout that was given at the information session, and check out the “Additional Resources for Use with Children” below.

Tips: Helping your child feel better while you’re away:

Tell your child when you are leaving and when you’ll be back
When you are in another room, talk so that they can hear you
Take them with you if you are going to be away more than a few minutes
Let your child get to know the babysitter before leaving them alone together
Have the babysitter come before your child goes to bed
Always say goodbye (never sneak out_
Try not to show your guilt if you are feeling guilty about leaving them
Never get mad or tease your child for being afraid

Tips: Helping your child feel better with “new” people:

Give your baby time to get to know the stranger – let them set the pace
Have the person give the baby something to play with – when they smile and take the toy, they are showing a readiness to make new friends
Never make the baby to to the person
Stay where the baby can see you
Never get mad or tease your child for being afraid

Tips: Helping your child feel comfortable in new places:

Tell the child about the new place and what they can do there
Stay with them for as long as they want
Take them on trips to the zoo, park, shopping or visiting
Never get mad or tease your child for being afraid

Additional Resources for Use with Children:

Self Calming Cards. A set of 24 cards suitable for use with children that provide verbal, visual, playful and self-nurturing strategies for calming yourself down. By E. Crary. (2004). Seattle, WA: Parenting Press.

Starbright: Meditations for children. This is one of several books that Maureen Garth has written that have simple meditation and visualisation exercises that help children to relax. By M. Garth. (1991). New York: Harper Collins.

When I feel afraid. This is a picture book to use with younger children who feel afraid. By C. J. Meiners. (2003). Minneapolis, MN: Free Spirit Publishing.

When I’m feeling scared. Written by an Australian Psychologist, this book is ideal for use with younger primary aged children. By T. Moroney. (2005). Rowville, VIC: Five Mile Press.

Cool karma – Relaxation for children and adolescents. Written by an Australian Occupational Therapist, this article provides examples of simple relaxation techniques such as breathing awareness and visualisation strategies for young people. Available from: http://www.e-bility.com/articles/relax.php

Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder in Canada is on the Rise

Water Sensory Play

Understanding Childhood Fears

Understanding Fear and Anxiety

Common Fears

What to Do: Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Tips: Helping your child feel better while you’re away:

Tips: Helping your child feel better with “new” people:

Tips: Helping your child feel comfortable in new places:

Additional Resources for Use with Children:

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