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A Capital Campaign for the RECREATION COMPLEX

Expanding recreation activities available at The Els Center of Excellence® campus.

Recreation Complex

Mental Health and Autism

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by Merrick Egber

It is important to know that everybody in this world has different struggles that they deal with, whether it be stress, anxiety, depression, mental illness, a disability, etc. Even people who look to be the most invulnerable have had to struggle. Even if you think that you’re alone, there is always someone out there who may have the same things you have, who may feel the same pain you feel. While we may be very different from one another, we all share the experience of being human.

I, myself, am of no exception. While I’m writing for the blog as a self-advocate, have had a healthy childhood, and am currently living independently, I feel a lot of regrets, enough to not understand why I would even be considered a “role model.” There have been times in which the intensity of my behavior, a need for impulse control, my severe depression, OCD, and my anxiety would lead to the conclusion that I wouldn’t want anybody to be me. It is difficult living with Asperger’s Syndrome, to interpret conversation in so many ways, to take everything so personally, even online relationships, and to not even know where to begin to start a relationship but to hold it up as a key to melting down everything.

Sometimes I wonder if I was blessed or cursed with autism. Certainly, it makes me who I am, as it does for so many people. It explains me in a way that I can only get, but it shouldn’t explain me entirely. I would wish that I could see my condition as being a gift, as others may see, and I would wish that I wouldn’t have all of these regrets weighing me down. But it is all about the experience of being human.

As May is Mental Health Awareness Month, I think it’s important to bring light to mental health struggles.

According to Els for Autism Foundation’s mental health liaisons, Dr. Kimberley Watterson-Rivieccio and Jen Smyth, approximately 25% of adults in the United States struggle with a diagnosable mental health disorder, yet only half seek treatment.

Mental health can impact your physical health, relationships, productivity and overall quality of life. It can disturb your sleep, your metabolism and ability to function at everyday tasks. The reason behind this is the stigma that remains in seeking help. In hiding our struggles, we are ignoring that we are human, that we feel and sometimes those feelings hurt. Everyone has suffered loss and everyone has felt out of control at some point in their life. When these feelings impact day to day functioning, we need to reach out, and we need to know we are not alone and that it is okay not to be okay. We need to know that there are options and that feeling better is very possible!

“Some of the most comforting words in the universe are ‘me too’. That moment when you find out that your struggle is also someone else’s struggle, that you’re not alone and that others have been down that same road”. – unknown

Onsite Services Resuming at The Els Center of Excellence

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Beginning June 1, 2020, the Els for Autism Foundation will resume select on-site programs and services at The Els Center of Excellence, using a phased approach. Programs returning in-person include speech therapy, ABA therapy, early intervention services, and the Adult Day Program.

The health and safety of our clients, visitors, and staff remains a top priority. The Els for Autism Foundation is following all recommended guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), implementing policies and procedures for a safe return to campus. Precautions include health checks prior to entering the building, social distancing, facial coverings, hand washing, and additional disinfecting and sanitation procedures.

Els for Autism will continue to offer many programs and support services virtually, including Telehealth services, Job Club for ages 18 and up, individual and group mental health services, recreation services for ages six and up, and support groups for caregivers, adults, and siblings of all ages.

Moving and Groovin’ Summer Camp, a camp for individuals ages 6-21 years old with autism or a developmental disability, will be held virtually this year. Campers will take part in a variety of fun activities from the comfort of their home. Participants will be divided into two different age groups, with each group meeting two afternoons per week from June 15-July 24, 2020. There are a limited number of spaces available. To learn more or register, please contact Kelley Coutts, Recreation Services Coordinator at kelley.coutts@elsforautism.org

As the Center slowly reopens, the Els for Autism Foundation will continue to monitor the COVID-19 pandemic and CDC recommendations. If you have any questions, contact: Dr. Marlene Sotelo, Chief Operating Officer at 561-625-8269 or marlene.sotelo@elsforautism.org

Visual Supports For #GameON AUTISM™ Golf Program

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Here are resources for you to use when teaching your child golf:

Station Signs

Rules to Remember

SocialStory

Schedule Cut Outs

FullSwing

CommentingBoard

For more #GameON AUTISM™ Golf resources, visit our Resource Library.

 

What are Visual Supports?

