Article on surviving the stress of caring for autistic adolescent and other news
Dear everyone:
As I will be caught up with the preparations for a workshop on designing and implementing a differentiated lesson for students with autism in the coming weeks, I am sending you my latest article in this email update. Here are the highlights:
1. My article, "Sanity Under Siege": For those who have known of my challenges with Sebastien, my autistic adolescent son, I am grateful and pleased to say that we have emerged from our battles with tremendous love and appreciation for one another. With the pain and unhappiness of our conflict still fresh in our minds, we are cherishing one another in what I would consider a "honeymoon" phase. This nice breather has enabled me to compose this article that integrates the twin themes of my Website: mental wellness and autism. This article offers insight into the stress of raising an autistic adolescent; the importance of self-care strategies; and the constant reflections we should do on our parenting and caregiver approaches.
Sanity Under Siege
By Choo Kah Ying
Those who have read my book, Five Little White Pills: My Journey from Manic Depression to Recovery, would know that Sebastien, my autistic son, and my challenging journey of raising him, was the impetus behind my recovery. Little would I know that, just two years after the book’s publication, Sebastien, in his throes of adolescence, would be pushing me to the precipice of insanity...
Initially, I had gamely sought to address his inappropriate behaviours with behavioural management strategies. While some behaviours improved, others went away only to return with no permanent end in sight. But what was even more challenging was the relentless onslaught of wave after wave of inappropriate behaviours. I had barely extinguished or regulated one behaviour before another, even more outlandish and socially unacceptable, materialised to take its place...
To read more, please go to: http://www.awakeningminds.com.sg/articles_sanity_under_siege.html
2. My friend, Roger, a fantastic massage therapist, is in town: Roger (from Australia) has done great massages on me and Sebastien, my autistic son. I have since recommended him to many caregivers and their children. With his loving and healing touch, as well as his willingness to share his knowledge with others, Roger is a tremendous resource. He will only in Singapore from May 12th to June 1st. If there is sufficient interest, he would also be able to conduct workshops on wellness techniques ($100 per person, up to 15 people). For more info, please go to www.janrog.com; or email him at rog@janrog.com.
3. Sebastien's challenging phase of adolescence has a silver lining: he is producing more diverse paintings. Check them out at this public link (you don't have to be a Facebook member to see them). For those who have seen this link, there are two additional paintings.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=350116&id=720254922&l=8020e60a5e
4. Highlights of my Website:
Books: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/books.html: my published books on autism, manic depression and a storywriting template and workbook.
Workshops (My proposed topics): http://www.awakeningminds.sg/workshops.html: my self-formulated workshops covering autism, caregiving, educational strategies, behavioural management and creative writing.
http://www.awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_workshops.html: my workshops on mental wellness and caregiving.
Workshops conducted: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/past_events.html: a comprehensive listing of all talks and workshops I have conducted.
Consultations: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/consultations.html, http://www.awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_consultations.html: my private, home-based consultations for families and institutions.
Learning Materials: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/learning_materials.html: Learning materials designed for children with learning difficulties.
Articles: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/articles.html: Articles on autism, special needs, mental wellness and parenting by me, as well as articles featuring me and Sebastien, written by journalists.
Please feel free to share this email with others who may be interested.
Regards,
Kah Ying
As I will be caught up with the preparations for a workshop on designing and implementing a differentiated lesson for students with autism in the coming weeks, I am sending you my latest article in this email update. Here are the highlights:
1. My article, "Sanity Under Siege": For those who have known of my challenges with Sebastien, my autistic adolescent son, I am grateful and pleased to say that we have emerged from our battles with tremendous love and appreciation for one another. With the pain and unhappiness of our conflict still fresh in our minds, we are cherishing one another in what I would consider a "honeymoon" phase. This nice breather has enabled me to compose this article that integrates the twin themes of my Website: mental wellness and autism. This article offers insight into the stress of raising an autistic adolescent; the importance of self-care strategies; and the constant reflections we should do on our parenting and caregiver approaches.
Sanity Under Siege
By Choo Kah Ying
Those who have read my book, Five Little White Pills: My Journey from Manic Depression to Recovery, would know that Sebastien, my autistic son, and my challenging journey of raising him, was the impetus behind my recovery. Little would I know that, just two years after the book’s publication, Sebastien, in his throes of adolescence, would be pushing me to the precipice of insanity...
Initially, I had gamely sought to address his inappropriate behaviours with behavioural management strategies. While some behaviours improved, others went away only to return with no permanent end in sight. But what was even more challenging was the relentless onslaught of wave after wave of inappropriate behaviours. I had barely extinguished or regulated one behaviour before another, even more outlandish and socially unacceptable, materialised to take its place...
To read more, please go to: http://www.awakeningminds.com.sg/articles_sanity_under_siege.html
2. My friend, Roger, a fantastic massage therapist, is in town: Roger (from Australia) has done great massages on me and Sebastien, my autistic son. I have since recommended him to many caregivers and their children. With his loving and healing touch, as well as his willingness to share his knowledge with others, Roger is a tremendous resource. He will only in Singapore from May 12th to June 1st. If there is sufficient interest, he would also be able to conduct workshops on wellness techniques ($100 per person, up to 15 people). For more info, please go to www.janrog.com; or email him at rog@janrog.com.
3. Sebastien's challenging phase of adolescence has a silver lining: he is producing more diverse paintings. Check them out at this public link (you don't have to be a Facebook member to see them). For those who have seen this link, there are two additional paintings.
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=350116&id=720254922&l=8020e60a5e
4. Highlights of my Website:
Books: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/books.html: my published books on autism, manic depression and a storywriting template and workbook.
Workshops (My proposed topics): http://www.awakeningminds.sg/workshops.html: my self-formulated workshops covering autism, caregiving, educational strategies, behavioural management and creative writing.
http://www.awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_workshops.html: my workshops on mental wellness and caregiving.
Workshops conducted: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/past_events.html: a comprehensive listing of all talks and workshops I have conducted.
Consultations: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/consultations.html, http://www.awakeningminds.sg/mental_wellness_consultations.html: my private, home-based consultations for families and institutions.
Learning Materials: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/learning_materials.html: Learning materials designed for children with learning difficulties.
Articles: http://www.awakeningminds.sg/articles.html: Articles on autism, special needs, mental wellness and parenting by me, as well as articles featuring me and Sebastien, written by journalists.
Please feel free to share this email with others who may be interested.
Regards,
Kah Ying
posted by Choo Kah Ying at
2:29 PM
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