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Meeting 3 October
Guest Speaker Sapna Jessy
"Child Autism"
Sapna pictured with President Allan
photo by Editor, Ross Jones
photo by Editor, Ross Jones
Narrinder introduced his wife Sapna who is a Dr trained at the University of London, qualified in paediatrics, member of the Royal College of Physicians, specialises in child development and child wellbeing. Sapna is on the Board of Nagala. General and Developmental Paediatrician at Bentley Child Development Centre and Armadale Hospital.
Childhood autism is found in 1 to every 110 children and is found more in boys and is increasing. This is a neuro development disorder and is its more prevalence due to the increase in diagnosed clinical by the international diagnosis manual standards?
Autism manifests as socialization and communications impairment. People on the autism spectrum may want to be alone or they may want to join in but don’t know how to, or they can be too social. Socialization skills and behaviours can be taught to those in the autism spectrum.
[Web image from Raising Children Network]
People in the Autism spectrum range from nonverbal to verbal who are interested in their topic. They have difficulty in understanding feelings and others whose feelings are different to their own.
Children with autism can manifest the behaviours of lining up or setting up in colour the toys before them. Flapping, repetitive movement. These behaviours on their own are also observed in the child with normal development so it is a case of putting all the observations together to make a diagnosis. Obsession focus at early age is another observed behaviour. Also sensory processing such as feeling textures or loud sounds or crunchy foods and so on.
Everyone different and there is never two the same within the autism spectrum.
[Web image from alltogetheraustism NZ]
WA is unique with a thorough team approach requiring the diagnoses of a paediatrician, a psychologist, a psychiatrist observing and diagnosing play skills and adaptability. But this will probably change with the move to a unified Australian standard. This diagnosis process currently takes three within the public system. Once there is a diagnosis NDIS funding can be accessed but here there is a backlog. There is also support given through support letters and advocacy to navigate these required paths.
People in the autism spectrum run into issues within the justice system. The routine-based behaviour can lead them to be victims of criminals, or in trouble with the law because they are kicking cars that are not parked correctly or because the bus is not on time. Housing is also a problem for adults within the autism spectrum.
Anxiety and AHD can exist together as co-morbidity. Development Disability WA (https://ddwa.org.au/) have great information and advocate support especially for parents at their school so that their child can receive support that changes their trajectory.
There is a genetic link but that link is not always found. The older age of the father seems to increase the risk of autism spectrum in the child.
Anxiety and AHD can exist together as co-morbidity. Development Disability WA (https://ddwa.org.au/) have great information and advocate support especially for parents at their school so that their child can receive support that changes their trajectory.
There is a genetic link but that link is not always found. The older age of the father seems to increase the risk of autism spectrum in the child.
Wellington Square Sunday 20th 9am for 10am Perth Festival
Heirisson Rotary to have a display for a members drive please let Glenda know if you can help.
All of the coming events – fund-raising, promotional and social – that are coming up in the next two months. Can you please list these events in your diaries.
Kimberley Dental Team 10th Anniversary Sundowner - Royal Perth Yacht Club, 6.00pm-8.00pm, Friday 18th October – All welcome, but please RSVP to the KDT (See details about the KDT is http://www.kimberleydentalteam.com/)
Girrawheen Senior High School Arts Exhibition, Friday 18th October –further details to be advised.
The Giant Garage Sale, Floreat Athena Soccer Club , Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 October (see https://www.garagesaletrail.com.au/).
Floreat Athena is located at 41 Brittania Avenue,Mt Hawthorn (see http://floreatathenafc.com.au/joomla/index.
php/contact-us). Bring along your items for sale! More details to come.
Floreat Athena is located at 41 Brittania Avenue,Mt Hawthorn (see http://floreatathenafc.com.au/joomla/index.
php/contact-us). Bring along your items for sale! More details to come.
St Andrews Open Day - Rotary promotion stall and Snakes & Ladders. Saturday 19th October – Wellington Square, subject to confirmation, with more details to follow (see events in https://unitingchurchwa.org.au/media-events/events/).
National Youth Science Forum (NYSF) Orientation Day - Sunday 20th October. Location to be advised. All welcome. For details on NYSF, see https://www.nysf.edu.au/.
Sausage Sizzle, Chem Centre Open Day, 9.00 am to 3.00 pm, Saturday 26 October. Details about the open day can be found here http://www.chemcentre.wa.gov.au/Education-and-Outreach/Open-Day. We will be needing volunteers to help sell up to 1800 sausages in buns, and raise about $1,800 for our charity account. More details to come.
Strategic Planning, Workshop 2, Crowne Plaza Hotel, 6.30 pm, Monday 4 November. The workshop will commence at 7.00 pm sharp and conclude at 9.00 pm.
Melbourne Cup Lunch, 11.00 am, Tuesday 5 November. Depending on the level of interest, we will organise a lunch event for ‘the race that stops the nation’. More details to come.
Robin Arndt Testimonial luncheon, Sunday 17 November – to celebrate Robin’s 50 years in Rotary! This is a provisional booking, depending on the availability of caterers. However, please pencil this in for now, with more details to follow.
Foodbank Packing, Foodbank, 8.00 am to 12.00 pm, 25 November. The Foodbank warehouse is located at Perth Airport (see https://www.foodbank.org.au/?state=wa). We need to be there early, to enable us to pack about 1,250 hampers, operating along an assembly line. It is an enjoyable morning. One requirement – participants need to be wearing closed shoes.
Strategic Plan Workshops
An update on proposed workshops to develop a new strategic plan that has good buy-in from all members, especially those who are relatively new to the club. At the Club Services meeting last night, this was identified as a priority activity.
Ken and I met with Jennifer Duffecy this morning who we have asked to facilitate our strategic planning process. Jennifer is an experienced strategic planner and as a friend of mine, will run the process pro bono.
The suggestion is to have two workshops – one to deal with the high level principles, and identification of priorities, followed by a second one to refine that material and deal with detail.
Proposed dates are –
Workshop 1 – Wednesday 9 October.
Workshop 2 – Monday 4 November.
Can you please put those dates in your diary. I have spoken to Glenda Hickey and we can use the Boardroom at Uniting Care West for the two sessions. It is likely that not all members will be able to attend both dates, but it is far enough ahead that people should be able to shuffle commitments if they want to attend.
Next steps
· Announce the events and dates at tomorrow’s meeting (and follow-up with an email)
· Send out the last strategy (see attached) to all members as background reading
· Ken will knock up a one page summary of the recent survey data to be used at the workshops.
· Ken and I will review achievements of the Club against the targets set in the 2017-20 strategy (Ken has already done this in March 2018 (see again), but it can be done again to bring it up to date) to be used at the workshop.
Don Burnside
Club Services, Heirisson Rotary Club
Footrot Cartoons by Murray Ball
