Families Of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders United and Supported Held at the PURNELL SUPPORT CENTER in old town Lewisville136 W. Purnell Street, Lewisville, TX 75057 Handouts are located at the bottom of this page. The Lewisville ISD Special Education Department presents a series of evening events dedicated to assisting families of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Each evening will consist of three programs presented simultaneously and designed to educate and support families of children with ASD: the Autism Presentation Series, the Social Skills Groups, and the Sibling Group. All programs will begin at 6:30 p.m., end by 8:00 p.m., and will be held at the Purnell Support Center in Lewisville. FOCUS is open to families with children who receive Special Education services under the category of Autism and who reside within Lewisville ISD. Please refer to the enclosed information for details on each program. All programs are free of charge.
Registration is required every month. Registrations will be accepted until 4:00 p.m. the Tuesday prior to each Thursday program. To register, please call our secretary, Sally Zunkowski, at the Purnell Support Center at (469) 948-8502. The initial registration process takes approximately 10 minutes. Please indicate if you have a need for an interpreter at the presentation, and efforts will be made to obtain an interpreter. Every participant must be registered each month. Childcare will be provided by LISD staff and volunteers for children who are under six years of age. Parents are encouraged to bring their child's favorite toys and/or activities when they attend childcare. Snacks will be provided; however, if your child has a restricted diet, you may need to provide an individual snack. It will be important to alert staff of any allergies.
Facilitators: Kimberly Ward, Ph.D., LSSP Jennifer Key, Ph.D., LSSP
Staff: Suzanne Foster-Sanda, Psychology Intern Joshua Hughson, Psychology Intern
Kristen Mays, Psychology Intern Kate Stark, Psychology Intern Autism Presentation Series
This program is a lecture series for parents of children with ASD. The presentations are intended to increase understanding of various issues related to ASDs, to provide information regarding various interventions, and to empower you to be the best parent for your child. Parents must attend the presentation if their children are participating in the programs. Although children are not allowed to attend the adult presentations, childcare services are available for children under six years of age.
September 20th: Building Relations Between Home and School
Presented by: Michelle Wooten, Principal
October 4th: Bullying and the Special Needs Child: What Parents Need to Know & Do Presented by: Dr. Kenneth Shore
November 15th: Discipline and Behavioral Management
Presented by: Brooke Wallace, Interventionist
January 17th: Safety Strategies for Responding to Signs of Distress
Presented by: Christy Stone, M.A., LPC
February 21st: Communication Strategies to Foster Social Interactions
Lower Language Skills Presented by: Jennifer Storey, Communications teacher Higher Language Skills Presented by: Donna Catterton, Speech-Language Pathologist
April 4th: Summer Survival Skills
Presented by: Various community members In consideration of all participants, please direct specific questions about your child at the conclusion of the program when you can speak privately with the presenter(s). In addition, we appreciate your understanding that this is not a venue for individual complaints or child-specific feedback. If you have a personal concern, please contact Dr. Kathy Talbert, Special Education Director, or Dr. Paula Walker, Executive Director of Special Education, at (469) 713-5203 Social Skills Groups
This program provides social skills activities for children with PDD. The children are divided into groups determined by their level of functioning. The groups will utilize different methods of instruction including a structured teaching approach and teachable moments. Curriculum development and implementation is provided by Psychology Interns. Snacks will be provided; however, if your child has a restricted diet, you should notify staff and may need to provide an individual snack. Please arrive at approximately 6:25 p.m. in order to transition your child into his/her group with enough time for you to get to the parent presentation on time.
Parents and children must be registered prior to attendance each month. When registering, please let us know if there are any safety concerns in regards to your children (e.g., flight risks such as running out of rooms, aggressive behaviors including hitting or biting, sensory concerns, etc.). Sibling Group
This program provides a fun and supportive environment for siblings of children with PDD. The activities and discussions focus on the unique challenges and issues that siblings encounter due to having siblings who are diagnosed with PDD. Many times these will include both positive and negative feelings. This group is limited to siblings in Kindergarten through Fifth grades*. Psychology Interns develop the curriculum and facilitate this group. Snacks will be provided; however, if your child has a restricted diet, you should notify staff and may need to provide an individual snack.
Parents and siblings must be registered prior to attendance each month. When registering, please let us know if there are any safety concerns in regards to your children (e.g., flight risks such as running out of rooms, aggressive behaviors including hitting or biting, etc.). * If an older sibling is interested in participating or if you have any other questions or concerns, please contact Dr. Jennifer Key at (469) 948-8655 or Dr. Kimberly Ward at (469) 948-8560 to discuss concerns. |
