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By Tara de Ryk UNITY-To celebrate May, which is also speech and hearing month, Heartland Health Region wants people to give the gift of friendship to children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The region is urging children to befriend a child in their community with ASD by becoming a mentor. People with autism spectrum disorders have weakness in communication and social interaction. Their brains are set up to learn differently, especially about communication, friendships, social cues and emotions, Prescott explains. Because of these challenges, the world can be frustrating and confusing for people with ASD. "A lot of my kids are very lonely," says Lana Prescott, autism spectrum consultant with Heartland Health Region. "Their self-esteem is very low because they don't have friends." Because of their ASD, these kids are often left out of social events outside of school such as birthday parties and play dates. She says under her program, there are 53 children in the health region who have been identified as having ASD. About three-quarters of those children are boys. She established the mentor program to help children with ASD and the children who are mentors. Because she lives in Unity and is able to be close to it, the mentor program is having its greatest impact in that community but she hopes to see more mentors throughout the health region, wherever they are needed. A mentor is someone who spends time with an individual with ASD once or twice a week. The mentor helps the person learn to build friendships, participate in social outings and may teach recreational skills. "They feel so much better about themselves because they have friends," Prescott says. The mentors also benefit from the program, Prescott says. They learn the value of community service, that they can do much good in someone's life by doing small things like including someone in a game or by spending time with someone. Mentors also have the chance to make new friends, build their self-esteem, help someone and find purpose in their own lives. Prescott says schools could suggest the mentor program if they know of a child in need. "It is most successful if it has the parents' support of the child who wants to be a mentor," Prescott said. In Unity, where she lives, Prescott says the mentor program is successful. Families of the mentors are very supportive. "One family has a set day each week when they have the child in their home." Aside from becoming a mentor, people may help others by accepting differences in everyone and getting off the sidelines when it comes to bullying in the community. People should not stand back and allow bullying. The leaderonline is a division of The Davidson Leader, Davidson, Saskatchewan, Canada. |