Mark LeMessurier - FREE online evening workshops for carers, parents, support workers and educators

PLEASE Join meetings on ZOOM 5-10mins BEFORE 7pm

TOPIC 1 - Tuesday 21st April 7pm- 'STRATEGIC ideas to grow ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS and HABITS in young people.' - Done

TOPIC 2 - Tuesday 5th May 7pm - 'BRILLIANT little ideas to grow PERSEVERANCE IN KIDS' - DONE

TOPIC 3 - Tuesday 19th May 7pm 'THE ART OF MANAGING TRICKY BEHAVIOURS and EXTINGUISHING THEM' - DONE

Coming Up: TOPIC 4 - Tuesday 2nd June 7pm 'Let's get personal and place Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) into a healthy and real perspective.'

Come and meet my guests!

Welcome to a shared event where we all have something in common - Autism.  Yet, at the same time each of our Autism experiences are very different to one other’s. It is a distinctly different experience for every one of us.

During this workshop you will learn some facts about Autism, but this isn’t my goal. My goal is personal. It is to introduce you to four who have had a lived experience with Autism, in the hope you will be touched in a way, that facts alone can never touch people.

Firstly, each of us feel and think about our own version of Autism. This is because one child’s Autism does not present in the same way as another child’s Autism. Personality also plays a strong role, as does anxiety levels, sensory processing differences, emotional and social flexibility, intelligence, learning difficulties, capacity that permit quick, easy change or ‘to go with the flow,’ concentration, natural talents, interests and obsessions or the lack of them.

And secondly, are our own personal values about Autism count for a lot too. So? How you feel about Autism? I talk to a lot of parents about their feelings. Feelings that change over time and are often very personal.

Early in the journey there’s a temptation to subscribe to a ‘deficit model’ – a style of thinking that focuses on what’s missing and what interventions might ‘fix-up,’ ‘top-up’ or ‘cure’.

Over time, many of us shift our thinking from a ‘deficit model’, to a much healthier model where we see the young adult as a whole, healthy human being. We learn that time, maturation, some targeted skill building and human connectedness are the prime collaborators for growth. Sure, our children may still have Autistic differences, but we reach a point where we can embrace their differences, enjoy their quirkiness, find their strengths, expand on them and celebrate them! If we fail to see our children’s potentials, we shouldn’t be surprised when they can’t find their own. Let’s learn together and gain strength and resources from each other. This is a practical workshop set in the context of hope