AHEADD.ORG | Adult Autism Support & Services

EVENTS

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Joey Travolta Film Camp in the Standard Observer

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AHEADD’s Annual National Staff Meeting held in Pittsburgh – March 10-13

AHEADD’s yearly national staff meeting is a wonderful opportunity for our staff to reconnect and share stories and ideas from their own regions. AHEADD currently operates out of 11 regions including:

Pittsburgh, PA
Philadelphia, PA
Washington, DC
Baltimore, MD
Bakersfield, CA
Albany, NY
Long Island, NY
Austin, TX
Portland, ME
Miami, FL
Raleigh, NC
Our staff has a wide range of experience in the fields of education, counseling, social work, and speech pathology. This year, Karen Boutelle returned to provide training from a coaching perspective, which allows our staff to help AHEADD students move towards independence and finding their own motivation to succeed.

The staff:




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Disc Golf with the Pittsburgh Social Group

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Mentor of the Month: Caitlin Conner

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Monthly Outing: Ice Skating at Schenley Park!

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AHEADD’s Mentor of the Month: Carey Kotulski

This is Carey’s second year mentoring with AHEADD. The time she has spent with her student has led to a true friendship, lasting beyond her time as an undergrad. Thanks for your efforts and attitude, Carey!
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Autism Education and Research Institute and AHEADD Merge Operations

AHEADD and Autism Education and Research Institute (AERI) team up. Read the article here: “Business Times Article“

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AHEADD’s Mentor of the Month: Brian Duff

Brian is a student at Carnegie Mellon and is AHEADD’s very first mentor of the month. Thank you for all of your hard work, Brian!

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2010 Winner of the AHEADD Book Scholarship: JOSEPH FLORES

On the surface, Joseph’s story appears to be a common one for families with a member on the spectrum. His positive attitude, family support, and insightfulness, however, have allowed Joseph to step outside the box and experience several “moments” of success along the journey towards adulthood. Joseph hopes to be an inspiration to others with disabilities.

Read Joseph’s essay here:

Autism is a disease that many believe makes kids and students unable to go to college, get a good job, and are forced to live the rest of their lives with family and relatives. Many people think just because a person is autistic that they can’t do a lot for themselves and will need help with everything they do in their lives. I have to say that these statements are NOT true.

I was diagnosed with autism when I was 2 ½ years old. The doctors told my parents that I may not ever talk and would most likely be institutionalized. My parents were scared about the future for both me and my brother who was also diagnosed with autism. I was non-verbal till 3 and required special tutors. They helped me with life skills, like dressing appropriately, hygiene, but mostly learning to understand how to relate to others.

When I was in pre-school a determined teacher name Jamie Taylor worked with me endlessly to get me to speak. At this point my parents started to have hoped that with the proper people and interaction with others that I could overcome my disability. My next challenge was to overcome my problems with reading. Throughout my elementary years reading and social skills were focused on. I overcame this problem thanks to my fifth grade teacher, Ms. Craine who helped me and my brother excel in reading, writing and understanding things. English and writing are still sometimes hard for me.

During middle school I was teased, punched, and had a hard time fitting in. But during my eighth grade year I started to make some friends and they eventually stopped making fun of me.

My favorite school years were in high-school. I got the lamp of knowledge 3 times. I also was on the A/B honor-roll most of my semesters. The hardest thing I still have to overcome is people and my communication skills. I was always extremely shy and was often by myself. Joining the high-school swim team gave me a group of kids I could relate to. I got more confidence in talking with people. I even lettered twice in the sport.

I met a lot of new friends and adults by participating in the Special Olympics for almost 10 years. I enjoyed playing sports year round. I was on several teams including soccer, horseback riding, ice speed skating, basketball and swimming. Swimming is my favorite sport. I even joined my community swim team during the summer months. I like it when my team cheers for me.

A lot of kids have problems. Some have broken homes and others have different disabilities. We all have the same dreams for the future. To succeed in school, get a good job, and maybe get married and raise a family. Each of us takes a different path to get there. Hard work and always trying is necessary. Getting involved with groups helps you to understand others and also shares great times. I hope my story encourages other kids with autism.

A message from Joseph:

I am grateful for the award. This will truly help me pay for college and achieve my goal. Thank you for selecting my story. I am sure there were others who also showed determination and drive. I hope to be an inspiration to others with disabilities.

Thank you to ALL applicants. This year’s decision was an extremely difficult one!


To apply for next year’s scholarship (to be awarded in July of 2011) please visit www.aheadd.org/scholarship

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AHEADD’s Art Auction: “Piece by Piece” to benefit Autism Speaks

On June 4, AHEADD sponsored its first-ever Art Auction – a fundraiser to benefit Walk Now for Autism Speaks. The auction was featured as part of the Penn Avenue “Unblurred” First Fridays gallery crawl and was located at Spinning Plate Artists’ Lofts in Friendship.

Local artists contributed some wonderful pieces, including photographs, pottery, jewelry, and paintings. In addition, some of our AHEADD students also created some artwork for the event!

In total, $1,713 was raised to benefit the walk! Walk Now for Autism Speaks takes place July 26, 2010

Special thanks are due:
Amy Matz
Carolyn Komich Hare
Rivertowne Pourhouse Monroeville
Rivertowne North Shore

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The Walk!:

Our staff painting faces in the heat!