Visual supports are concrete cues that provide information about an activity, routine, or expectation and/or support skill demonstration. Visual supports can provide assistance across activity and setting and can take on a number of forms and functions. These include but are not limited to: photographs, icons, drawings, written words, objects, environmental arrangement, schedules, graphic organizers, organizational systems, and scripts.

(Wong, C., Odom, S. L., Hume, K. Cox, A. W., Fettig, A., Kucharczyk, S., Schultz, T. R., 2014).

Q&A with Megan Weinberger

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By Merrick Egber

 

Megan Weinberger, President of Rescue Life, an animal shelter organization, has played a vital role in the implementation of two of the Foundation’s new programs: The Adult Day Training (ADT) Program and Canine Connections.

Through the ADT Program, autistic adults go into the community to learn new skills and practice old ones. When they go out to Megan’s farm, they learn about the animals there, clean the equipment and groom the animals, with Megan helping every step of the way.

Through the Canine Connections program, autistic individuals learn how to take care of, and build relationships and values with dogs, primarily through the process of walking dogs. It builds up social skills and relationship values through this kind of experience that is helpful when out and about.

I was able to connect with Megan to ask her about her past experiences with animals, history with special needs individuals, and what it is like helping people out with our programs.

 

What were your earliest experiences with dogs? My family has rescued dogs since before I was born.  We have had dogs since I can remember.  Our first three were Buffy & Tuffy both Poodles and Sunshine a beautiful Black Lab.

What did they teach you? Dogs have taught me to care about others that need help.  Dogs can’t fill up their own food or water bowl.  We have to care for them.  Dogs give unconditional love and never judge.  We can learn a lot farm animals.

 I’ve read that you’ve committed your work to organizations involving animals….How did you get involved?  Growing up my family rescued many animals.  My mom and dad started a Humane Society in our garage.  The town we lived in did not have an animal shelter.  Having a sister with Special needs I saw first hand how healing animals were for others.

 Have you had any prior experiences with individuals with ASD? What about therapy animals? My parents adopted my sister Louise & Kristi.  Louise was born with Down Syndrome.  We always held handicapped horse back riding classes at our farm in Fort Lauderdale.  We use donkeys, horses, pigs, cats, dogs and even a Goose named Quackers for therapy at the farm.

How did you get in touch with the Foundation?  I had been taking dogs to the Renaissance School [The Learning Academy] for a few years.  I was also involved with the committee for Liezl’s Tea Party.

When auditing the dogs for Canine Connection, what dogs did you pick for the program itself?  After we rescue a dog we will see how their temperament is in many situations. If we feel the dog would be a good fit to take to schools we then begin a long training process.  The dogs learn basic commands and then go onto more serious training.

What is the biggest reward of the Canine Connection Experience? We feel very honored to bring the dogs to the Center.  We all love getting to know the students, teachers and even family members.

Has it taught you anything new about dogs?  Every time we visit the Center we learn a little something new about the dogs.  Maybe one was curious from a noise they heard and we re-directed the dog to sit or stay so they can learn that new sound.

What has it taught you about people with ASD?  We have learned they are very good dog trainers.

What have you seen from individuals enrolled in the Canine Connection program after they’ve spent sometime with it?  The individuals get to know the dogs names, personalities and some even know if a dog doesn’t like something they will share it with their peers.

If you had to tell anyone about the Program what would you say? I would say it is an amazing program and they should tell their friends to come and meet the dogs.

For this Autism Awareness Month, it is crucial to recognize those individuals making a difference for the autistic community, like Megan Weinberger. Thanks Megan for all of the good work you’ve been doing!

 

April is Autism Awareness Month

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April is Autism Awareness Month and we don’t want to miss out on this opportunity to celebrate all of the amazing people we love with autism.

We invite you to follow us on social media, where we plan to share uplifting messages that shine a light on people with autism.

Your support is ever so valuable right now and we hope you will join us in spreading autism awareness this April.

 

April Fundraising Initiatives

Bobby Jones Giveback

Wear your heart on your sleeve when you shop Bobby Jones’ collection of polos and pullovers, featuring the Els for Autism logo on each sleeve. Use code “E4A” to receive 20% off of your order, and 20% of your total purchase will be donated to Els for Autism. The offer expires Sunday, April 26.

Click here to purchase

 

Puma Giveback

Puma will donate a percentage of proceeds with any purchase of PWRADAPT CAGED shoes to the Els for Autism Foundation. Additionally, they will pack an Els for Autism ribbon pin in each shoebox during the month of April to create Els for Autism awareness.

