Let’s talk autism and puberty! *cringes* Yup... it’s that time in a mother’s life where she either tears up in joy, or tears up in fear!! I haven’t decided which one yet, but I’m very excited to be attending this workshop today as a volunteer for Vancouver Walk Now for Autism Speaks Walk Committee.

Special thanks to Anya Walsh, British Columbia’s Events Manager for Autism Speaks Canada, for the invite.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

This workshop is designed to give parents, caregivers, and professionals a foundation for teaching individuals with ASD and/or other special needs about sexuality. It will include information about the sexual development of children and the information they understand at various stages of their development.

The information is geared to moderate to high functioning individuals who are able to communicate through words and pictures including line drawings, magazine pictures and photographs. Joy Becker is a registered nurse, an experienced health educator and the mother of two sons with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Her dynamic presentations have encouraged very positive responses to this sensitive topic from Autism Community Training (ACT) audiences!

Workshop objectives are to:

• enhance basic knowledge by presenting factual information on human sexuality and related subjects with special emphasis on how the knowledge may be applied to individuals with ASD and other special needs
• be involved in the process of self-evaluation with regard to attitudes and feelings about sexuality in general and the sexuality of people with ASD. This is to build comfort in relating to colleagues, students, clients, and children realistically.
• stimulate thinking, share problems and suggest solutions that will prepare a base for your endeavours in sex education and counselling.
• provide an opportunity to develop skills in teaching and communicating with others about sexuality.
• provide information and resource materials with an evaluation of their authenticity and value.

About the Presenter:

Joy Becker is a nurse educator who draws on many years of experience in educating teenagers with special needs. She emphasizes the importance of parents as the primary sexuality educators of their children. In addition to speaking to numerous parent groups, she has delivered courses and workshops to students, teachers, social workers, nurses, and special needs individuals of various ages. Ms. Becker has two teenage sons on the autism spectrum and lives in Nanaimo.

For more information or to see upcoming events and workshops, please visit the ACT Community.

My dad would of been 59 years old today.

Every year on his birthday we drive out to his grave to remember him. I’m not sure if Bryce remembers him, as Bryce was 6 years old when my dad passed away, but this picture is hanging in his bedroom in his entry way to see it every time he goes to his room.

We celebrated my dads birthday going out to dinner to White Spot and I ordered the Original Beef Dipper, which completely reminds me of my dad, and we wash it down with a bottle of Kokanee, dads favourite beer.

I miss my dad everyday. He was a great person and amazing grandpa. We will always remember him.

Happy birthday, dad.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Bell will donate 5¢ more to mental health initiatives for every:

• Text message sent*
• Mobile and long distance call made*
• Tweet using #BellLetsTalk
• Facebook share their Bell Let’s Talk image

*By a Bell or Bell Aliant customer only. Regular long distance and text message charges apply.

Let’s end the stigma.

Talking is the first step towards meaningful change and building greater awareness, acceptance, and action.

BubblesMakeHimSmile.com is a proud supporter of this cause and encourage you to join the conversation!

Did you know?

• Every day, 500,000 Canadians miss work due to a form of mental illness. Mental Health Commission of Canada
• Only 49% of Canadians said they would socialize with a friend who has a serious mental illness. Canadian Medical Association
• 2 in 3 people suffer in silence fearing judgment and rejection. Canadian Medical Association
• Suicide accounts for 24% of all deaths among 15-24 year-olds and 16% among 25-44 year-olds. CMHA
• At this very moment, some 3 million Canadians are suffering from depression. CMHA
• Mood and anxiety disorders impact an estimated 22% of the Canadian population. CMHA
• Adults with severe mental health problems and illnesses die up to 25 years earlier than adults in the general population. Canadian Journal of Psychiatry
• 1 in 5 Canadians will experience a form of mental illness at some point in their life. Canadian Institute of Health Research

Let’s talk.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Tonight I had the privilege of sharing my story at the YVR Bloggers Meetup. I was so nervous speaking to the group but everyone was so great and supportive it made me smile.

[VIDEO] Sharing my story at the YVR Bloggers Meetup

Everyone was very supportive and compassionate.

One of the most inspirational moments of tonight’s YVR Bloggers Meetup was hearing Tanaya from Bubbles Make Him Smile share about how she raises money to support her son Bryce who has autism. All of our bloggers had tears in their eyes hearing Tanaya’s passion for her son!!

