iCan House

PADD Topic : Next Steps to Independence

icanhousews — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:47:06 +0000

Upcoming PADD* meeting at iCan House:
MONDAY, FEB 20th
7:00 – 8:00 pm
862 W. 4th St., W-S

Discussion Topic: The Next Steps Towards Independence

Any parent/caretaker of an adult with a developmental disability or a child that will soon be growing into one are welcome to join this lively and positive group for an enlightening conversation about the challenges and successes that have been experienced by other parents/caretakers in similar situations.

Last month the group had a wonderful conversation about what independence might look like for their adult child outside of mom and dad’s house, but it is not a topic that can be confined to just one night. So we are putting it on the calendar again this month to aid in discovering more ideas about just what this community needs to solve the growing challenge of assimilating our adult population into the community SUCCESSFULLY!

Conversation is open to the public.

*PADD stands for Parents of Adults with Developmental Disabilities

Let’s Thinks Positively

icanhousews — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 05:32:46 +0000

Ah, a new year… and a time for a fresh start. It’s easy to start out with a positive outlook… but awfully hard to keep it up in say… March!

A recent movement in the psychology world has brought about a movement called, “Positive Psychology,” which is one that I personally find very intriguing as we work on ways to keep not only our Aspie and similar members moving forward with a good attitude, but the way that those who care for them go about it.

Martin Seligman, at the forefront of the Positive Psychology, from the University of Pennsylvania, argues that there are many types of happiness and a need to not only take the sad back to neautral, but the neutral to truely happy.

We could all use a does more of happiness this year, so take a look at Seligman’s TED talk and let us know what you think.

RESPONSE to Film Awareness: Adam

icanhousews — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 18:31:45 +0000

On November 6th, iCan House sponsored a free film showing of Adam, from Fox Searchlight Pictures, at a/perture cinema.Many attended, but all watched in a different way. Each individual in the audience thought about a different person that they knew… a person that had Asperger’s syndrome, like the main character, Adam. Perhaps it was a sibling, a friend, a family member, or themselves, but we all did it. Adam was no longer Adam, but the embodiment of someone much, much more personal.

After the film, through tear soaked eyes, one iCan mom could barely utter, “Wow, that was a good movie,” and quickly left… only to surprise us with her true response in our email inbox a few hours later. We wish to share her thoughts as they are valuable and of a perspective that is all too valuable… a mom of a young man that is bursting into young adulthood… a boy that will soon take Adams place.

Read her words… fill in whatever name you find most suitable.

“I cried my eyes out from the beginning to the end! It was not just a movie to me, but a window through which I was seeing my son’s future! For almost 4 years, I have been living with the reality that ____ has Asperger’s. I have ‘come to terms’ with it, embraced it and the opportunity to learn all I can and have devoted my energies to making his world as ‘normal’ and ‘enjoyable’ as possible.”

“From the moment I walked into iCan House all I ever wanted was for ______ to learn to be comfortable in his skin, accepting of himself, and to have friendships.

“I remember crying hard the night I attended iCan open house. I remember looking at all of the children there thinking, ‘but _____ is not like them. He is different. He is verbal, articulate, and bright.’ ‘This must be a mistake. He is not like these other kids.’ I remember crying and finding it difficult to come to terms with the fact that he WAS different. He WAS unique in his own way…”

“I haven’t reflected on those emotions for years now….until tonight. As I watched that movie there in the dark, I did not see ‘Adam’ …. I saw ______. I thought how sad it was how he lived all alone, yet was perfectly content. I related to the fixation and monopolizing of conversations (except Pokemon is the theme, not space).”

“It was so sad how Adam told Beth, the love interest, that he needed her and that he couldn’t [move from NYC to California] without her (for every reason other than that love that she wanted him to need her for). It was especially sad because I got the humor and understood the girl’s side, too. She did the right thing. It is very difficult to bend and flex completely and continuously to make a relationship last a lifetime.”

“I know we cannot spend our days worrying about tomorrow, next year or 10 years from now. All we can do is work hard every day to try to prepare them for adulthood and real world……day by day, one step at a time. BUT I know that there is no magic cure. Asperger’s and the challenges it presents in ______’s life will be with him everyday. When he wakes up, a new day will begin full of challenges, many the same as yesterday. There may be days where he makes great strides, but wakes up the following day back at square one.”

