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Parenting is a rewarding journey, but it can also be incredibly demanding. Amidst the hustle and bustle, it's crucial to take time for self-care. Here are five essential tips to help you stay connected to yourself and maintain your sanity: Prioritise "Me Time" : Carve out a few minutes each day just for yourself. Whether it's enjoying a cuppa, reading a book, or simply sitting in silence, these moments can recharge your batteries. Stay Active: Physical activity is a great stress reliever. Find an exercise routine that you enjoy, whether it's a brisk walk, yoga, or a dance class. Regular movement can boost your mood and energy levels. Connect with Others: Don't isolate yourself. Reach out to mates, family, or support groups. Sharing your experiences and hearing others' stories can provide comfort and perspective. Practise Mindfulness: Incorporate mindfulness techniques into your daily routine. Simple practices like deep breathing, meditation, or journaling can help you stay grounded and present. Set Boundaries: It's okay to say no. Establish clear boundaries to protect your time and energy. Communicate your needs to your family and ensure you have space to recharge. Remember, taking care of yourself isn't selfish—it's essential. By prioritising your well-being, you'll be better equipped to care for your loved ones.  Make self-care a non-negotiable part of your routine and watch how it positively impacts your life and those around you.

At helpz, our behaviour support practitioners are increasingly adopting Dr. Ross Greene's Collaborative and Proactive Solutions (CPS) approach to enhance the quality of life for NDIS clients . CPS is an evidence-based model that focuses on solving the underlying problems causing challenging behaviours rather than merely addressing the behaviours themselves. The CPS approach aligns seamlessly with Positive Behaviour Support (PBS) , a cornerstone of the NDIS framework . PBS is a person-centred approach that aims to improve an individual's quality of life by understanding the reasons behind their behaviour and addressing their needs in a respectful and supportive manner. By integrating CPS, helpz practitioners can proactively identify and solve problems collaboratively with clients, fostering a non-punitive and non-adversarial environment. CPS involves three key steps: identifying lagging skills and unsolved problems, prioritising problems to be solved, and engaging in collaborative problem-solving discussions This method not only reduces challenging behaviours but also builds essential skills such as empathy, communication, and problem-solving. For NDIS clients , this means a more tailored and effective support plan that respects their dignity and promotes their autonomy. By utilising CPS within the PBS framework, helpz practitioners are better equipped to create positive, lasting changes in the lives of NDIS client s . This approach not only addresses immediate behavioural concerns but also empowers clients to develop the skills they need to thrive in their communities. For more information on our behaviour support services, please c ontact us .

Hello everyone, Tharon here, your neurodivergent consultant. Today, I’d like to discuss the benefits of martial arts, particularly for neurodivergent individuals. While martial arts can be advantageous for everyone, it offers unique benefits for those of us who are neurodivergent. Firstly, let’s consider the health benefits. Martial arts is an excellent form of exercise. Beyond physical fitness, it helps improve clumsiness and balance, which is crucial for many of us. For instance, activities like touching your nose with your eyes closed involve proprioception and kinesthesia (something that autistic people may find difficult), and martial arts can significantly enhance these skills. A fundamental aspect of martial arts is learning balance. Proper standing techniques ensure good balance and that you remain stable. Additionally, martial arts heightens your awareness of your surroundings, enhancing situational awareness enabling you to respond to potential threats faster and more efficiently. This skill is invaluable in everyday life, not just in the dojo. Now, let’s delve into internal self-regulation. Martial arts is particularly beneficial in this regard. It instills discipline and heightens body awareness. You become more attuned to interoception, which is understanding your body’s internal signals. Basic patterns or katas in Taekwondo or Karate help you focus on your breathing and movements. Performing these slowly helps you centre yourself, calm down, and manage your emotions. This mindful movement, or moving meditation, is an effective way to handle anxiety and can be practised anywhere when feeling overwhelmed. For me, it’s about recognising when my mind is racing. Breathing and movement act as catalysts to slow it down. By slowing your breathing, you slow your heartbeat, and this helps you manage your anxiety. This aids in daily activities and provides a sense of control over your environment. Martial arts encompasses various disciplines, including Karate, Taekwondo, and Kung Fu. Eastern martial arts are particularly effective for teaching regulation skills. Parents should participate with their children, attending classes together and practising at home. This not only strengthens the parent-child bond but also helps instill morality and boundaries. Martial arts can reduce the propensity for violence by teaching self-control and self-awareness. Sometimes, the only self-control we have is pausing long enough to move to a safer environment. While it doesn’t guarantee stopping a meltdown, it certainly helps. There is always a risk of martial arts being misused, however this is not unique to autistic children. Martial arts tends to reinforce an autistic person’s natural inclination for justice, honesty and fairness through strong boundaries. Teaching children the proper use of martial arts techniques is an important part of the sport, and this is something that the instructor and parents will do. Martial arts teaches self-defence against bullies. As a child, I was bullied at school, leading to meltdowns and aggressive outbursts. Learning martial arts gave me the confidence to know I was in control. I could defend myself or choose to walk away, which I did. Resorting to violence means you’ve already lost, but being able to protect yourself and others, including those who can’t protect themselves, is crucial. Parents, it’s important to disclose your child’s diagnosis to the instructor. This helps them better prepare and support your child during class. Accommodations might include breaks in a separate area or having parents involved in the lesson. Dance, especially ballet, and gymnastics can also help achieve similar goals to martial arts. Combining these activities with martial arts is highly compatible and supports all the benefits mentioned. Some centres allow children as young as three to attend, so it’s never too early to start. In summary, martial arts offers a wide range of benefits for physical and mental health, and self-regulation. It provides us with skills we might not naturally possess and helps us navigate the world more effectively. Give it a try – it might just be the best decision you make! Best regards, Tharon

