New Autism Training Program For Parents and Community in Yuma, AZ
Bridging the gap for children with a new autism diagnosis
Parents of children with a new autism spectrum disorder (ASD) diagnosis may feel stuck and overwhelmed trying navigate how to get their child the interventions and services they need. Parents may also find that the waiting lists for specialist autism providers are longer than expected, which may cause additional frustration and confusion. Strong Beginnings, LLC is now partnering with the Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) to help bridge the gap by offering new autism trainings available to all families and community members in Yuma, AZ.
What benefits can this new autism training program provide?
According to Berenice Diaz, MEd., BCBA, LBA, one of the biggest challenges parents face after their child is diagnosed with autism is knowing exactly what steps to take next. “We do get some families who are newly diagnosed and they feel lost, they just don’t know what to do next. That is what my goal here is, to provide all these resources in one place and help guide them.” These training sessions will be a great place to learn more about which resources are available, as well as offer a starting point for parents to learn how to get started with autism intervention services.
Southern Arizona Autism Research and Resource Center (SARRC) reached out to BCBA Diaz, the owner and founder of Strong Beginnings, LLC to offer a grant-funded training and resource partnership to the Yuma community. Training topics that may be covered include:
- early characteristics of autism
- early signs of the autism spectrum
- toileting
- sleep
- behaviors
Training sessions will also offer parents and community members the opportunity to network and build connections. Families experiencing long waiting lists to get started with autism provider services can benefit from these educational training sessions by learning new skills and information, as well as by finding a sense of support and community with other parents and providers.
The importance of autism awareness training
Autism awareness training benefits parents and families of children with autism, but is also an important topic for all members of the community. Autism trainings can help community members to identify the broad spectrum of autism characteristics, which can help promote acceptance, inclusion, and compassion.
“It’s definitely not a one size fits all approach” emphasizes BCBA Diaz. It is important to understand how people with autism may respond differently to situations and their environment, and that they may also display different behaviors or mannerisms than a neurotypical person. Autism awareness trainings are also vital for police and healthcare providers to better understand how to identify the signs of autism, and also to understand how to help people with autism in community settings.
Open to the Yuma, AZ Community
Who can enroll in these new autism training sessions?
The training sessions will be available to anyone in the Yuma community.
“It’s going to be for anybody, really. Typically, we do the parent training component as part of the program here, but with the increase of intakes we’ve been getting, and with more kids being added to our wait list, we are trying to provide these trainings for those on the waiting list,” explains BCBA Berenice Diaz.
These new training sessions will be available to all families who are on a waiting list for autism services in Yuma, not just those who are waiting for services at Strong Beginnings. Trainings can also be attended by parents of children who are suspected of being on the autism spectrum, but may still be awaiting their evaluation and diagnosis.
Community members are also encouraged to attend these training sessions, especially teachers and other service providers, as well as anyone who wants to learn more about autism. “We will cover early characteristics of autism, and early signs of autism. We now see kids getting diagnosed at a very early age. So, we also encourage teachers and providers to attend, so they can learn to identify these early signs to help kids get a diagnosis, so they can receive interventions sooner.”
For many private insurances, an official autism diagnosis is required before children can be seen by specialists for autism interventions, which makes early identification of autism characteristics even more crucial to be able to access early autism services and interventions.
What to expect at training sessions
These new autism training sessions will be about one hour in length, depending on the topic, and will be free to attend. Training sessions may be virtual, or in-person, depending on a number of factors.
“Toileting is one of the big ones that I know parents want to cover. Sleep is another topic that is often requested. Behavior is another one that we have requested very, very often. But, it really depends on the needs of the parents,” states BCBA Diaz.
Strong Beginnings will be offering surveys to the community to better understand the training topics that parents and members of the community want covered.
Advice for families facing a new autism diagnosis
It is common and normal for parents of children with a new autism diagnosis to feel overwhelmed. BCBA Diaz encourages parents to approach the new diagnosis with an open mind and “to think about the abilities that their child already has.” She also emphasizes that “an autism diagnosis means that (the child) may need a special way to learn certain things” and that accessing specialist autism provider services like ABA Therapy can help children and parents learn skills to help their child with autism function as independently and successfully as possible.
Identifying and accessing resources available to parents is another great way to navigate a new autism diagnosis. Autism Speaks offers a complimentary 100 Day Kit to help parents gain vital knowledge about autism and autism resources in the days following an autism diagnosis. For families who are on a waiting list to receive specialist autism services, accessing trainings and resources available through the SARRC website can be a great way to gain knowledge and support.
Where to start
How to get started with these new SARRC/Strong Beginnings autism trainings in Yuma, AZ
Strong Beginnings, LLC is currently accepting suggestions for training topics.
The Yuma trainings survery can be found here. Strong Beginnings will help coordinate the training sessions with SARRC and will provide future session dates and information on the Strong Beginnings Facebook and Instagram page, as well as the Strong Beginnings website. Parents and community members will be able to sign up for training sessions as they become available.
The first training is scheduled for: Saturday, May 6, 2023 from 10:00am-11:30am at the Yuma County Main Library. The topic will be “Got Challenging Behavior, Now What?” and will “explore a set of evidence-based interventions and teaching strategies to replace maladaptive behavior with meaningful and functional skills to increase success.” The goal of this training is for “participants to identify key features of replacement behavior…and identify common strategies used to teach new skills.” You can sign up for this training here.
This autism training partnership is provided by grant funding from SARRC and will be available for a limited time. If you would like more information, you can reach out to Strong Beginnings, LLC at 928-782-1338 or send a message on their website contact form.
Southwest Autism Research and Resource Center also offers additional trainings and resources to families outside of this Strong Beginnings partnership. Families and providers are encouraged to check out the SARRC website to learn more about all trainings and resources available to them.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neuro-developmental condition that impacts how a person interacts and communicates with others, how they perceive their environment, the way they learn new skills and concepts, and how they behave or respond to situations. Autism is a spectrum disorder, which means it can present in a variety of ways with each person presenting a unique pattern of behavior and level of severity. Signs of autism typically appear by age 2-3, but can recognized as early as 18 months¹. According to the CDC, about 1 in 44 children have been diagnosed with ASD; it is 4 times more common in boys than in girls.²
Signs of autism can generally present as social impairments, difficulty with communication, and repetitive behaviors. Other characteristics may include intellectual disability, motor coordination difficulties, sensory processing and attention difficulties, as well as physical symptoms, including sleep-pattern disturbances, gastrointestinal issues³, seizures, and mental health challenges. While autism cannot be prevented, early diagnosis and intervention can help improve behavior, skills, and language development. Research has shown that early intervention for autism can improve a child’s overall development⁴ and can help promote positive outcomes later in life.
Author Note: Updated 13 April 2023 to include information regarding the first training session available, as well a sign-up link.
References
¹Autism Speaks. (n.d.) What Is Autism? Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://www.autismspeaks.org/what-autism
²Centers for Disease Control. (2022, March 2) Data & Statistics on Autism Spectrum Disorder. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/data.html
³Southwest Autism Research & Resource Center. SARRC FAQs. Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://www.autismcenter.org/sarrc-faqs
⁴UNC Autism Research Center. There is no debate or doubt: early intervention is your child’s best hope for the future. Retrieved February 24, 2023 from https://autism.unc.edu/resources/early-intervention/