2014 the year ahead!

It is good to see that with the foundation firmly in place with the Asperger Adult Group that we can look forward to a new year with great enthusiasm.  We have a lot of things planned as well as events.  Furthermore the group is getting big and maintains a good regular attendance.  However we need to also think about what we need to achieve.  Next year we have several events on which include 2 visits from Professor Tony Attwood and a presentation from one of our adults who will be presenting his own journey and experiences on Saturday 22nd February 2014.  For more information about attending this presentation please contact me via my website Garry Burge

Our meeting on Saturday 28th December 2013 went really well.  Adults enjoyed themselves and what was even better was that friendships were forged as well as people feeling connected and happy to belong.  This is what an Adult Group should all be about.  A group that allows adults a means of running events and activities. These activities also being assisted by others who have a desire to assist and make life much easier for Aspies.  We also welcomed Jeremy from The Space at Kenmore Jeremy has offered to assist us with our meetings and we welcome anyone willing to come a long and assist with outings.  My responsibilities for yesterday included the coordinating of the meeting and ensuring that everyone felt welcome.  Despite being a big task, I felt it was implemented very well and we all look forward to our next meeting on Saturday 11th January 2014



Adult Aspie Group Meeting at Walkabout Creek
 

On Saturday 22nd February 2014 we have Curtis undertaking his presentation. He will be talking about his own challenges and his journey of having Asperger Syndrome.  We are looking forward to this presentation and it should be very entertaining as well.



Curtis in Berlin



 

Seasons Greetings for 2014!



Adults Working Together

I have some important updates in which I wanted to share with others.  These updates being that the work of Ben Wilshire is going really well.  Ben is doing a great job in writing his blog and updating this blog with important information.  I keep in touch regularly with Ben via Facebook and Skype and more importantly, Ben keeps me informed with his Adult Group based in Orange, New South Wales Australia.  To keep informed with Ben's blog please visit the following link Ben's Aspie Blog  I hope to meet Ben in Orange next year if I can work out a way to get down to Orange which is not too strenuous.

In relation to the Adult Asperger Group, we had the pleasure of Dr Tony Attwood visit our group. I know Tony well, as he diagnosed me as having Asperger Syndrome in 1998, and over time I have kept in touch with him and he has assisted me with some of the needs I have as an adult.  Tony attended our last group meeting and he was able to talk with the other adults and share experiences.  Tony has offered to assist the group next year and thinks the group is doing a great job.  We therefore have both Tony's support and the fact that our group is run by adults on the Autism Spectrum.  Although we may still have a long way to go to reach the targets of employing Aspies, improving services and raising awareness, we are able to have a place for adults to connect. 

It is with great news also that one of our adults, Curtis Harrison in the group will be presenting his own personal journey and experiences of being on the Autism Spectrum next February.  Saturday 22nd February 2014 to be exact and this event should be great to attend.  What I need to stress is that the adults all work together and are encouraged to take on responsibility, delegation which can assist with greater cohesion.  For more information about next year's presentation in February please don't hesitate to get in touch with me via www.garryburge.com 

I have also been involved in trying to get The Lab to Brisbane.  The Lab is a means of providing adults on the Autism Spectrum with a means of using software and Information Technology. For more information about the Lab please visit  http://www.thelab.org.au/about  Brisbane City Council have come on board in offering to help make "The Lab" a reality in Brisbane and all we need now is for more action on the part of "The Lab" to make it happen.  So we need to keep our fingers very crossed! 

I often have Facebook messages and emails concerning adults who have been diagnosed or are wanting to be diagnosed. I would like to encourage anyone who may be wanting information to know that Minds and Hearts together with Dr Tony Attwood are running workshops at the University of Queensland for intervention and support. For more information Dr Tony Attwood can be contacted via his website www.tonyattwood.com.au  Some great progress happening there and hopefully for next year also here in Australia in finding ways to improve employment, bettering services and raising more awareness of Autism in adults.  

In the meantime I would like to wish everyone reading this blog Seasons Greetings and a happy and safe Christmas and New Year. 

Seasons Greetings

Garry Burge

www.garryburge.com