Check this out! This was posted today on the local newspaper's new health section online. I was really excited because it's the first time I've seen the newspaper mention my website! (And they said good things about it, too!)
I'm so excited!! (doing a happy dance!)
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Resources to help with autism available
By Deborah Austin
HealthyRockford.com
Jun 30, 2008 @ 01:00 PM
Families of children with autism have gained a critical mass of resources over the past few years in the Rock River Valley.
Those resources are support groups, spearheaded by other parents who needed help themselves and decided to do something about it. And they link families not only through networking and social support, but through their Web sites.
Through these online centers, parents and caregivers can link to dozens of longtime agencies they may never have realized could offer help for living with autism.
Another major development, the Easter Seals Autism Therapeutic School, also opened last fall in Rockford.
Now a new local resource is on the horizon. The Autism Program Service Center, funded this year by a $200,000 state grant, is slated to start rolling out services this summer at the Easter Seals Children’s Development Center in Rockford.
Here are some of the local resources.
Northwest Illinois Autism Support Group, rockfordautism.com
The Rockford-based support group’s Web site provides a wealth of resources and activities for families of children with autism.
The “Calendar of Events” link provides input on the group’s own meetings and many other local activities of interest. “Resources and Links” provides access to dozens of groups, agencies and subjects related to children with developmental challenges — from special Rockford Park District programs to guidance on navigating Individualized Education Plans. There’s also a link to the group’s Yahoo group online.
There are personal inks as well. Group members meet monthly during the school year, picnic together during the summer, swap information, e-mail back and forth and lend a sympathetic ear on the phone if someone’s having a bad day.
The Northwest Illinois Autism Support Group started about three years ago with five to 10 people. Attendance at its monthly meetings now averages 30 to 40 people — and about 60 people are in its Yahoo group online, said parent facilitator Amy Eckstrom who founded the support group.
Eckstrom, a parent of a child with autism, said she started the support group because “I needed to know what was normal and wasn’t normal. I wanted validation. I wanted to know more about autism, to know what other parents were doing with everyday challenges.”
The group holds monthly meetings from September through May, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every third Thursday of the month at the Easter Seals Children’s Development Center, 650 N. Main St. Meetings generally include speakers on relevant topics as well as a networking and social time. Free child care is offered by Easter Seals; it requires advance registration so enough qualified staffers can be on hand.
The Northwest Illinois Autism Support Group covers Boone County and all of Winnebago County and draws people from as far away as Beloit and Stockton, Eckstrom said.
There is no membership fee and attendance is free.
For more information, see rockfordautism.com .
Ogle County Autism Support Group, ogleautism.com
This support group’s Web site also provides an abundance of links to local and national agencies and programs for autism and developmental issues in general.
There’s also an archive of speakers’ presentations from past meetings.
Most members are from Ogle County but anyone is welcome, said group facilitator Corrina Milbrandt who started the group in 2006 with just a few families. These days, the group’s meetings usually include 10 to 15 families, she said. Milbrandt is herself the parent of a child with autism.
The group holds monthly meetings from September through May, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. every second Tuesday of the month at St. Mary’s Church, 220 E. Second St., Byron. Child care currently is not provided but plans are in the works, Milbrandt said.
The group also holds picnic events during the summer.
There is no membership fee and attendance is free.
For more information, see ogleautism.com or call Corrina Milbrandt.
Heartland Parent Support Group
The support group is part of the church’s Lighthouse Special Needs ministry. It is for families of special needs children of any age; about two-thirds of those who attend its meetings are autism-related families, said Heartland director of marketing Bob Lovell.
The group meets from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. the first Thursday of each month (its July meeting will be July 10). It meets at Heartland’s 1280 S. Alpine Road location in Meeting Room A146.
Free child care is provide during the meetings, Lovell said, but you need to register ahead of time so staff can plan adequately. Attendance also is free.
For more information, call the church at 815-395-8000 or visit http://rockfordautism.com/Heartland.htm.
The Autism Program (TAP) Service Center at the Easter Seals Children’s Development Center, Rockford
The center is now under development at 650 N. Main St. in Rockford, funded this year by a $200,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Human Services.
Lori Davie, coordinator of the TAP center in Rockford and herself the mother of a child with autism, said the center will offer a number of free services including:
The New Family Diagnosis Orientation, a three-week training session for families whose children have just been diagnosed with autism or who don’t know where to start with treatment. Davie already has conducted two quarterly sessions; time for the next session has not yet been announced.
Screening of children for autism if there are red flags such as repetitive behavior or communication issues (scheduled to start in late summer or early fall).
Diagnostics services with a specially trained psychologist or psychiatrist (also scheduled to start in late summer or early fall).
A Family Community Resource Room — a lending library with books, software programs, leaning aids, CDs and DVDs, with a computer and staff available to assist. The Resource Room also will provide training on such issues as scheduling, sensory issues and potty training. Davie plans to have the Resource Room open by the end of July.
A social skills group held in nine-week sessions (scheduled to start in July).
Family consultation for families who have attended the New Family Diagnosis Orientation and want to meet individually with a counselor (a startup date is not yet scheduled).
Educator/family consultation in which a clinician would visit the family’s home to help with a specific behavior (a startup date is not yet scheduled).
For more information about the TAP center or any of these programs, call Lori Davie at 815-965-6745 extension 284.
Some of the additional programs suggested or linked from local autism support group Web sites are designed for children with any developmental challenge, including autism. Costs may be involved depending on program and eligibility. Here are some of those programs.
The Easter Seals Children’s Development Center Family Support Services, Rockford
The program is for any families of children with developmental disabilities. Its offerings include consultation services, problem-solving help, early intervention family support, books and videos, sibling support and activities, and parent education and training.
The Easter Seals Children’s Development Center in Rockford is at 650 N. Main St. For more information, call 815-965-6745 or visit http://chicago.easterseals.com/site/PageServer?pagename=ILCH_family_support_main.
The Early Intervention Program
The program, funded through the Illinois Department of Human Services, is targeted toward children ages 0 through 3 who are exhibiting developmental problems.
Occupational therapy, speech therapy, behavioral therapy and other services are provided through the program to children who are found eligible.
The local Child and Family Connections office in Loves Park includes Winnebago, Boone and Ogle counties in its service area. For more information, call 815-654-6170 or visit www.acccessni.com.
Milestone, Inc.
The organization, headquartered in Rockford, provides services to children and adults with developmental disabilities. Its many services include social services to help clients reach their full potential, and respite care for qualified caregivers and family members. For more information, visit milestone.org or call 815-654-6100.
The Arc of Winnebago, Boone and Ogle Counties
The organization provides advocacy for people with developmental disabilities. Services include family support to help a child or adult be an integral part of the family, help with making guardianship choices and social skills and relationship building workshops. For more information, visit www.arcwbo.org or call 815-965-3455.
RAMP (Regional Access & Mobilization Project)
The organization advocates for and serves people with disabilities at no cost. It can help parents of children with autism as they navigate the special education and transition maze of public education, and RAMP advocates will attend school meetings with parents to provide help and support if needed. For more information, visit rampcil.org or call the Rockford office at 815-968-7467, or the Belvidere office at 815-544-8404.
STARnet
This organization, funded by an Illinois State Board of Education grant, offers free workshops to the early childhood community in Illinois. Many of its workshops are listed on the calendars of Rock River Valley area autism support groups. For more information, visit WIU.edu/starnet.
HealthyRockford.com staff writer Deborah Austin may be reached at 815-987-1352 or at daustin@rrstar.com
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