Enlightening
07722285367
  • Home
  • What We Do
    • Covid-19 Blog
    • Flyers
    • Our Approach
  • Location/Contact
  • About Us
    • Volunteer with us
    • GDPR Policy
  • News
  • Testimonials
  • Castleton Pool Timetable

Adults with Autism and Mental Health

13/7/2014

0 Comments

 
This Thursday (10th July) we attended the Rochdale Boroughwide User Forum (RBUF) Involvement Day.  RBUF exists to give voice to people who use mental health services.  The annual Involvement Day provides an opportunity for people to come together and try out some fun activities, get advice and have a voice.  We offered free circus skills workshops, meditation and Chill Skill sessions, play sessions and Reiki tasters.  The event took place at Rochdale Cricket Club.

We put up a board with a timetable of activities.  I started a circus skills workshop while Jo gave a Reiki treatment to the first "customer".  RBUF organisers expected we'd need a quiet corner for Reiki but it was such a glorious day Jo set up on the cricket pitch next to me with circus skills in front of the seating i.e. we had an audience.  Before long it became obvious that I'd have to abandon circus and join in with the Reiki action, it was so popular.  We gave 2 chair treatments at a time for the rest of the day and though they were only 20 minutes long everyone who received a treatment reported that it was very relaxing and some had an emotional release.

You might be wondering why we would offer this when our main objective is to work with families affected by Autism?  Well, did you know that at least one in three adults with Autism experience severe mental health difficulties?  The figure is likely to be much higher as there are so many undiagnosed adults out there.  And with 40% of children with Autism experiencing bullying at school I imagine that the figure will increase as these children reach adulthood.  This is one of the reasons that we support early diagnosis and training for professionals.  The earlier a family knows their child has Autism the sooner they can implement meaningful strategies.  It goes without saying that if professionals working with children with Autism are well trained they can better meet the need of each child.

We know that people with Autism are amazing, talented and valuable to our society and want to see an end to Autism being synonymous with limitation and despair.  I believe in a future where the unique talents and gifts that often come with Autism are celebrated and children can reach adulthood as healthy, happy individuals!
Lindzi 
P.S. Figures quoted are taken from The National Autistic Society website.
0 Comments

Challenging

28/6/2014

0 Comments

 
Here at Enlightening we like to inform ourselves as much as possible.  Sometimes the information we receive is very challenging.  What do you think?
Lindzi
0 Comments

Presuming Intellect by William Stillman

27/9/2013

0 Comments

 

10 Ways to Enrich Our Relationships Through a Belief in Competence

"1. Don’t define people by their diagnosis. Remember playing tag?
Nobody wanted to be IT. And if you were IT, you wanted to get rid of IT because being IT was stigmatizing, a detriment, and something undesirable—that was the game; being IT was to be avoided and feared. Remaining IT longer than we’d like becomes challenging to catch up to the others, to belong, and to feel
accepted.

When we define someone by their diagnosis, our perception of them may become something to be dreaded: someone defective, someone who has the IT with which we don’t wish to risk an association of any sort. For that person, this attitude is the lubricant that greases the wheel for the vicious cycle of a selffulfilling prophecy. That is, when people define you as having IT and that’s all you know of yourself, you will reflect back precisely what others project upon you. This is a natural and defensive reaction; and if you don’t speak or can’t articulate your feelings, your outpourings of “behaviors” will only further validate the diagnosis (hence the vicious cycle)."
That's the first.  Read nine more and feel enriched!
Lindzi
0 Comments

Passionate about Creativity?

24/9/2013

0 Comments

 

Sir Ken Robinson's inspiring TED talk is Enlightening!

We are very passionate about education, children, young people and creativity.  I first saw this talk in 2007 and have been quoting excerpts from it ever since. 

Sir Ken Robinson is an inspiration and this talk is very much like a stand up act with serious content. 

He's written several books and the latest, Finding your Element is also available as an audio CD.

Lindzi
Check out his other talks on TED and the fantastic RSA animation of his talk "Changing Education Paradigms".
0 Comments

    Author

    Lindzi Miller and Jo Potts

    Archives

    March 2016
    November 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    November 2013
    September 2013
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012

    Categories

    All
    Autism
    Circus
    Circus Workshops
    Cirque Du Soleil
    Creative Arts
    Diet
    Education
    Family
    Feather Balancing
    Flower Stick
    Intensive Interaction
    Juggling
    Person Centred Plans
    Plate Spinning
    Policy
    Reiki
    Research
    Schools

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.