Make sure you support Tanaya’s mission by following her blog and buying a bubble gun at: https://www.bubblesmakehimsmile.com/

- Ricky Shetty, DaddyBlogger.com

I’d like to thank Ricky Shetty from DaddyBlogger.com for giving us a sponsor table at the meetup to sell our bubble blowers and an opportunity to speak at the event and talk about BubblesMakeHimSmile.com

Special thanks to everyone at YVR Bloggers for your continued support! We really appreciate it.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

YVR Bloggers is a passionate community of bloggers based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information please visit: http://www.YVRBloggers.com

I’m excited to announce that I’ll be at the first YVR Bloggers Meetup of 2014 with Bryce sharing our story!

I’d like to give a huge shout out and big thanks to Ricky Shetty of DaddyBlogger.com for giving us a sponsor table at the meetup to sell our bubble blowers and an opportunity to speak at the event and talk about BubblesMakeHimSmile.com.

This sold out event will be held on Thursday, January 16th, 2014 from 6pm-9pm at Strut Studios in Downtown Vancouver with special guest speaker Janice Croze from 5 Minutes For Mom talking about “How to Monetize Your Blog.” Janice will discuss how she has built a profitable business through her blog and share some strategies of how bloggers can build their brand and make money blogging.

I am very excited and nervous as I’ve never spoken at an event before. Can’t wait! Wish me luck!

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

YVR Bloggers is a passionate community of bloggers based out of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. For more information please visit: http://www.YVRBloggers.com

Last night my boyfriend was out with some friends at a McDonalds and recognized one of Bryce’s friends from school who has autism that was behind the counter with some staff members and police officers. He called me and let me know that Bryce’s friend was there by himself. He had wandered.

I woke up Bryce and drove down and arrived to find six police cars in the parking lot. As I was walking into the restaurant I overheard two girls who were coming out mentioning that their was a little boy with the police. My heart just sank. None of this felt real. You read about this kind of stuff all the time and never think of it hitting home.

I spoke with a cashier attendant at the counter and asked if they had a little boy there and told them that I may know him and if I could help in any way. They told me the police were with him in the back and I asked to see him to confirm if it was Bryce’s friend. I walked into the back. It was him.

He was sitting at a table drawing on a notepad that a police officer gave him who was trying to get information from him but he wasn’t very responsive and didn’t give his name. I was able to provide the police with his first name and the school that he went to and informed them that he had autism. Unfortunately I didn’t know his last name or any contact information so I called my sons SEA who worked with him occausionally to see if she had any information that could help. While I was on the phone with her, the police used the information I provided and contacted the school’s principal who was able to provide the address and phone numbers for his family. We stayed with him until his parents arrived and within the hour of us arriving he was reunited with his family. I gave his mom a hug and she started to cry. We said our goodbye’s and headed home.

The next day the boys mom called me thanking me. I couldn’t take all the credit and told her what had happened. How my boyfriend just happened to be in the right place at the right time. I like to think that he is a hero as he had only met Bryce’s friend once and was able to recognize him and call me. Prior to me showing up, the police had no leads or any information, not even his name.

I don’t even want to think how long it could of taken the police to find out who he was, or being that it was the middle of the night, how long until his parents would have noticed he was gone. She told me that this had never happened before and that scared me. It really can happen to anyone.

When I arrived, one of the first questions I asked the police officers was if he had any type of information on him like a name written on his clothing tag or an identification card in his coat pocket. They said that was the first thing they checked when they realized he wasn’t able to communicate. I thought about it after thinking that it may be dangerous having your child’s name or contact information on them just incase that got into the wrong hands, but after doing some research, it seems pretty common, especially for children with a history of wandering. It’s definitely something I am considering to ensure my little guys safety.

If you’d like to learn more about wandering prevention, precautions, child safety products, and resources please visit AWAARE Collaboration (Autism Wandering Awareness Alerts Response Education). AWAARE is a working group of six national non-profit autism organizations whose mission is to prevent autism-related wandering incidents and deaths.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya

Daniel and I are getting a divorce. We’ve had some unsolvable problems for over a year now and decided it was best to go our separate ways. We both are very happy since breaking up and before you even ask, no, it had nothing to do with Bryce and no, we’re not one of those statistics of divorces over autism. This all happened a while ago but I wanted to share our new life as my first post in the New Year.

We both have moved on with our lives and are in relationships. Like I said, we both are very happy since breaking up. So I guess this is a good time to introduce my boyfriend, Alex.

I wasn’t looking for him, he just sort of happened. He makes me very happy and more importantly is great with Bryce. He’s perfect for me and I’m so glad he’s in my life.

So here’s to new beginnings and happily ever after endings! Happy New Year everyone!

Please continue to follow my blog as I share my life with you and my experiences as a person who loves someone with autism.

Thanks for reading,
Tanaya