Rise Neurodiversity Centre

Happy Birthday to our amazing leader at Rise Neurodiversity Centre, Jessica!🎂🎉

Your vision, compassion, and dedication inspire us all to create a brighter, more inclusive world. Thank you for empowering our students, families, and staff every day. Wishing you a birthday as wonderful as the difference you make! 🩷🧡💚🩵💜💛🎂

This! 👏👏👏

Rocket: Today, we heard…

Emirates is set to become the world's first Autism Certified Airline, with official certification from the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES) expected in the coming months.

Over 30,000 Emirates cabin crew and ground staff are currently undergoing specialised training to better address the needs of affected travellers, ensuring that at least 80% of customer-facing staff complete the dedicated programme. The training covers autism misconceptions, individual needs, and potential sensory triggers, equipping staff with the knowledge to provide tailored support.

In addition to the training, Emirates plans to introduce new services in 2025 aimed at enhancing accessibility. These include sensory guides, digital tools designed to help passengers navigate environments based on sensory factors such as sound, lighting, and smells. The airline will also offer neurodiverse sensory products, such as fidget toys, to help passengers reduce stress and maintain focus during flights.

Emirates has already achieved a Certified
Autism Centre designation for its four Dubai check-in facilities, including its hub in Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. This follows Dubai Airport's recognition as the first international airport to receive the Certified Autism Centre designation in December 2023.

“This is amazing news. The skies the limit!”
News Credit: SceneTraveller

We visited our friends at The Neurodiversity Hive this morning 🐝 What a wonderful and neuro-affirming space Frances Kaplan Educational Psychologist has created 💫 Here’s to many successes for a perfect Hive! We are so glad to Join Hands with them ✋ 🩷🧡💛💚🩵💜

When we say we use the DIRFloortime approach, this is the what and the why 🙌

💡 𝗧𝗛𝗘 "𝗗", 𝗧𝗛𝗘 "𝗜", 𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗧𝗛𝗘 "𝗥" 💡

𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗗𝗘𝗩𝗘𝗟𝗢𝗣𝗠𝗘𝗡𝗧𝗔𝗟 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗖𝗘𝗦𝗦:
The “D” describes development from the perspective of the individual, where they are, and where they are headed. Understanding the unique developmental process means allowing space for each person to be respected and guided in their own personal developmental journey.

𝗜𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗩𝗜𝗗𝗨𝗔𝗟-𝗗𝗜𝗙𝗙𝗘𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗘𝗦:
The "I" describes the unique ways in which each person takes in, regulates, responds to, and comprehends the world around them. Unique to every human. Includes sensory processing, motor planning, an individual’s preferences, and more!

𝗛𝗨𝗠𝗔𝗡 𝗥𝗘𝗟𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣𝗦:
The “R” describes how relationships fuel our development. Humans are social beings and relationships are a key to our development. DIR harnesses the key affective (emotional) aspect of these relationships to promote development.

🌟 A Proud Moment for Rise! 🌟

A huge congratulations to our incredible principal at Rise, who has achieved her Honours degree in AAC with Cum Laude! 🎓👏

Balancing her studies with running our school is no small feat, and yet she has excelled both academically and in ensuring every child at Rise is cared for and supported. Your dedication, passion, and leadership inspire us all.

Thank you for showing us what commitment to growth and excellence looks like. Here’s to celebrating this milestone and many more to come! 🥂

Communication 👏 is 👏 a 👏 Human Right 📢 We advocate for AAC in all means and forms because it is embedded in the United Nations Convention of Persons with Dosability (UNCRPD). Everyone has the right to communication and it is our responsibility to give them access to alternative forms of communication!
🤍We are passionate about this communication being independent that a child or person does not need to rely on a facilitator to facilitate their communication process.
🤍 The individual should be given a means to generate novel utterances and share their own thoughts and ideas.
🤍 Unfortunately in South Africa, AAC is not always easily available, as it should be in public places.
📢 There are service providers in South Africa that a person can purchase AAC equipment from.
🤍 It is important that an AAC expert assess’ and assists finding the most suitable AAC equipment, be it low tech or high tech, for the individual.
🤍 In SA both and are able to guide and assist further!
🤍 Note: all information in the post is taken from the UNCRPDhttps://www.un.org/disabilities/documents/convention/convoptprot-e.pdf

Join our Parent Reality support group in Pretoria!

