As concerned parents eager for information we went to the Tracey Bester seminars staged by Autism Regional Education Inc keen to learn about day to day strategies for children with autism and for their families. We also wanted to know where the current state of knowledge on the subject lay. So much study has gone into the autistic spectrum lately that what was current knowledge only a few years ago is now greatly improved. There are now so many more subsets and different classifications of what was in the past a single category.
We came away from the day armed with new strategies as well as being comforted by the knowledge that we were roughly on the right track!
Tracey Bester herself speaks from a position of knowledge and authority rarely available. As the parent of autistic children and with a diagnosis of Aspergers Syndrome for herself, Tracey can explain what it is like from the inside in a way we can only guess at. As with every explanation you get from an autistic person, the answer is so perfectly logical but we on the outside often cannot see the wood for the trees. The strategies Tracey and her children have developed are simple and effective.
One of the challenging aspects of listening to Tracey speak is that when referring to "we," it means the autistic community and when referring to , "You," it means the non autistic community. This forces our listening to take a shift which is a great exercise in itself.
The first day of the seminar was designed for parents and as a result of the fundraising efforts of Autism Regional Education Inc admission was free to parents and carers. The second day was aimed at teachers who paid a small fee for the day. Parents who attended the second day still gained greatly from the content.
We would urge all parents to watch the A.R.E. website for details of upcoming events as a day with someone like Tracey is worth a thousand books.
Cathryn Byrne - Parent
