1. Parent Forum

2. Purpose
Aimed at parents of children diagnosed on the ASD or ADHD Spectrum
To raise any concerns or issues that you have
To support each other
To share experiences

3. Advantages?
What are the advantages of having a child diagnosed with ADHD or ASD?

4. Difficulties?
What are the difficulties associated with having a child diagnosed with ASD or ADHD?

5. Dan Aykroyd
Dan Akroyd was expelled from two schools as a child for disruptive behaviour. He was given a diagnosis of Tourettes at the age of 12, but the Asperger’s diagnosis was not given until the early eighties when Aykroyd saw a specialist at his wife’s insistence. He states that two of his obsessions are with ghosts and policemen. The former obsession was his inspiration for the film Ghostbusters. A third Ghostbuster film is reportedly in the works.

6. Temple Grandin
Dr. Grandin didn't talk until she was three and a half years old, communicating her frustration instead by screaming, peeping, and humming. In 1950, she was diagnosed with autism and her parents were told she should be institutionalized. Dr. Grandin developed her talents into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer, one of very few in the world. She has now designed the facilities in which half the cattle are handled in the United States, consulting for firms such as Burger King, McDonald's, Swift, and others. Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is now the most accomplished and well-known adult with autism in the world.

8. Others Other famous people with ASD include: Tim Burton Daryl Hannah
Andy Warhol
Courtney Love
Mozart ?
Einstein ?
To name but a few!

9. Michael Phelps
Diagnosed with ADHD at age 9, Michael Phelps went on to become the most decorated Olympian of all time, swimming his way to a record-breaking 18 gold medals. According to his mother, Debbie Phelps, swimming helped her son manage his symptoms from a young age by keeping him focused and disciplined.

10. Tim Howard
Soccer star Tim Howard recently became a World Cup hero after breaking the record for the most saves in a match (16), but it was not an easy road to international stardom. At a young age, Howard began displaying strange behaviours that included rituals and rhythmic tapping. At age 11, he was diagnosed with ADHD, OCD, and Tourette’s syndrome. Though he still follows a ritualistic pattern in putting on his soccer gear, once he hits the field all his attention problems and compulsions melt away.

11. Others Other famous people with ADHD include: Richard Branson
Walt Disney
Will.i.am
Channing Tatum
Justin Timberlake
Michael Jordan
To name but a few!

12. Aspirations?
What are your short term and long term aspirations for your child?

13. Helpline
Autism Support Line
Mon – Fri / 1 – 4 pm

14. What would we like to get out of the next forum?
What next?
What would we like to get out of the next forum?