Family Support Services for 2008

Family Support Group Meetings

Support groups are a way for parents to meet with others who share similar experiences. They enable you to keep up with what is happening, not only within the AQ but also within the Autism world in general.

Throughout the year there will be meetings aimed at supporting each other whilst at other meetings there will be guest speakers or specific issues which will be discussed. Anyone who is interested is invited to join us at this meeting. Each person is asked to bring a small plate of food to share for morning tea or supper. Tea and coffee will be provided. It would be great to see you there.

If you have any topics, guest speakers you would like to hear could you contact a member of the Family Support Team and attempts will be made to incorporate these requests into the program.

It is important to be involved in this area and we hope that all parents who are able will attend these meetings.

Brighton Family Support Group

All meetings will be held at the Brighton Therapy Centre in North Rd. unless otherwise advised.
Brighton PSGs are now on MONDAYS

Sunnybank Hills Family Support Group

PLEASE NOTE. All meetings will be held at 333 JACKSON RD, SUNNYBANK HILLS unless otherwise advised.

Parents of Adults with ASD Support Group

All meetings will be held in the Adult Services building located in 333 Jackson Rd. Sunnybank Hills unless otherwise advised. Meetings are held on a Tuesday. Dates and times are listed below.

Sibling Groups

Sibling Groups are run as part of the normal programming of the Family Support Team. To be accepted into the program children need to be the siblings of current clients.

The aim of the program is to allow the siblings to meet with other children who have a sibling with ASD. We believe that this helps to alleviate the sibling’s sense of isolation and allows the children to discuss their feelings and any issues that may be of relevance to them in a non-threatening and non-judgmental environment.General issues regarding ASD are discussed as are issues such as anger, self esteem and stress management.

Included in all this are fun activities, afternoon tea and informal break times so that friendships can develop. There have been some changes to our sibling group program this year. We will have two groups running concurrently. The Younger Sibling Group is really designed for children who are fairly confident in their knowledge of ASD. Informal information will still be available, however this group is designed to meet the needs of young people wanting a fun afternoon out. There will be plenty of time for play, craft and sharing experiences.

Our new program is based on the well researched “Friends for Life” program. The aim of this program is to assist children and youth to learn important life-long skills to learn to cope effectively with stress and anxiety. This is an exciting new program, we look forward to presenting it during 2008.

YOUNGER SIBLING GROUP

Sibling Groups are now run on Thursdays. These are open to all siblings between the ages of 6 and 12 who have a sibling with ASD and whose family are members of Autism Queensland. Sibling Groups are run at the Sunnybank Hills and Brighton Therapy Centres.

TEENAGE SIBLING GROUP

Open to young people between the ages of 12 – 17 who have a brother or sister of any age with ASD, and whose families are current financial members of the AAQ. There is one day meeting during each school holidays. The teenagers go on an outing and have time to enjoy themselves and also to discuss any issues which may be occurring within the family regarding their sibling with ASD.

The purpose of the group is to provide a safe, supportive environment for young people to discuss and explore issues relating to their sibling with ASD, and also to participate in fun activities with their peers. Parents are asked to meet the cost of any outings or activities for their child.

Tentative times for these meetings have been set as
April 9th
July 9th
September 24th
December 18th

If you have a teenager who may be interested in participating could you pleases contact a member of the Family Support Team on 3273 0000

New - Friends Program

Friends program aims to increase emotional resilience, problem-solving abilities and coping skills in all young people. This program is open to 14-17 year olds.

Parents Programs

Parents Programs are run at both the Sunnybank Hills and Brighton Therapy Centres. The name of the parenting program is “Care for Caring Parents” and it is directed towards parents who are also carers.

Many of the issues relevant to our parents are brought up as part of the program. “Care for Caring Parents is written to encourage parents, regardless of their child’s disability, to make full use of the areas of support and to build on their existing strengths.”

General discussion of various issues is part of the program as is information-giving on such issues as stress, family relationships etc. The program runs for approximately 9 sessions of around 2 to 2 ½ hours each. If you would like to participate in a program it is important that, as far as possible, a commitment is made to attend most of the sessions. The courses are open to all members of Autism Queensland.

Adult Rec Group

This group for young adults with ASD will continue to meet on a fortnightly basis. Activities include various outings to a range of venues appropriate to the group as well as regular meetings at the adult house. The group usually meets at 6.30pm and goes to around 8.30pm but thus may change depending on the activity. For further information on this service please contact Jean Luc on 3273 0000.

Camps

There are a number of camps run throughout the year. These camps commence of a Friday afternoon and finish Sunday afternoons. The pick up points for our buses are the Brighton and Sunnybank Hills Therapy Centres’.

These camps are:

• Teenage Sibling camp
  This year the camp will be held from Friday 2nd May until Sunday 4th May
• Younger sibling camp
  for 8 to 12 year olds. This camp will be held from Friday 29th August until Sunday 31st August
• Mothers Time Out camps.
  23rd – 25th May 31st Oct – 2nd November

COMING TO A VENUE NEAR YOU… “WHAT ABOUT THE DADS”
Relax and unwind with other blokes who have ASD kids. Dates to be decided.

The camps are staffed by Autism Queensland Employees.

New - Play groups

Are you a member of Autism Queensland? Do you have pre-school age children with ASD who you would like to go to playgroup? Playgroups are a great way to meet people with similar-age children, find support and understanding, and have a fun morning out where your children are accepted exactly for who they are. Children learn valuable social skills in a play environment. We are starting playgroup at “Birralee”, 331 Jackson Rd Sunnybank Hills.

Group numbers will be strictly limited, so register your interest early.

Playgroup runs from 9.30 – 11.30am on the following dates.

For further information on the above services contact the Family Support Service on 3273 0000