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Redcliffe Fishing Group – The Spectrum Organization

The Spectrum Organization, Mental Health Fishing, Disability Fishing, Fishability, Redcliffe Fishing

Redcliffe Peninsula is a beautiful location, not only for fishing but for family and community activities.

Today we had one of our regular customise group sessions for The Spectrum Organisation and wow what a day it was.

First of all, the Redcliffe Peninsula today was just so beautiful, the weather was expected to be hot and uncomfortable, boy did they get it wrong!

The wind was so refreshing, water was smooth and thank you to our sponsor Lowrance, our participants all scored a free new hat today that they all replaced their existing hats for.

The support workers at The Spectrum Organisation are amazing, meeting with them and their clients was a great experience. It felt like we were a BBQ and Music Short of a party.

2 of the participants caught fish today, one of which, Mark was so excited I could hear him at the other end of the jetty. His support worker didn’t catch a fish, only a rock so Mark won a free lunch from his support worker 🙂

Mark has only ever caught 1 other fish in his life so for him, this was a big, proud moment for Mark, his support team and us here at Moreton Bay Able Anglers.

This is what it is all about, sharing experiences and making everyone’s lives good. If we can make 1 persons day each day happy, that’s a great day.

The Spectrum Organization, Mental Health Fishing, Disability Fishing, Fishability, Redcliffe FishingSpectrum Support Services

 

 

 

 

 

Cerebral palsy (seh-reh-brul pauls-ee)

Cerebral palsy (seh-reh-brul pauls-ee) is a term used to describe a condition where a person has difficulties with making and/or controlling their body movements. This difficulty is the result of damage to the brain areas that control movements. This damage occurs early in life, including before birth. Cerebral palsy is often called 'CP' for short.

Different types of Cerebral Palsy

CP is classified according to severity, the type of movement difficulty, and how much of the body is affected.

Severity

This refers to how much movement difficulty the child has. A physiotherapist or paediatrician will grade the severity of your child’s CP according to the Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS).

The type of movement difficulty

There are three main types of movement difficulty:

  • Spastic: the most common type, where the muscles are stiff and difficult to stretch.
  • Dyskinetic (also called either dystonic or choreoathetoid): where there are uncontrolled, involuntary movements.
  • Ataxic: where there is poor coordination of movement, unsteadiness and shakiness.

Some children have only one type of movement problem and others have a mix of these movement problems.

How much of the body is affected

The terms commonly used to describe how much of the body is affected in someone with CP are:

  • unilateral: one side of the body
  • bilateral: both sides of the body.

Sometimes, older terms that describe the number of limbs affected are also still used to classify the type of CP. These include such as monoplegia (one limb), hemiplegia (one arm and one leg on the same side of the body), diplegia (both legs), quadriplegia (all four limbs affected).

Key Facts

  • Every 15 hours, an Australian child is born with cerebral palsy.
  • It is the most common physical disability in childhood.
  • Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of disorders. It is a condition that is permanent, but not unchanging.
  • Cerebral palsy is a life-long physical disability due to damage of the developing brain.
  • In most cases, brain injury leading to cerebral palsy occurs during pregnancy.
  • Cerebral palsy, except in its mildest forms, can be evident in the first 12-18 months.
  • Motor disability can range from minimal to profound, depending on the individual.
  • It can range from weakness in one hand, to an almost complete lack of voluntary movement. People with significant physical disability may require 24 hour a day care.
  • People with cerebral palsy are likely to also have other impairments in addition to their motor disability.
  • Spastic hemiplegia, where one half of the body has difficulty with voluntary movement, is the most common presentation of cerebral palsy. Approximately 40% of people with cerebral palsy have hemiplegia.
  • There is no known cure.

Statistics

  • 1 in 700 Australian babies is diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
  • 1 in 2 is in chronic pain.
  • 1 in 2 has an intellectual impairment.
  • 1 in 3 cannot walk.
  • 1 in 3 has hip displacement.
  • 1 in 4 has epilepsy.
  • 1 in 4 has a behaviour disorder.
  • 1 in 4 cannot talk.
  • 1 in 5 is tube fed.
  • 1 in 5 has a sleep disorder.
  • 1 in 10 has a severe vision impairment.
  • 1 in 25 has a severe hearing impairment.
  • Of all children with cerebral palsy, 40% were born prematurely and 60% born at term.
  • 11% of children were from a multiple birth, compared to just over 6% of the Australian population.
  • Globally, approximately 17 million people have cerebral palsy.
  • Approximately 34,000 people are living with cerebral palsy in Australia.
  • The cost of cerebral palsy is estimated expenditure of $1.47 billion per year.
  • Care is estimated to cost an average of $43,431 per person per year, of which approximately 37% is borne by the individual and/or their family.
  • When a value for lost well-being is included, this cost increases to $115,000 per year.
  • The number of people with cerebral palsy in Australia is expected to increase to 47,601 by 2050.

 

Autism Spectrum Disorder

Autism is an umbrella description which includes Autistic disorder, Asperger's syndrome and atypical autism. Autism affects the way information is taken in and stored in the brain. People with autism typically have difficulties in verbal and non-verbal communication, social interactions and other activities. Impairments usually exist across three main areas of functioning:

  • social interaction
  • communication, and
  • behaviour (restricted interests and repetitive behaviours).

Many people with an autism spectrum disorder also have sensory sensitivities, i.e. over or under sensitivity to sight, touch, taste, smell, sound, temperature or pain.

Some characteristics of Asperger's syndrome

Those with Asperger's syndrome are typically of average or above average intelligence, and can show a wide range of behaviours and social skills. People with Asperger's syndrome may display some of the following characteristics:

  • difficulty in forming friendships
  • ability to talk well, either too much or too little, but difficulty with communication
  • inability to understand that communication involves listening as well as talking
  • a very literal understanding of what has been said. For example, when asked to 'get lost', as in go away, a person with Asperger's syndrome will be confused and may literally try to 'get lost'
  • inability to understand the rules of social behaviour, the feelings of others and to 'read' body language. For example, a person with Asperger's syndrome may not know that someone is showing that they are cross when frowning
  • sensitivity to criticism
  • a narrow field of interests. For example a person with Asperger's syndrome may focus on learning all there is to know about cars, trains or computers
  • eccentricity.

Tips

  • Establish routines and predictable environments.
  • Inform people with autism what is about to happen before it occurs.