Visit the Puma Website

10 Tips to Keep You Safe During the COVID-19 Outbreak

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In these challenging times, we are all navigating through uncertainty for ourselves, our loved ones and our community. We have compiled 10 tips you can follow, to help you stay healthy and safe during the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) situation.

Beware of Internet Scams

There are all kinds of online scams related to the Coronavirus, including malware and phishing web sites, which push their information through social media, emails perceived as legitimate sources, and other forms of contact. One of the most common is a live tracker web site that pretends to know where the virus is. Avoid all of these at all costs!

Try a Calming Activity

Don’t stress yourself out! It is good to keep up to date on the Coronavirus, and to read these safety tips, of course, but you shouldn’t lose sleep, literally, or mental composure about it. Take a break from the Coronavirus by enjoying activities that take your mind off of it, relaxing from reading new stories about it, or, if it really affects you, talk to people close to you about how you’re feeling.

Keep Your Distance

Make sure to stand 6 feet away from anybody who you’ll see, in a practice of social distancing it will mean that you will not get into any close contact with anyone around you.

Clean, Clean, Clean!

Clean the surfaces of anything that you use frequently, to reduce risk of exposure. The best way to disinfect your phone is to clean it with a disinfecting wipe that has at least 70% alcohol. (See CDC recommendations for disinfecting hard surfaces)

Try “Jazz Hands”

When greeting someone, use “Jazz Hands”, “Elbow Bumps” or take bows in appreciation of one another.

Practice Social Distancing

Stay home if you can and avoid gatherings of more than ten people.

Proper Hand Washing

Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially after being in a public place, or after blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing. If soap and water are not readily available, use a hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol.

Watch Your Hands

Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands.

Think Ahead

Contact your healthcare provider to ask about obtaining extra necessary medications to have on hand in case there is an outbreak of COVID-19 in your community and you need to stay home for a prolonged period of time.

Practice Good Health Habits

Get a good night’s sleep. Exercise. Drink plenty of fluids. Eat nutritious food. Take vitamins.

 

For the latest updates and up to date resources on COVID-19, visit CDC.gov.

A Message From Els for Autism Regarding COVID-19

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We hope you are all doing well amidst this challenging time in our world. The coronavirus (COVID-19) is on the top of everyone’s minds right now and we wanted to take a moment to share how Els for Autism is responding to the situation.

Our top priority remains the health and safety of our staff, clients, and visitors. In an effort to “flatten the curve” and practice social distancing,  The Els Center of Excellence campus will be closed through March 27th .  During this closure, Els for Autism staff will be working from home, helping to ensure there are minimal disruptions to the delivery of our mission.

We understand that this time of uncertainty can be difficult, especially to those on the spectrum, and we are grateful to our staff who are working diligently to provide remote services to our clients and families to keep routines and interventions as typical as possible.

We are working through our schedule of fundraising activities and rescheduling events as appropriate. If you have registered for an upcoming event, please look out for a separate announcement with information on rescheduling.

Despite these changes, we remain dedicated to our mission of helping people with autism fulfill their potential to lead positive, productive and rewarding lives. During these next two weeks, we will continue monitoring the coronavirus (COVID-19) and adapt accordingly, reaching out and relaying status updates to keep you informed.

Thank you for your support and understanding. We are in this together and we wish you peace and good health during this difficult time.

 

COVID-19 Information and Resources

We understand that this time of uncertainty can be difficult, especially to those on the spectrum and their families. We are excited to offer virtual services for our clients and families to keep routines and interventions as typical as possible. Additional resources will be added to this page to help you navigate this time.

View virtual services & resources

College and the Shore: My college experience – review of “College for Students with Disabilities: We Do Belong” 

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Society tends to overvalue college as a necessity. We constantly hear about student debts, tuition costs, and about getting a great degree, but in a job market that turns that degree holder into a McDonald’s employee.  Yet, for many people, college has an unique cultural identity unmatched by the outside world, with guarantees of some form of a future. Having a degree is helpful for the careers of someone with autism—one of my professors claimed to have had it, and that many of his fellow professors have it too.

