Autism Poem ~ Rainbows in a row By Erik Estabrook

This poem was inspired by the Autism Rainbow Day - Global Awareness Campaign

I am lucky

I see rainbows,

you are lucky to have seen one

Autism Rainbow Day - Friday 1st April 2011

but'  I see rainbows in a row

this one has a pattern that shines magenta bright,

the next one has colors lemon yellow,

they shine for understanding,

they shine for love

they shine with a glow that brightens over the sun

what's extra special is these rainbows can care

they just need you to learn

 listen and be aware

we are shining brightly because one may always show,

just open your heart

feel your spark,

and let your rainbow glow!

by Erik Estabrook

Erik Estabrook

Erik Estabrook biography (published on www.naturallyautistic.com)

Erik Estabrook is autistic and a young aspiring poet that writes for purity, purity of expression and the value of life. He is joyful about the fact that he has an international audience and isn’t just writing to himself. His best expressions are yet to come, even after being published over 60 times, and having authored 5 published poetry books.

Erik Estabrook, Poet & contributing writer Naturally Autistic International online newsletter

Erik wants to add a beautiful touch to the world, poetry is his way of fixing the planets’ problems. He enjoys community advocacy and volunteering. Writing has provided a window to his own soul and increased his relationship with God.  In the future with his writing he hopes to touch lives and increase autism awareness.

Erik is self-taught and not afraid to try any poetry form.  He had found the cinquain and villanelle to be 2 of his favorite forms.  In his words, “They allow an entirely new perspective and should be respected because they make poetry even more diverse.  When you get one right there’s no feeling like it. Getting one right to me means you add your way to the form.”

When asked what he enjoys most he says, “… a peaceful life with my family and volunteering brings me peace of mind with time to help others.”

You can learn more about Erik Estabrook by visiting his website at:http://www.erikestabrook.com/

You can read about Erik’s journey as a young emerging and very talented poet in the Premiere Issue of Naturally Autistic magazine – Fall 2010.www.naturallyautistic.com

Autism Rainbow Day (TM) - Join our cause!

Friday 1st April 2011

Rainbowland Autism Services Featured at Learn to be Buddies

This blog post was first published at www.learn2bebuddies.blogspot.com

Guest post by Allison Dix from Rainbowland Autism Services....

Our Family...


Our three children were all diagnosed as having an autism spectrum disorder in July 2007. Kristie, who was 8 at the time, was diagnosed with a Asperger’s Syndrome. Our twin sons, Jacob and Aaron, were diagnosed with autism one week shy of their 3rd birthday.

Rainbow Play Time

Shortly following the diagnosis, Shane and I vowed to help support families through the whole process as we intently believed that it didn’t have to be as difficult for others as it was for us. This vow lead to the inception of our family support group, Rainbowland Play Time in March 2009. With a focus on family inclusion and support, this group runs once a month on a Sunday, has no age limits and welcomes the entire family and their support networks to attend for a gold coin donation.


Rainbowland Play Time has been a gift not just to the families who attend, but to our family. We have made some wonderful friends and been witness to some fabulous milestones experienced by the children and their families. My favourite moments have been when children ride a bike for the first time at Play Time. The delight on the face of the child and their parents is so precious and makes it all so worthwhile.

Into the political arena...

Shane & I were fortunate enough to be selected for a meeting with the Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, at the Federal Cabinet Meeting & Public Forum held on 28th July 2009. We raised issues pertaining to the inaccessibility of the newly implemented early intervention funding from the Helping Children with Autism initiative, the crisis and inequities for children with autism within the education systems around the country and the struggles faced by families. To our surprise, we were also granted an impromptu meeting with the Parliamentary Secretary for Disabilities and Children Services, Bill Shorten.

Rainbowland Autism Services...

Rainbowland Autism Services Inc. was incorporated in November 2009 and granted charity status. A board, comprising of 6 members was established. The incorporation of the organisation will ensure much greater opportunities for the families it supports.

Autism Rainbow Day...

After a family discussion in the kitchen regarding the lack of autism awareness within the community and how more awareness would greatly benefit families and society at large, Autism Rainbow Day was born. On 30th April this year, the inaugural Autism Rainbow Day was held, with 15,000 international members on the dedicated Facebook cause. The day was very uplifting and positive for those who participated and it was wonderful to see people greeting others with a “Happy Autism Rainbow Day”.


I have received some wonderful feedback from educators about how they now have a much greater appreciation of what autism is and how inspired they are when learning about the obstacles that need to be overcome for people on the spectrum to become functioning members of society. Our daughter’s Year 6 class teacher initiated meaningful discussions about autism throughout the week in the lead-up up to Autism Rainbow Day and Kristie’s life and achievements were celebrated by her peers. What has been really touching is how some young students from the school have since approached me in the court yard to talk about Autism Rainbow Day. I also got quite emotional when I saw pictures of the children wearing their special masks on the big screen at the school assembly. Autism Rainbow Day will be held on Friday 29th April in 2011.

A Tribute...



On 13th May this year, Tony Zappia – Federal Member for Makin paid tribute to the work we are doing through Rainbowland Play Time and Autism Rainbow Day. It was such an honour for us that he dedicated his entire Parliamentary Speech to our work.


