RJ's Annual #AutismAwareness Blog Hop + #Giveaway @Rjscott_author

**** Contest is now CLOSED *** 

Winners have been announced in the comments section!

I'm honoured to once again join RJ Scott and a host of other wonderful authors and bloggers in RJ's Annual blog hop, highlighting World Autism Awareness Day, April 2nd and National Autism Awareness Month. Each participant will share a fact, a post and a prize.


Follow this link to RJ's master post and join us for the entire month of April. You might just win a prize but more importantly you'll learn a thing or two. 

This year the theme is Animals 

FACT: Service Animals provide companionship and support for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders, when used in part with a child’s therapy. [Autism Canada]

Any dog lover will tell you that dogs have a sixth sense when it comes to understanding it's human's emotional needs and often respond appropriately. Like people, they can tell when you need a cuddle. Cats on the other hand can also seem to pick up on our angst but often seem unconcerned. They tend to come around when they need the attention. Even watching a tank full of fish can induce a calming sense.

In doing a bit of research for my post, I ran across a story of a family with two autistic sons. One child, has an especially deep relationship with the family’s dogs. However, his brother does not. The dogs are too unpredictable for him. Like any therapy or drug, sometimes it's not one-fits-all and a child's sensitivities as well as the family dynamic must be observed. But in some cases animal assisted therapies can make a big difference in a child's day-to-day life and progress.

Service Dogs can:
Provide increased safety for the child;
Help control the child by commanding the dog;
Passively teach the child responsibility;
Enjoy the right of full public access under the B.C. Guide Animal Act;
Lower aggression and frustration levels, leading to positive behavioural changes;
Provide comfort when the child is upset;
Add a degree of predictability to social settings for both the child and parents; and
Reduce social stress levels, allowing greater participation in education, as well as social and leisure activities. [Autism Canada]

Besides service dogs, there has also been great success with children and horses and of all things, Guinea Pigs, in a classroom setting. 

I found this year's topic a timely one. Over the past year, we lost our long-haired Chihuahua. We were lucky enough to have him enrich our lives for sixteen years. A long time perhaps for a small dog but not nearly long enough for us. Animals change lives.

Resources:

Local Autism Ontario

Autism Canada - Service Dogs

IAN - Interactive Autism Network

Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides

Autism Speaks Canada

#LightItUpBlue

Information on Autism

Autism facts and history

The National Autistic Society

Autism fact sheet

National Autism Association

68 things to know about autism

Kerry Magro

Facts about ASD

The CDC

I'd like to thank RJ for all she does to promote Autism Awareness and education. 💙

ENTER MY GIVEAWAY

This past year, I've been lucky enough to write for three very different erotic anthologies, with some of the most prolific, talented and popular authors in the genre along with authors who I am also a fan of. So I felt doubly blessed for the acceptance while in the meantime doing some fan-girling of my own to have my name alongside theirs. 

Love and Lust in Space (erotic, sci-fi, romance) 

They say your screams can't be heard in space... Unless you have a partner or two! Eleven authors take you on a trip where any pairings are acceptable, locations vary from spaceships to strange and futuristic worlds, and interesting and exciting objects can be used in sex play.

Ladies Only (f/f, erotic romance)

Worth a Shot

Samara Wynne thinks she’s finally found the perfect roommate, but Katie’s keeping a secret that could turn their dream home into a nightmare.

The Woman Next Door

What’s a girl to do when her arch nemesis moves in next door?

The Tiny Blue House

I am Molly Knowles. Please, marry me.

In the Flesh

Working undercover, nothing is ever as it seems…

Window Dressing

Can Jessie work with a woman with the looks of a pixie and the personality of a dragon to complete the most important task of her career?

AND Last but not least

Sacred & Profane (taboo, priest, erotic, romance)

Ten stories of temptation, romance, and blasphemy

Not even men of the cloth are exempt from God’s greatest gift: Love. In Sacred and Profane: Priest Erotic Romance, you’ll find stories of clergymen stepping outside their vows, pastors weaving divinity into their seductions, nuns and parishioners confessing to their body’s every earthly desire, and more.

Are you aroused by the blasphemous dance of sex and religion? The dangerous edge of eroticism contained within submission to something beyond oneself? The taboo juxtaposition of holy and sensual? Then Sacred and Profane welcomes you.

I'll be giving away an e-copy of each anthology. To enter the contest, please leave a comment below. It can be as simple as the name of a pet/animal you love or have loved. Also leave an email address where I can reach you and what antho you might be interested in reading. I'll choose three winners on May 1st. 

And remember to follow the blog hop all month through!