This episode originally aired on the Swinging Upside Down podcast on October 24, 2020.

October is ADHD Awareness Month, so to start things off, the podcast is revisiting a conversation between DPSS team leader and OT Cynthia Miller-Lautman and her husband Michael. Michael was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, he and Cynthia talk about growing up without a diagnosis, getting diagnosed and learning to face the challenges of adulthood with ADHD.

Weighted blankets, vests and stuffed animals have become incredibly popular in recent years. They can be incredible helpful for anyone who struggles with sensory regulation. You can buy weighted sensory products online and in many stores, but they should still be used with caution.

In 2008, a child with autism died while rolled in weighted blanket and left unsupervised. Since then, the provincial government of Québec has published a set guidelines and regulations regarding the use of weighted blankets at home and in school or healthcare settings.

In this episode, Cynthia Miller-Lautman (Occupational Therapist) goes through these guidelines and talks about how to use weighted products safely. You can also download the poster below to share with you colleagues and family, or print it and post it where it will be most helpful.

Have you ever wondered why someone behaves the way they do? Have you ever wondered what those behaviours are trying to communicate? Applied Behaviour Analysis Trevor Friesen helps us understand what those behaviours are trying to tell us and guides us towards what to do next. Watch this video to learn how this approach can be added to your toolbox.

In this episode, DPSS team member Trevor Friesen introduces us to Applied Behaviour Analysis (or ABA), and talks about some strategies for getting to the root cause of problem behaviours. Trevor also gives some suggestions about how to think about solutions for difficult behaviours.

As part of the DPSS training week in March 2021, Aimee-Elizabeth Parsons and Trevor Friesen did a session entitled “What is ADHD?”. That session was based on Episode 3, which you can watch here. In this episode, Aimee and Trevor tackle some of the questions that they were asked during and after their session.

Some of the topics Aimee and Trevor discuss are:

• Medication: how they work, benefits, side effects, and more
• Strategies to help with “explosive” emotions
• Melatonin and other strategies to help with sleep
• How to talk to your child about their diagnosis

Kids out of school getting you down? Is there chaos and a lack of schedule?

Social Stories (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

This is Part 3 of our series on Language Disorders and Development. In this episode, Cynthia and Dana answer some questions that were asked after their session on Language Development and Disorders in March 2021. You can watch the first two parts of this series here:

Episode 6: How Language Develops

Episode 7: How to Stimulate Early Language Skills

Some of the questions addressed in this episode are:

• The difference between a delay and a disorder
• The difference between language and communication
• Helping students with language problems
• When parents understand a child but others don’t
• Why to bother with a diagnosis if I think my child will grow out of it
• Heredity vs lack of stimulation
• What to do when strategies aren’t working
• Helping students who speak multiple languages

During the DPSS training week in March 2021, Cynthia and Bethany did a session on autism spectrum disorder. You can watch the videos from those sessions here: Let’s Talk About Autism Part 1 and Let’s Talk About Autism Part 2. There were so many good questions at the end of the session, that they couldn’t all be answered.

In this episode, Bethany and Cynthia take the time to answer some of the questions they couldn’t get to then.

Some of the questions and topics covered in this episode are:

• Is autism linked to drug use?
• Is having an older parent a cause of autism?
• Is autism the same as Asperger’s syndrome?
• How early can autism be detected?
• Encouraging hesitant parents to seek diagnosis for their child.
• Autism spectrum disorder and service animals.
• Helping families use visual schedules.
• Educating students about autism.
• What are some autistic people picky eaters?

Useful Information

MIRA: https://www.mira.ca/en/programs/guide-dog-kids-asd

Autism Spectrum Disorder Fact Sheet (PDF)

During Disability Programs Specialized Services Training Week in March 2021, the episode An Introduction to Disabilities (Episode 2) was played in a live session moderated by Sophie-Anne Scherrer, OT and Dana Lawlor, S-LP. Toward the end of the session, the audience were able to ask questions to Sophie-Anne and Dana.

In this episode, Sophie-Anne and Dana revisit their answers to some of the questions ask during the live event, and answer a few that they couldn’t get to then.

Some of the questions addressed in this episode are:

• What is a disability?
• Is addiction a disability?
• Can anxiety be a disability?
• What can I do if I think someone’s child has a disability, but the parents don’t recognize it?
• Is it possible to be diagnosed with a disability as an adult?

If you haven’t seen or listened to Episode 2, you should check it out first.

You can also listen to Cynthia Miller-Lautman’s conversation with her husband about his being diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder as an adult.

You can also download our Disabilities Fact Sheet (PDF).