“When our kids are little, we do our best to shield them, but there will come a time when we can no longer do that. We will not be around forever, and the thought of him having to do it all on his own and struggle….. that broke my heart.”

BUT: There is hope… the film closes with Adam living and working as an independent man. He may not have a romantic love interest, but it is certainly not impossible for him in the future. He feels success, he self-worth. He is a contributing member to his community.

Chances are that this story applies to more than just this one mother’s sentiments. Children become adults and then spend most of their lives as adults. People on the Autism Spectrum, just like the rest of the population need social connections and need the help and love of committed persons in their life. There are few resources to aid those on the spectrum once they reach the age of 18, but we intend to change that sooner rather than later!

We will be there. Our community must and will raise up to help raise, educate, and support this unique and amazing population of individuals… or it will be very sorry that it let talent go to waste!

Executive Functioning: Better Focus Requires De-Cluttering

icanhousews — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 15:27:36 +0000

Madonna tells us that we live in a material world… which we have clearaly caught onto by now, but that material is often in our way these days and clogging our pathways. But it’s not just our physical paths that are getting slowed down… our brains seem stuck in traffic these days as well.

Our minds are a fast moving, often confusing place… so help your own mind and those of the people that you love, teach and care for with Executive functioning challenges and attentional struggles get a leg up by de-cluttering the life that surrounds us all.

Check out these tips that ADDitude Magazine recommends for taming your surroundings and calming your mind in the process!

1. Does this thing work? It was hard to admit that something was broken and couldn’t be fixed — say, our dud toaster or my daughter’s frog clock. Why was I hanging on to those things?

2. Would I replace it if it were broken or lost? If not, I must not really need the thing.

3. Is it potentially useful — although it never actually gets used? Do I need an over-sized water bottle, a corkscrew with an exotic mechanism, or a tiny vase? How many spare glass jars do I need?

4. Why was I “saving” it? Leaving bath gel in the tube, or hoarding my favorite stationery in a desk drawer, is wasteful.

5. Does it serve its purpose well? We have a lot of “cute” kitchen utensils that don’t work.

6. Has it been replaced by a better model? I’m in the habit of keeping broken or outdated versions of tech gadgets, even after they’ve been replaced. Pointless.

7. Is it nicely put away in an out-of-the-way place? Just because things are nicely organized doesn’t mean they’re not clutter. No matter how tidily a thing is stored, if I never use it, why keep it?

8. Does this memento prompt any memories? I tend to keep things that seem to be “mementos,” assuming that they have some emotional resonance, but many don’t. The attendance trophy from my daughter’s preschool sports class — out.

9. Have I ever used this thing? I was shocked to find, when I started looking, how many things I owned that we had never once used. Many were gifts, but I promised myself that we’d either put these things to use within a few weeks or give them away.

Film Awareness: The Horse Boy

icanhousews — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 17:05:22 +0000

THE HORSE BOY

SUNDAY AUGUST 14th
7:30 SHOWING, DOORS OPEN AT 7:15
COMING TO WINSTON-SALEM FOR ONE SHOWING ONLY
At a/perture cinema: 311 W. 4th St. Winston-Salem, NC

FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC – LIMITED SEATING AVAILABLE
Seats are first come, first serve.
Plan to be early to get a seat, (doors open at 7:15)

DONATIONS ACCEPTED AT THE DOOR
FOR iCAN HOUSE & RIVERWOOD THERAPEUTIC RIDING CENTER

FILM FOLLOWED BY DISCUSSION W/ EXPERTS ON “THE THERAPEUTIC BENEFITS OF ANIMALS”

The Horse Boy is the title of an autobiographical book and a documentary feature film that follow the quest of Rupert Isaacson and his wife to find healing for their autistic son Rowan. After discovering that Rowan’s condition appears to be improved by contact with horses and other animals, the family leave their home in Texas on an arduous journey to seek help from the traditional shamans in Mongolia. The book and film follow the family as they travel via the UK by plane, van and on horseback in an attempt to treat the boy’s condition with shamanist healing.

Watch the Trailer at : http://www.horseboymovie.c om/Film.php

Welcome All!

icanhousews — Wed, 03 Aug 2011 12:06:33 +0000

The iCan House is now in the blogosphere! Don’t worry… it will get a lot more interesting than this, but we had to start somewhere! Check back often for updates and intrigue!

Allison Lindborg
iCan House Program Director