Autism Connections

08/31/2026

No Limits Soccer wrapped up for the summer with our final session on August 24!

Thanks to the support of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and Tim Hortons, each player finished the season with a medal, their own soccer ball to take home and a Tim Hortons soccer cup.

Our coaches loved being part of No Limits Soccer. It was a pleasure getting to know the players, encouraging them and celebrating their progress throughout the summer. All of our coaches are already planning to return next year!

Thank you to every family who joined us and to the University of New Brunswick for once again allowing us to use College Field. We’re grateful to everyone who helped make another season of inclusive soccer possible.

08/31/2026

Autism Connections will be closed from Tuesday, September 1st to Friday, September 4th to give our hardworking staff a well-earned break after a busy summer!

We will also be closed on Monday, September 7th for Labour Day and will reopen on Tuesday, September 8th at 9:30am.

We hope everyone has a fun and safe Labour Day weekend!



Image description: A graphic showing a sandy beach with palm trees and a blue sky. A torn white paper overlay states that Autism Connections will be closed from Tuesday, September 1 to Friday, September 4, and will reopen on Tuesday, September 8 at 9:30 a.m. It also wishes everyone a fun and safe Labour Day weekend.

08/31/2026

08/31/2026

Content note: substance use and overdose

Today is International Overdose Awareness Day. The 2026 theme, '25 Years On. Still Needed,' marks 25 years of remembering people who have died from overdose and continuing the work to prevent further deaths.

One part of this conversation that gets less attention is accessibility.

A 2025 study asked 475 autistic adults with past or current substance use about their experiences with substance-use services. Experiences varied, but some participants described barriers including overwhelming environments, unclear communication, group-based services that were difficult to access, and trouble getting accommodations.

The study does not suggest that substance use is an autistic trait, or that these experiences apply to every autistic person. Its authors also note that the participants were not representative of the entire autistic community. What it does show is that accessibility needs to be considered when autistic people seek substance-use support.

The research page for Improving Substance-Use Services for Autistic Adults includes a plain-language Community Brief explaining what participants shared, the barriers identified and their recommendations for improving services: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1089/aut.2024.0213

If you or someone you know is looking for substance-use or overdose-prevention support, Health Canada also maintains a current directory of Canada-wide and provincial services, including options in New Brunswick:

https://www.canada.ca/en/health-canada/services/substance-use/get-help-with-substance-use.html



Image Description: A white graphic for International Overdose Awareness Day with the date August 31th beside a purple awareness ribbon.

08/31/2026

A friendly reminder that starting Tuesday, September 8th we are switching to our fall/winter office hours.

Our admin team will be available Monday - Friday from 9:30am - 5:30pm.

We look forward to assisting you during these times and hope you enjoy the fall/winter season as much as we do!



Image Description: A fall-themed office hours graphic decorated with pumpkins, leaves, acorns and red berries. Text announces that starting Tuesday, September 8, Autism Connections will switch to fall/winter office hours, with the admin team available Monday to Friday from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

08/28/2026

A lot of families hit a point where mornings start to feel impossible; tears, stomach aches, shutdowns, panic, or a kid who just can’t go in the door anymore. When that happens, it’s easy for people to label it as 'refusal' or 'behaviour', but school avoidance is usually a signal that something about the school day is not working for that student.

This AutismBC article does a good job of breaking down common reasons behind school avoidance (sensory overload, social stress, academic pressure, transitions, feeling unsafe, masking all day, burnout) and it gives practical, realistic strategies for reducing the load and working with the school to build things back up.

Check out what they suggest by visiting: https://www.autismbc.ca/blog/caregivers/school-avoidance-and-strategies/



Image Description: A photo of a child wearing a striped long-sleeve shirt and a backpack crouches on the ground beside a brick wall outside. They look off to the side with a worried, withdrawn expression, with their arms resting on their knees. The background shows an empty paved schoolyard with faint court lines and distant hoops.

08/28/2026

Getting through a school day can take a lot of energy, even when nothing visibly went wrong.

For some autistic students, the noise, transitions, social expectations, communication demands and constant activity can add up. By the time they get home, they may be quiet, irritable, restless, exhausted or unable to handle more questions and requests.

It can help to keep the first part of the evening low demand. That might mean a familiar snack, comfortable clothes, fewer questions, a preferred activity, time alone or quiet company. What feels restorative will be different for each person.

After-school recovery should not be something a student has to earn by appearing calm or having a 'good' day. Sometimes getting through the day is exactly why they need time and space to decompress.



Image Description: A graphic with the title 'School Can Be a Lot to Carry' about after-school decompression. It suggests keeping the first part of the evening lower demand and shows four examples: comfortable clothes, a familiar snack, a preferred activity such as music, reading, gaming or watching TV, and time alone or with quiet company. The design uses warm orange and muted red blocks with simple illustrations, and the Autism Connections logo appears at the bottom.

08/27/2026

Not every conversation about development needs to start with what someone CAN'T do.

CanChild’s F-words framework looks at child development through Functioning, Family, Fitness, Fun, Friends, and Future. It is not autism specific, but it may be useful for families, educators and professionals who want a broader way to think about goals, supports, and quality of life.

Explore F-word for Child Development at: https://canchild.ca/research-in-practice/f-words-in-childhood-disability/



Image Description: A logo with the text 'f-words for Child Development' over a pale globe background. The letters in 'f-words' are in different colours and using font that looks like it's been written in pencil crayon, with the 'o' shown as a blue spiral. The words 'for Child Development' appear underneath in smaller dark text.

08/26/2026

Sometimes what someone says and how another person hears it are two different things. A short answer might sound abrupt. A direct question might be taken as rude. Someone's tone, facial expression or body language might not match what another person expects.

For some autistic people, differences like these can lead to misunderstandings even when the meaning behind the words was very different.

There isn't one autistic communication style. People communicate in different ways, and preferences around speech, writing, body language, processing time and other forms of communication vary from person to person.

When you're not sure what someone meant, it can help to ask instead of filling in the blanks yourself. Giving someone time to respond, being clear about what you're asking and learning how they prefer to communicate can prevent a lot of unnecessary misunderstandings.

Reframing Autism's Autistic Communication Differences: A Primer takes a closer look at why autistic and non-autistic communication can sometimes be misread, along with practical ways to make communication more respectful and accessible.

Have a read through at: https://reframingautism.org.au/autistic-communication-differences-a-primer/



Image Description: A photo of two people sitting together on a green leather couch with bookshelves behind them. They are both wearing glasses, one holds an open book and is pointing to something in the book, while the other looks at what they are pointing to.

08/26/2026

We’re looking at the possibility of bringing First Tee back for a fall cohort, and we’d like to hear from families who may be interested before we start planning!

If First Tee is something your family would consider this fall, please take a moment to complete our Expression of Interest Survey.

We will also need volunteers in order to run the program, so if you’re interested please register through our volunteer registration form on our website: https://autismconnections.ca/volunteer

Completing the survey is not registration and does not commit you to participating. It simply helps us gauge interest before confirming whether a fall cohort will move forward.

Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey!

Follow this link to complete the survey: https://tinyurl.com/37k3sefe



Image Description: A light blue and green golf-themed graphic for The First Tee and Autism Connections promoting a fall Expression of Interest Survey for parents and guardians interested in having their child participate. A QR code and survey link are included, along with a note that at least one parent or guardian must be present during each session.