Throughout April & May, £5 from every order placed with The Design Division UK Ltd will be donated to The Violet Reynolds Son~Rise Programme.
The Son-Rise Programme is a powerful, effective and totally unique treatment for children and adults challenged by Autism, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), Asperges Syndrome and other developmental difficulties.
The Son-Rise Programme was created by authors/teachers Barry ("Bears") Neil Kaufman and Samahria Lyte Kaufman when their son, Raun, was diagnosed as severely and incurably autistic.
Although advised to institutionalize him because of his "hopeless, lifelong condition," the Kaufmans instead designed an innovative home-based, child-centered program in an attempt to reach their little boy.
The Kaufmans' unique program, which marked a complete departure from existing methods of treatment, transformed Raun from a mute, withdrawn child with an IQ of less than 30 into a highly verbal, socially interactive youngster with a near-genius IQ.
Bearing no traces of his former condition, Raun graduated from an Ivy League university and went on to become the director of an educational center for school-aged children. He currently teaches families and individuals at the Autism Treatment Center of America™.
For nearly 2 decades, the Kaufmans and their dedicated, highly trained staff have been helping thousands of parents and professionals from around the world reach children previously considered "unreachable."
Individuals from 66 different countries on 6 continents have attended programs at the Autism Treatment Center of America™ in Massachusetts and at our various international outreach programs.
The centre offers The Son-Rise Programme sequence to both parents and professionals. The sequence consists of one foundation course and two advanced training courses. These three programmes offer intensive training that allow participants to either create full or part time home-based programmes.For additional information please visit www.autismtreatementcenter.org
What is Autism?
Autism is a lifelong developmental disability. It is part of the autism spectrum and is sometimes referred to as an autism spectrum disorder, or an ASD.
The three main areas of difficulty which all people with autism share are sometimes known as the 'triad of impairments'. They are:
Difficulty with social communication
"For people with autistic spectrum disorders, 'body language' can appear just as foreign as if people were speaking ancient Greek."
People with autism have difficulties with both verbal and non-verbal language. Many have a very literal understanding of language, and think people always mean exactly what they say. The use of jokes and sarcasm can be very difficult for them to understand or use.
Some people with autism may not speak, or have fairly limited speech. They will usually understand what other people say to them, but prefer to use alternative means of communication themselves, such as sign language or visual symbols.
Difficulty with social interaction
"Socialising doesn't come naturally - we have to learn it."
People with autism often have difficulty recognising or understanding other people's emotions and feelings, and expressing their own, which can make it more difficult for them to fit in socially.
Difficulty with social imagination
"We have trouble working out what other people know. We have more difficulty guessing what other people are thinking."
Social imagination allows us to understand and predict other people's behaviour, make sense of abstract ideas, and to imagine situations outside our immediate daily routine. Difficulties with social imagination mean that people with autism find it hard to:
• Understand the concept of danger.
• Engage in imaginative play and activities
• Prepare for change and plan for the future
• Cope in new or unfamiliar situations.
Difficulties with social imagination should not be confused with a lack of imagination. Many people with autism are very creative and may be, for example, accomplished artists, musicians or writers.
Other related characteristics
Love of routines, Sensory sensitivity, Special interests and Learning disabilities.