Recently, our Senior Behaviour Support Practitioner, Monica Cachia, had the immense pleasure of celebrating Mark Thompson's 61st birthday with him, a milestone that is truly special. Mark, who has Angelman's syndrome*, is reportedly the oldest person in Australia with this condition and has been showcased on the news broadcast, ‘60 Minutes’ in the past. His journey and achievements are nothing short of inspiring. When celebrating Mark's life on his birthday, we reflect on the variety of activities that bring him joy and fulfillment each day. He shares a close bond with his sister, Skye, and whether they are watching hockey or enjoying a day at the beach, their time together is always cherished. Mark also has a passion for woodwork, bush walks, massage, swimming, and going on picnics. His love for music is another significant aspect of his life. He has engaged in Music Therapy sessions with our Music Therapist, Christopher Hills, which have been a source of great enjoyment and relaxation for him. If you see Mark in the community, you can bet he is heading off to one of his favourite venues to watch movies, go shopping, visit parks and beaches, attend a live show, or go bowling. His enthusiasm for life is evident in everything he does. Last year, Mark had the exciting experience of participating in the National Bowling Competition in Canberra, which he thoroughly enjoyed. His love for bowling is just one of the many ways he stays active and connected with others. Mark Thompson's 61st birthday was not just a celebration of his life so far but also a testament to his resilience, enthusiasm, and the love he shares with his community. Here's to many more years of happiness and adventures for Mark!  Happy Birthday, Mark! 🎉🎂 *Angelman's syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects the nervous system. It is caused by changes in the UBE3A gene on chromosome 15, leading to developmental delays, intellectual disabilities, speech impairments, and movement and balance issues. Despite these challenges, individuals with Angelman's syndrome often have a happy demeanor and a strong interest in social interactions.

