Spectrum Awareness Campaign @ We Rock The Spectrum, Ara Damansara

Hi guys, things have been a little hectic around here, due to a leakage problem that forced us to renovate our entire master bathroom. But still, we've managed to pack in some fun. Today I'd like to share with you a special event I attended on October 14th, the Spectrum Awareness Campaign at We Rock The Spectrum (WRTS), Ara Damansara.

My Saturday morning began with a very special meeting at our local mosque (will tell you guys more about this later) and after that we took the boys to WRTS, where I took part in two workshops and met some awesome people.

The first workshop was conducted by Sherrene Teh, who is a music therapist. To be honest, this was the first time that I had heard about music therapy and the session really opened my eyes. I think it's important for parents to attend these types of workshops because it helps us to better understand the brain and how it works, as well as the benefits of different types of therapies. The word of the day, for me, was "neuroplasticity."

Sherrene Teh, Music Therapist from Oasis Place.

The second session, on Calming, Organising and Alerting Activities for ASD Children, was conducted by Joanna Hutt, a paediatric physiotherapist and Programme Director at The Energy Source. Joanna demonstrated many practical, easy and fun activities that we can do at home with our kids, using simple equipment. I simply loved the session and learned a lot from it.

Demos by Joanna Hutt from The Energy Source.

I also met two inspiring autism parents, who set up booths at the event :)

Many booths were set up as part of the campaign, but I could only visit them for a little while, because I was busy attending workshops and looking after Arif. But still, I managed to meet a couple of amazing people, including Siti of ARISMA and Fred and Andi of ANDI Initiative.

They both really inspire me, because they're not only dedicated parents who do the best for their children, but they also work hard to help other autism families. I aspire to be like them :)

Amir conducting impromptu storytelling.

While I was busy meeting autism heroes, my kids were busy having fun. Amir, my eldest, may be 13, he's still very much a kid at heart and he loves to play (perhaps a little too much). He did me proud by staging an impromptu puppet show for the little ones.

And of course, I did a bit of shopping for Arif's home activities. Here's my haul from some of the booths. I got some puzzles (from Moms and Tots Shoppe), t-shirts for my boys (from Andi Initiative) and some water beads, a sensory bottle and stress balls.

Illustrations are by Andi Miranti, do check out his Ned Dickens comics :) 

We stayed till the late afternoon and had loads of fun! Looking forward to more fantastic events like this! The next time We Rock The Spectrum organises an event like this guys, you've got to check it out because you can learn a whole lot and meet lots of people who can help you better understand the autism journey. Follow their FB page or Instagram for the latest happenings.

Sending love and positive energy out into the world... till next time guys, thanks for dropping by!