Autism Awareness Centre

02/04/2026

Our latest blog post on self injurious behavior.

Self-injurious behavior (SIB) is when a person physically harms themselves by head banging on floors, walls or other surfaces, hand or arm biting, hair pulling, eye gouging, face or head slapping, skin picking, scratching, rubbing or pinching, or forceful head shaking.

01/31/2026

01/26/2026

Our February 12th course is now full. Our next date with open spaces is March 5th. Register early to avoid disappointment.

March 5, 2026 - 9 am - 3:30 pm Mountain Time Featuring Jill Wur The one day, 6 hour Low Arousal Training focuses primarily on practical, non-confrontational approaches to supporting individuals who experience significant stress and present behaviours that may be difficult to manage. Training encoura...

01/12/2026

01/07/2026

Declarative language has no right or wrong answer – it doesn’t even necessarily require a response. Instead, it invites a person to share in an experience, helps them to pay attention to what may be important, and to observe what is going on around them.

Declarative language is a comment or a statement that shares what one knows, observes, or thinks. It emphasizes shared observations, thoughts, and experiences rather than directives or demands. A lot of communication approaches rely heavily on questions (who, what, where, when, why or how) or instru...

12/23/2025

Moving Away from "Mild" and "Severe":

1. **Oversimplification:** Labels like "mild" or "severe" oversimplify a complex spectrum. They can obscure the nuanced needs and abilities of each autistic person, leading to misunderstandings.

2. **Dynamic Nature:** An autistic person's abilities and challenges can fluctuate based on context, such as the environment or specific situations, making static labels inadequate.

3. **Focus on Support:** Describing autism in terms of support needs rather than severity helps tailor interventions to each individual's circumstances, fostering more effective and respectful assistance.

4. **Avoiding Value Judgments:** Terms like "mild" and "severe" inherently suggest a value judgment, which can contribute to bias, either downplaying someone's needs or reinforcing negative stereotypes.

Overall, these shifts reflect a broader movement toward recognising autism as a rich, varied experience. The goal is to honour personal identities, enhance understanding, and ensure that support and communication are as meaningful and effective as possible.

12/18/2025

Dalhousie University / IWK Health Center are conducting a national research project, called Tooth Fairy, investigating the relationship of mental and dental health.

They are looking for participants across Canada. Check out their poster for more info and email JoinPed@dal.ca for more info!