Next week Mount Lilydale Mercy College is celebrating Autism Acceptance Week.
The aim of the week is to educate and inform our community about autism and neurodiversity. MLMC is an inclusive community that values respect and dignifies its members; we all have unique talents and gifts that should be shared and celebrated.
Each day next week, homerooms will be involved in activities, videos and discussions covering inclusion, neurodiversity and autism.
As a way to show acceptance and support of Autistic people in our community, we encourage students to ‘Wear a Hoodie’ on Friday 1 April in place of the College blazer. Wearing a hoodie can help others appreciate that some autistic people experience sensory sensitivities and can become overloaded by stimuli in their environment. Wearing their ‘hoodie up’ means they can block out bright lights and busy environments which can help to calm them.
Please find below resources for you and your family to share and enjoy.
Websites
“Amaze builds autism understanding in the community, influences policy change for autistic people and their families/supporters, and provides independent, credible information and resources to individuals, families, professionals, government and the wider community.”
https://www.autismspectrum.org.au/
“A not-for-profit organisation, we work in partnership with people of all ages on the autism spectrum, and their families to deliver evidence-informed solutions that are person-centred, family-focused and customer driven.”
“Now in our seventh year, I CAN Network’s knowledge of Autistic young people, schools and mentoring practice has enabled us to achieve widespread influence across the landscape of children’s rights and inclusive education and employment. I CAN Ltd is an ongoing member of the Victorian Government’s Autism Education Advisory Group and Autism Plan Advisory Group, the Australian Association for Special Education, the Child Rights NGO Taskforce and the Australian Autism Alliance.”
https://www.differentjourneysautism.com/
“Different Journeys started when two mums (Mel and Merrin) came together to do something about the loneliness and isolation they and their Autistic children were experiencing. In February 2016 the first Autistic Teen Peer Support Social Group event was held at Club Kilsyth. It was an overwhelming and immediate success. Different Journeys has continued to grow and evolve to meet the needs of our Autistic community from that day on.”
https://www.yellowladybugs.com.au/
“Yellow Ladybugs runs regular informal social events that offer peer-to-peer connections for autistic girls and gender diverse young people, generally between the ages of five and sixteen. Our events bring our members together in an inclusive, fun and sensory-friendly setting. Underpinning every Yellow Ladybugs event, our mission is to foster a sense of belonging, to help our autistic members connect with their peers, and to instil a sense of autistic pride within our community.”
https://www.thelittleblackduck.com.au/
“The little black duck is an autism-specific service providing support to autistic people by autistic people. Our focus is on autistic quality of life, we follow an evidence-informed quality of life framework based on what autistic adults self-report to improve the quality of their life.”
https://www.theeverydayautismseries.com.au/
“Looks at life through the eyes of Madi, a child with autism and explores how she responds to the world, and the challenges she faces dealing with the twin issues of a heightened sensory response to external stimuli and difficulties in communicating her experience to those around her. The books are written for children to enjoy and learn from, but they are so profound that adults will come away from them with new insights as well.”
https://www.autismactually.com.au/
“Autism Actually is a consultancy and advocacy business based in Victoria, Australia that provides workshops and presentations on Autism in Primary, Secondary, and Tertiary settings. We consist of a small team that combines insights from personal, professional, and personal experience as Autistic adults.”
Podcasts
A podcast about autism and family life.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUArbiW1F1WcF-5RQsXEbTzHlIlD5MyZk
"a different brilliant®" is an Aspect podcast made for autistic adults and parents or carers of kids on the autism spectrum. Host Orion Kelly, who is autistic, highlights the strengths, interests and aspirations of the autistic community.
https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-speaks-podcasts/adulting-spectrum-meet-our-hosts
This podcast is an interview series that features autistic adults from a variety of backgrounds to learn about their life, talents, challenges and the ups and downs of being on the autism spectrum.
Videos
https://amazingthingshappen.tv/?projects=amazing-things-happen
“This introduction to autism video aims to raise awareness among young non-autistic audiences, to stimulate understanding and acceptance in future generations”
https://iview.abc.net.au/video/LE1917H004S00
“By the end of this episode, you'll have met eight remarkable people on the autism spectrum, and been given eight unique windows into a world we rarely, if ever, hear about.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IApo5TBR7jc
Five Questions About Autism — answered by participants of the Aspire Program in Massachusetts.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sQuM5e0QGLg
We Are All Different — Cole Blakeway TEDx Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J8X-SZfCWPw
Autism and Neurodiversity: Different Does Not Mean Broken — Adriana White TEDx Talk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z2aGG7Uu8w
Hannah Gadsby’s interview on the ABC News. “Hannah Gadsby has returned after her barnstorming show Nanette. Her new Netflix special, Douglas, is a deliberately lighter touch that draws on her experience living with autism and weaves in anecdotes from her life.”
https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/autism-takiw%C4%81tanga-videos
A range of videos and animations, including children's voices about their experience of the autism spectrum.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1HQKB2txgY
Autism: How my unstoppable mother proved the experts wrong — Chris Varney (founder and CEO of I CAN Network).