📅 16 November 2024
⏰ 9:00 - 11:00
🏠 Rise Neurodiversity Centre

We are excited to invite you to our support group meeting held at Rise Neurodiversity Centre. 💙

We welcome all parents with children with special needs to come together to connect, learn how to face our challenges, and create a community of support.

You don't have to walk this journey alone! 💪❤️

🤩 Book your free spot here: https://www.quicket.co.za/events/266210-coffee-with-parent-reality-support-group-pretoria/ #/

We look forward to meeting you!

Unfortunately, no childcare is available.

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A big shout out to our incredible, super human, kind hearted, wonder-women, absolute bomb-best-there-is OT, Ashley Robyn Brecher, for completing her first year of her Masters in Early Childhood Intervention at University of Pretoria!
Ashley never stops learning, never stops giving the best she can and never stops doing the utmost for our Centre, children and parents! While this not only benefits her incredible OT practice Bright Eyes Therapy and her personal and professional development, it has already started to benefit our centre. Ash is passionate about a holistic, integrated team approach of including parents, teachers and therapists!! 🙌 We wish her all the best for her second year in 2025 and know she’ll excel! Thank you for what you do Ash 🩷💛💚🩵💜

3 night stay on the beach in Ballito for only 100 bucks!!
6 more days to buy a ticket!! Winners will be drawn on 1 November 🥳 🏖️👙

The 24th of October marks United Nations Day. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) emphasizes that every child deserves dignity, education, and safety, and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) advocates for children with disabilities to be included and have equal opportunities.

At the CAAC, we are committed to upholding these conventions and supporting the communication rights of children with disabilities.

Let us all advocate for inclusion, raise awareness, and support access to resources to help build a world where every child, regardless of their ability, is valued and included.

Why is play important? Why should children play? Read the evidence below!

What is AAC?
🩷Augmentative and alternative communication gives individuals who have complex communication needs a different way to communicate!
🧡Without communication these individuals are often isolated and lonely.
💛Their access to taking part in schooling, social activities, employment and leisure activities is very limited.
💚By giving them an alternate means to communicate via multimodal ways, their quality of life is enhanced.
🩵 Everyone has a right to communication.
💜 Everyone has a right to be included.

Keep following for to learn more about AAC 🫶🎤🗯️

Join hands to with Rise Neurodiversity Centre to celebrate AAC Awareness Month!

AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication.

October is internationally recognised as AAC Awareness Month and serves a purpose to raise awareness of AAC systems and AAC users.

Research shows that AAC does not inhibit spoken language, but rather encourages, promotes and develops spoken language.

Stick around and check our social media pages throughout October to learn more and some AAC in action!🩷🧡💛💚🩵💜

Thank you Abby’s mom for doing this! 🙌. LOVE this! More awareness = More Acceptance 💜💜

I never thought I would be here—writing a post to "celebrate" or observe an awareness month for my child. But this is our reality. October is Rett Syndrome Awareness Month, and for our family, this month holds a deep significance.

Awareness isn’t just a word for us; it’s a mission. We take educating others very seriously because we want to help create a world that not only tolerates Abby, but celebrates her for exactly who she is. She is so much more than her diagnosis. She is happy, brave, and an inspiration to many.

During this month, I’ll be sharing videos and posts that answer the typical questions people have about Rett syndrome, and more importantly, I’ll be giving you a glimpse into what living with Rett syndrome looks like for us. This is a journey—one with its challenges, but also with incredible moments of joy, strength, and love.

I invite you to join us this month. Ask questions, comment, and learn. Rett syndrome may be rare, but together, we can spread awareness, educate others, and make this world a more inclusive, compassionate place for children like mine.

And please, **share, share, share**. The more people who know about Rett syndrome, the closer we get to creating a world that understands, embraces, and supports these beautiful children. Let’s make October count!

Time is ticking to win 3 nights stay at an on-the-beach beach house 🎉

We absolutely LOVE this!! Thank you New Hope School / Nuwe Hoop Skool for always advocating for the kids and the use of AAC 🫶 The whole team is so talented 🫶

School Turns Calum Scott Song Into Sign Language Performance! Calum Scott’s song rise took on an incredibly special form recently after New Hope School turned it into a Sign Language performance!