In his speech, Tony says:

“In Australia autism is estimated to affect one in every 160 Australian children and around 30,000 Australian families. The estimated cost of autism to the Australian community is around $7 billion per annum. The social impacts on and costs to the children and those 30,000 families in the form of learning difficulties, limited social opportunities for the children and very high rates of parental depression and separation are immeasurable. There is no cure for autism but providing the right kind of early intervention can be very beneficial for children and, in turn, ultimately saves millions of dollars in costs later on.”

He then went on to say:


“Speech therapy, early intervention, occupational therapy and home modifications all help, but for the families they come at a cost, as does the destruction to the school life of the children, which raises an additional concern. Many schools are simply unprepared; they do not have the resources or the expertise to deal with children with autism. In that respect, autism-specific preschools such as that in Brisbane are a terrific start.”

To read the speech in full, visit our Facebook note or at: http://www.openaustralia.org/debates/?id=2010-05-13.156.1&s=speaker%3A10695#g156.2

Tony has been such a wonderful support to our organisation and is the Patron of Rainbowland Play Time. Through his work, he is also advocating for all families living with autism in Australia.

Our goal...

Rainbowland Autism Services strives to provide support services for the entire family. When you support the network of people who are the main influence in a child’s life, you are directly supporting the child. We also provide support to families of children with developmental delay. Too often these families don’t have access to support services in the absence of an ASD diagnosis. We continue to work assiduously in expanding our support services and generating awareness about autism at a global level through Autism Rainbow Day.

For more information, you can visit our website at http://www.rainbowlandautismservices.com/, or email us at rainbowlandautismservices @ gmail.com

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To find out more about having your charity, service or business spotlighted on the Learn to be Buddies Blog, contact us or visit http://www.learn2bebuddies.com.au/pages/becomeasponsor.html

Autism Rainbow Day 2010

Autism Rainbow Day 2010 was a great success. With 15,000 global members on our Facebook Cause 'Autism Rainbow Day - Global Awareness Campaign' 'Autism Rainbow Day - Global Awareness Campaign' thousands of people celebrated the day from all over the world.

We were very busy on the day visiting local supporters. We attended the Oasis Community Childcare Centre, The Office of Tony Zappia MP (Federal Member for Makin), The City of Tea Tree Gully and Modbury Hospital.

We wish to thank everyone who celebrated the day and helped spread the word about autsim awareness.

HAPPY RAINBOWS

Our New Website

Just before Autism Rainbow Day on Friday 30th April 2010, we launched our new website. Our website address is www.rainbowlandautismservices.com. Please pay us a visit.

Autism Rainbow Day..... Friday 30th April 2010

On Friday 30th April 2010, Rainbowland Autism Services Inc. will be hosting its inaugural AUTISM RAINBOW DAY as part of its global autism awareness campaign.


On Autism Rainbow Day, we are urging businesses, schools and social groups from all over the world to help raise awareness (not money) for autism by wearing different colored T-Shirts that represent the colors of the rainbow. A one page information sheet will be available for download on our website in April 2010. We ask that in lieu of donations, people simply read the information sheet. (There will be a facility to make donations on our website for those people who would like to make a contribution towards future awareness campaigns, or you could raise money for your local autism group.)

At Rainbowland Autism Services, we believe that the lives of individuals living with autism should be respected and celebrated by the entire community. Without the amazing gifts that autistic people give to the world, we would not have the same level of innovation and creativity we have today. People with autism deserve the respect and support of their communities to help them achieve their potential, and where possible, live meaningful and independent lives.

We also feel strongly about the lack of support and essential services many people living with autism and their families experience on a daily basis. Parents and carers are more times than not pushed to the limits trying to manage the medical complications that can present in their child with autism. All too many carers are so badly sleep deprived that it is equivalent to torture, while at the same time living lives of social isolation because the general public are quick to judge a child with autism’s perceived ‘bad’ behavior because they understand nothing or very little about the condition.

With some recent studies suggesting that as many as 1 in 64 have autism and others using figures like 1 in 160, the situation is clear….. something has to be done NOW. Much work MUST be done to help young people with autism reach their potential, autistic adults have meaningful lives that are not in isolation from the community and to help families cope with the often extreme demands that having a child with autism places on them, through no fault of the child.

As the parent of three children on the autism spectrum, I am clear in my mind about this...... The parents/carers of children with autism love their children unconditionally, and for who they are regardless of the daily challenges. People with autism don’t want to be cured, but want to be accepted and recognized by the community at large for their individual gifts, talents and the contributions they could and do make to society. The parents/carers are left to resolve the medical problems associated with autism, when their plight should be supported by much better public services, which includes medical professionals who can recognize and appropriately TREAT the adverse medical symptoms of autism in a child. And lastly….. every child with autism deserves the human right to an appropriate education.

With the right amount of autism awareness, we can start turning the current situation around. So, we need your help to make Autism Rainbow Day a global success. Help us by spreading the word, and getting prepared to participate on Autism Rainbow Day.

HAPPY RAINBOWS,

Allison Dix
Director
Rainbowland Autism Services Inc.

Announcing our Official Autism Rainbow Day Logo

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Many thanks to our sponsor Prana Design Studios for the logo and Kristie Dix (11yo with Asperger's Syndrome) for painting the picture.