At helpz, we believe that engaging with individuals who have lived experiences of disability is essential for creating inclusive and effective support services. We are proud to introduce Tharon, our new Neurodivergent Consultant, who brings invaluable insights and knowledge to our team. Tharon will be contributing to our monthly newsletter, sharing his perspectives on various topics, as well as developing his own course on understanding autism. With his wealth of knowledge and personal experience, Tharon plays a pivotal role in guiding our efforts to be more neuroaffirming. Join us as we delve into an insightful interview with Tharon, exploring his vision for enhancing the lives of neurodivergent people. Q: Hi Tharon, thank you for joining me today. We are excited to introduce you to our network and would love for them to get to know you. Let’s talk about you! Where are you from and what are your interests? I live in the “silver city” (Broken Hill) – I love Broken Hill, even when I am not living here my heart is always there. Broken Hill has a few claims to fame, one is that it was home to the artist Kevin Charles “Pro” Hart. When I left Broken Hill briefly as a child, “Pro” Hart gave each of my family members a New Testament bible with a hand-painted picture on the back of it. I still have mine, it is a cherished possession. I am a late-diagnosed autistic at 25 years old, now 40 years old. I am single (and looking). I am an avid reader – The Wheel of Time series, by Robert Jordan, is my absolute favourite. I will read anything and everything – I once read the dictionary backwards for fun - I am kidding, I did it more than once. I have aspirations in breeding birds. I absolutely love birds and flying things – ask me about the Battle of Midway! I also love Doctor Who, Star Wars (before Disney got involved), sci-f i in general, and games like chess, Monopoly, Dungeons and Dragons, and other TTRPGs, Ace Combat, Kingdom Hearts, Sid Meier's Civilisations, and War of Thunder, just to name a few. Q: What brought you to this position and what are your goals? I was running out of NDIS funding and completing assessments when I met Danny Burgess as a behaviour support practitioner. Before I had the help of therapists, I had already researched everything. Danny asked me, “ What can we do for you?” I told him that I had already done all the research and was doing all the things already. From there, after he heard my knowledge and advocacy skills, Danny offered me a job. Danny employed me to create a training program to help others understand Autism from the inside perspective, which is a work in progress, and we hope to have the first component available in the next month or so. I want to start developing peer support groups for people with ASD to help them understand themselves and help people avoid the mistakes I made. Q: What does being neuroaffirming mean to you, and why is it important for disability organisations? Neuroaffirming to me means treating me like everyone else, but having consideration that I am not like everyone else. We are often treated with casual cruelty – comments like “suck it up” or “everyone does that.” So many of us mask our autism because we feel that we cannot be ourselves around others. We are not masking for us; it is painful and stressful for us; we are masking for you so that you are comfortable around us. Being neuroaffirming is about acceptance and letting people be who they are, without treating us differently or lesser. We are not broken; we are different. Living in a world that you are not built for is traumatic. Neuroaffirming is about being kind and understanding. We know that some things we do are not acceptable, but we need to know why and how to do it differently, and sometimes we need this explained to us 10-15 times before we get it, and sometimes we will never get it. Q: What are some common misconceptions about neurodivergence that you encounter, and how do you address them? “We are not empathetic” – This is not true. We have empathy; we often do not know how to communicate that we care and are worried for you. We also often do not have control over our facial expressions and tone of voice. People misconstrue this as having no empathy, but it’s simply false. “We are giving you a hard time” – Nope! We are just having a hard time. We might not know or understand the situation and need your help to understand it. If we are annoying you, say something. It does not need to be in the moment; it can be later on. We often do not realise we do something that makes you upset. Try to look at things f rom our perspective. Parents will bond so much better if they can draw themselves into their child’s world “Autistics are all super smart” – We have the same spectrum of intelligence as neurotypical people. Q: Is there anything else you would like to share about your vision for enhancing neuroaffirmation at helpz? Neuroaffirmation is not a term I would use, but it is about being kind to one another, accepting each other for who they are, and understanding the ‘why’ of actions. I don’t really care about the term 'neuro-affirming', it doesn’t really cross my mind, what I do care about is helping people understand each other so people can treat each other with kindness and consideration - just treat us like everyone else without forcing us to do something we aren’t ready for, or can’t do. If I could sum it up in one phrase it would be - be the person we feel safe enough to unmask in f ront of. My goal is to help autistics understand themselves better, and for neurotypicals to understand autistics better.

Interim restrictive practice approvals in NSW: What Supported Independent Living (SIL) providers need to know!

At helpz, we know that providing high-quality behaviour support starts with confident, well-equipped practitioners. That’s why we created the Behaviour Support Development Program (BSDP) —our very own training and mentorship pathway designed to help new practitioners build the skills they need to succeed. Since launching in 2022, our program has supported over 100 practitioners to step into the field with the practical knowledge, experience, and confidence to provide meaningful support to people with disabilities. And we’re proud to say that number is growing every year! How It Works The BSDP is delivered entirely online and starts with a series of seven interactive webinars , giving practitioners a strong foundation in behaviour support. From there, participants can opt into an 8-week mentorship program , where they work alongside our experienced clinicians to apply their learning in real-world scenarios. Throughout the program, we guide practitioners every step of the way, helping them: ✅ Write and refine behaviour support plans ✅ Develop effective data collection strategies ✅ Complete assessments with confidence ✅ Prepare training and implementation programs, including those involving restrictive practices At the end of the self-paced journey , each practitioner undergoes a comprehensive review of their self-assessment and previous experience. Based on this, they may be endorsed as Core or Developing Core , setting them up for success as they take on their first caseload. What Our Practitioners Say Many of our past participants have shared how the BSDP gave them the confidence and skills to thrive in their roles. Courtney Pettingill , a recent BSDP graduate, said: "I was initially anxious about completing the BSDP… but the activities made learning easy, and my nerves quickly faded thanks to the incredible support from the Helpz team and my clinical supervisor. Now, I feel confident delivering behaviour support services." Looking Ahead to 2025 We’re excited to continue growing our BSDP in 2025, welcoming even more passionate practitioners who want to make a real impact in the disability sector. If you’re looking for a supportive, hands-on program to kick-start your behaviour support career, we’d love to welcome you to helpz! Find out more about our program here .

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