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I wanted to take a moment to address something ive observed in our social groups over the years. Spectrum Insights goal is to create social events to help ASD youth get out into the world, make friends, learn how to be social and develop life skills to become more independent. Our socials are not always easy nor whizz bang fun, some are meant to be challenging. We are helping your child to get out of their comfort zone and gain new life experiences. We get that that there is a level of anxiety and fear of trying new things. That is why, Julie, Alex and John are there, to support your child, make the experience not only fun but to help them develop the confidence to do it on their own one day. Whether that future experience is calling a new friend to go to Level One for video games or learning how to take the bus to school/work/university etc. We also show you locations where ASD youth will get the best service, where staff has the patience for them and service is excellent. Goodlife fitness is one of those places. Jennifer Drummond at Goodlife has made amazing accommodations for our Social Groups. Not only do we get in w/ just a donation that supports kids w/ special needs, but we have 2 fabulous personal trainers. This is an amazing opportunity for your child to have a private group lesson on how to use the gym equipment and learn correct technique. Sadly....We had an incredibly poor turnout this year for our just For Girls group. Also, our adult group has had many cancellations for the event on Saturday Nov 23. Ive even heard grumbling from our TAO HOP group for its visit in 2020. This business is opening its doors to your ASD child that they may have a positive experience and showing the world that accommodations can be made for kids w/ special needs. We should not be keeping our kids home when opportunities like this arise, but make our best effort to support our children and the business's that supports them!! When the next event comes up and you experience some resistance or anxiety, that's ok, its part of the process of learning to adapt to new situations. Keeping your child at home teaches them how to avoid situations that make them uncomfortable instead of learning how to adapt w/ the proper support and care they need. My intention is not to be overly blunt, insensitive or disrespectful to you as parents or caregivers. I recognize you have an incredible role to play in your childs life and your life is often insanely busy. I merely want to remind you that there are fantastic opportunities out there for your child and when possible, take full advantage of them when they appear. So many business's have been supportive to Spectrum Insights over the years, this means supportive of your child and their individual needs. When we attend an event in Ottawa, we are showing the world what our kids of capable of!! W/ Love and respect, John W Anderson Our workshop with Dr Shafai was fantastic! We had a great turnout, 30 people! Dr Shafai gave an informative talk on Autism and current research, there was a lot of enthusiastic talk and questions at the end. Thank you Dr Shafai!!! If you missed it, we hope to have her back in Ottawa soon. We have a date and location for our talk with Dr. Fakhri Shafai!!
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