Sheryl Frishman, Esq. | Jul 13, 2006

Ric, I am so glad that you are posting this as a discussion point. Yes, I believe that there needs to be increased services for children with Autism and their families. Some of the resources that I see as needed are: Support groups for families and siblings, social skills groups, educational advocacy, recreation, assistance with transition specifically for children with Autism, as they may not enjoy the types of employement and or further education opportunities that are available for our other consumers, staff in the residences and respite that are specifically trained to work with these populations, respite weeks or weekends devoted to children and young adults with Autism with appropriate staff and activities, seminars and education for parents, a resource center for parents - so there is one place they can go, assistance with Medicaid Waiver program application and appropriate service coordination for Autism, parent education, caregiver and babysiter training, a networking group - matching families up for social interactions - etc etc etc. I could continue - but these are just some of the areas of need I see.

Seth Pearl,DC | Jul 13, 2006

I would love to see more parents and professionals understand and utilize nutritional and structural therapies for their children with special needs. We have been seeing great advances in this field and, at the center, seeing remarkable turnarounds with the children. Utilizing Clinical Nutrition and chiropractic therapies we can help each child reach their potential.

Katie Weisman | Jul 17, 2006

I would like to see a coordinated organization for advocacy for our kids county-wide (or further). There is a great need for additional funds for Medicaid Waivers and respite in particular. It will take a lot of political clout to get this done.
I would also love to see a centralized and continually updated list of respite providers/mother's helpers/babysitters who have experience with autism. It typically takes a long while before I feel comfortable leaving someone alone with my kids and I know of other parents that have a terrible time finding and keeping good help. Part of this equation is the funding because we typically have to pay a premium to find the quality of people who can handle our kids and not burn out.
On the recreation side, my primary concern is that so many of the rec programs are non-inclusive. If our kids are going to be fully accepted in our society, we need to think outside the special-ed box and find ways to work within existing programs in our communitites. I realize that not all kids can be fully mainstreamed, but there needs to be some middle ground.

Leslie Jeris | Jul 18, 2006

Great comments Kate. One great place to start is in the public schools. Each school district offers after school recreation throughout the year. In Tarrytown, ours is provided by our local YMCA. The idea would be to have a joint meeting with your schools Special Education PTA, Regular Education PTA, the district extracurricular administrative coordinator and the people coordinating the programming (in this case the YMCA). At that meeting you could discuss options on how to include disabled students into the programs and take the additional charge and average it across participants. By law children with disabilities are entitled to participate in extracurricular programming and the districts don't do a good job at fulfilling that right. It will take effort and I believe getting together with the regular education PTA is important. I have been planning to do this in my own district and you have inspired me to move forward. Thanks and let me know how it goes.

Shari Kaplan | Jul 30, 2006

As most therapies are provided in one to one settings, there is limited opportunity for children with autism to learn and function in social settings. Social skills programs led by qualified professionals are greatly needed so children can develop social and play skills that can be integrated into their natural learning environments. It is also important that children be exposed to play dates and other social and community settings.

Janet Abinanti | Aug 10, 2006

At this time I am most in need of a social skills group lead by a trained professional for my son.

Linda Lichtenstein | Aug 27, 2006

I feel that there is a particular for behavior training for these special kids. I do have a family trainer but we all need continuing support particularly during vacation times.

Phyllis Saul | Sep 21, 2006

I am also in need of a social skills group for my son. He is deaf and I have not been able to find any programs with professionals that know how to sign.

Anonymous | Oct 13, 2006

The Art of Friendship, a social-skill building program supporting successful peer interactions in a safe and creative environment is the program you've all been searching for. Classes begining in Nov are avaiblabe for children 4yrs and up, on weekdays and saturday afternoons. It is led by a liacensed Speech Language Pathologist and Art Therapist at Optimal Health and Development Center in Hartsdale, NY. Through structured art and play activities, children are offered opportunities to learn, create, explore, express, and make friends.
Please call for more information: 914-428-8004 ext. 116