The Cost of Autism....Too Many Families Have More Than One Child With Autism. Watch this CBS News Story on Autism June 21, 2009

This link is a story about a family with three children diagnosed with autism, which is too close to home for us. What really saddens me is that this is becoming way too common. I know that some people think that people who have children with autism must have had something wrong with them to produce children with such defects and so don’t worry about people like us. But let me tell you…. it CAN happen to anyone! The statistics are real, the ratio’s are growing substantially, the pain is real and lonely and the cost is astronomical! I don't even keep track of what we pay for our kids' therapy because it would be too devastating.

All we do is try to mainly focus on the benefits and results they are getting from our therapy of choice and worry about how to pay the bills later. We are lucky, however, because we don't have a mortgage and currently own our house outright. I shudder to think what it would have been like should we have had a mortgage, especially given the fact we are on the pension because Shane suffers chronic and debilitating migraines and I had to leave my career in Human Resource Management to care for the kids and manage their therapy, etc, etc, etc.

Even though this story applies to American health insurance, the situation is not much better here in Australia. Our kids need hours of therapy (40 hours of one-on-one therapy a week they say), which we would exhaust all our insurance and Medicare benefits in just weeks if we paid someone to do this. My family's only choice was that I leave my respectfully paying job to do the therapy myself. All I get for the 40 hours of therapy x 3 (=120 hours) each week is approx $275 AU. On average, it costs $100 AU an hour for a therapist. Therefore, my time is worth $12,000 per week and a staggering and unbelievable $624,000 AU a year. WOW..... IF ONLY!

Heartbreaking to know that families are doing work worth this kind of money only to lose their homes and everything they have. I can't tell you how much this situation saddens me. God Bless all the families who are facing this type of crisis and God Bless all families & individuals living with ASD. Allison xxx
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5101616n

RIP Michael Jackson

You were a unique individual of which your talents and contribution to this world should be celebrated by all - no matter what your personal struggles were..... Thanks for the music, the memories and the entertainment. You will never be forgotten xxx

Our Beautiful Babies.....

The other night at Affordable Organics Fruit & Veg (Adelaide, SA), Aaron (nearly 5 with ASD) said as clear as anything "Anna, here's the soap". I was so proud because not only did he say these words clearly, but he put it all together by himself after I gave him the instruction to 'give them to Anna'. It must have been the magic work Christine Beal, who is one of our fantastic therapists, did with him on Saturday. Well done little man.

Anna,who is the proprietor of Affordable Organics and her staff have been such a wonderful support for our family. Even though Jacob and Aaron don't eat vegetables and only eat minute amounts of fruit, Anna allows them to experience the textures and smells of the food so that they feel more comfortable with it. She is also very understanding when it comes to their special needs. As menioned above, their favourite thing to do is to sellect the different coloured soaps from the soap stand. Thanks to Anna & her staff for your continued support and understanding and for making this shopping experience fun and safe for them.

Tonight we took all three children to their aqua physio sessions with Child's Play, and they all did wonderfully well. It is so beautiful to see their gorgeous little faces light up and their confidence grow as they so very much enjoy their time in the water. We luv you all soooo much and love watching you love your special swimming lessons. XXX

A Real Feel Good Story

Watch this video as an example of what our children who have autism are capable of when given a chance by someone who believes in them. ENJOY...

RIP Dr Chris O'Brien

RIP Dr Chris O'Brien. You were a true inspiration to Australia & your legacy will live on forever. We have lost a great, wonderful, brilliant & loving man. You will be grately missed. Love Autism Global Network XXX

http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,25590317-953,00.htmlm

Kristie and her Family at the Autism SA Awards Ceremony

Kristie's family: Shane (Dad), Elaine (Grandma) & Allison (Mum)

Autism SA Awards Ceremony

From left: David Palmer - Autism SA's Number 1 Ambassador; Jessica Bostock - Autism SA's Community Relations Coordinator.
David and Jessica are a couple of wonderful Autism SA staff that made Kristie feel so comfortable to be at the Awards Ceremony. Thank you so much for encouraging and supporting her.

Teachers Support Kristie at the Autism SA Awards Night

Blow are Kristie's school educators from St Joseph's Primary School, Tranmere.
From left: Mrs Deegan - Kristie's Yr 5 teacher; Mrs Dudzinski - Senior Educator; Mrs Heaney - SSO & OSHC Coordinator.
Thank you Kathy, Anne and Melanie for coming to watch and support Kristie. It meant more to us and the autism community than you will ever realise.

Kristie Dressed by Noushke, Adelaide (AutismSA Awards Ceremony)

Kristie was kindly dressed by Deanna Bellini of Noushke (Adelaide, South Australia). Deanna opened her store especially for Kristie and made her feel like the princess that she is. Thanks so much Noushke for making Kristie feel confident in the beautiful clothing she was so lucky to have for the night. xxx (Kristie is picutred here with Deanna and her beau, Zaik)

Kristie Dix, who has Asperger's Syndrome Performs Solo

Although Kristie has Asperger's Syndrome (a social disorder on the autism spectrum), she mustered up all her courage to perform her solo rendition of 'A Thousand Miles' by Vanessa Carlton at the Autism SA's Awards Ceremony held on Wednesday 27th June 2009.

Kristie was really nervous about singing solo in front of a large crowd at an official function for the very first time. The courage it took for her to follow her dreams of becoming a singer and to put all her fears and insecurities aside to make them come true, made this a truly inspirational and heartfelt moment for all who watched her.

To ease her into her rehearsal, she held her Mum's hand for the first practice, let her sit on the edge of the stage for the second, and then allowed her to sit at a table for the third. The video of Kristie on YouTube is her third practice at the rehearsal. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA2VOuaN64g

Welcome to Autism Global Network's Blog

Our Story

Autism Global Network was born in March 2009 as a result of the struggles and triumphs we have experienced as a family since our three beautiful children were all diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum in July 2007. Kristie, who was 8 at the time, was diagnosed as having Asperger's Syndrome. Our identical twin sons, Jacob and Aaron, were diagnosed as having Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
We quickly realised that little was known by the community and the medical profession about autism and other related conditions. Sadly, this meant that there wasn’t much available in terms of services to help us and so we decided to embrace autism and do everything we could to give all of our children the opportunity to be the best that they can be.We are very proud to say that through team work as a family in combination with everyone in our support network,the children have made inspirational progress.
We dedicate this website to the families across the globe that are living with ASD and the many other related conditions, some of which include: ADD, ADHD, PDD-NOS, dyslexia and epilepsy. Our goal is to share the knowledge and experience that we, along with other families and professionals have gainedas a global network. We hope that the sharing of information and experiences will unite everyone to create a more powerful support network and make life that bit easier for families living with these conditions.
We do not plan to rest on our laurels and will keep researching and learning as much as we can to help save you the time and effort required to do this. Although we can’t be in your homes helping out with the housework, therapy, medical regimes, diet/cooking processes and emotional issues that is a part of your everyday life, we can be here to share our experiences with you and hopefully save you time by providing a NETWORK of quality information, advice and support.
All the best for your own personal journey.
Love Shane, Allison, Kristie, Jacob and Aaron Dix
(South Australia, Australia)


About Us...

"Autism Global Network is an innovative and dynamic organisation that provides knowledge, support, care and understanding to people dealing with autism to enable enhanced opportunities for social inclusion and quality of life. With our drive and passion, we strive to advocate for the human rights of our families and promote community awareness and inclusion at every opportunity."