A keynote speaker for the Autism At Work Summit was a Professor of Special Education at Adelphi University by the name of Stephen Shore, who worked on a book in 2015 called “College for Students with Disabilities: We Do Belong”, a series of stories of different disabled groups and individual anecdotes about how tough it can be to survive from childhood to getting to college to working, with any disability. Intellectual, physical and mental disabilities are all profiled in this book, and it was decided that I intersperse my reading of the book in chronicling my educational pathway. In order to do so, I must also give a little pre-Collegiate history….

I got proper accommodations going through my public high school, only because my parents fought for those changes to be made. When my writing became illegible, I was allowed use of a word processing machine from the Special Education Department, and my parents were allowed to pick teachers that suited me after horrible class time with a horrible teacher. I even got accommodations related to where I could eat lunch, since the cafeteria is terrible for people with autism—too much noise, too many people. I was able to take that time to study.

My requirement to go to college was to go through a transition program called Academic Success, which doesn’t exist anymore. In Shore’s book, a representative from the transition program: College Living Experience, directed by 20 year veteran Kelly Miller of The Bridges of Adelphia Program, had a chapter in the book. A transition program is meant to give students with disabilities an understanding of what people expect from you in college, while helping set up proper accommodations in case the student needs extra help in anything. While it wasn’t perfect, the program may have helped me a lot in getting used to the college life.

After I left the transition program while moving on with college, I ended up doing the accommodating more than being accommodated for. I signed up at the Student Accessibility Services Office at Florida Atlantic University to help out a fellow student with a learning disability as a note taker. The biggest lesson in reading Shore’s book was a little gesture like being a note taker is so undervalued when helping people with disabilities. We often take for granted what can help the disabled population, and some of us would prefer to take the easy route of not analyzing supports systems or not considering college in the future of a disabled person.

Would I recommend the book? We like to think of this generation of people as being the most tolerant and accepting of others, but, obviously, in these institutions of higher learning, which also seek to prove themselves as being tolerant and open to all kinds of people, sometimes this ugly nature of sneering at people’s differences and treating them as invisible can still happen. It is more than a book about college but a cultural expose and thought piece too. Compelling underdog stories of students from all walks of life who seek to show that anyone is able to go to college and plan their future in the way they seek it, overcoming adversity wherever it may be. My answer is: Yes!

 

Celebrating 10 Years of the Els for Autism Golf Challenge 2011 – 2020

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2020 marks the 10th year of the Foundation’s largest fundraising activity, the Els for Autism Golf Challenge. The first nine years of the Golf Challenge brought the Foundation $24.6 million! Looking back to the beginning, Liezl Els, Co-Founder and Managing Director, was asked whose idea was the Golf Challenge?  She responded, “It was a combination of Ernie, Susan Lampl, and me. Golf was our life, so it was always going to be the natural way for us to raise money.”

Mark White, the first Els Cup Winner.

In 2011, the first Golf Challenge was comprised of 30 tournaments, all in the U.S. In 2012, one location in Canada was added and more the following years. The kick-off tournament was held at the PGA National Champions Course in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. That first year, Mark White’s team was the very first Els Cup winner, fundraising $50,284. “The first few years of the Golf Challenge were heavy lifting and we could not have done it without the support of many grassroot teams,” said Liezl, “We were educating people on what autism was and we were asking people to fundraise for a dream, a vision of what The Els Center of Excellence could be.”

In March of 2014, the story changed with the ground-breaking ceremony, which marked the start of the construction of The Els Center of Excellence campus. “Many of our main Golf Challenge supporters came to the groundbreaking ceremony,” said Liezl, “With land purchased and architectural designs in place, we could finally demonstrate what the Golf Challenge fundraising efforts were accomplishing. The vision became real.”

In addition to recognizing the highest fundraising teams each year at the Grand Finale, the Foundation established the $100,000 Club to acknowledge the teams hitting this milestone.  As of 2019, two teams – Team Lucas Steps and Tanner’s Team – both have raised over $300,000!

Before the auditorium building, two education wings, golf facility, Sensory Arts Garden, and pavilion were opened on the campus, the Grand Finale took place in Las Vegas (2011 – 2016). In 2017, the Grand Finale moved to Palm Beach, as it was important for the Golf Challenge qualifying teams to be able to experience the campus .“We couldn’t be prouder to showcase The Els Center of Excellence to the Golf Challenge family of supporters.” said Liezl, “Developing programs and services to help individuals and families impacted by autism is what our Foundation stands for and we thank the Golf Challenge family for enabling us to make this happen on a local and international level.”

 

Register for the 2020 Golf Challenge here

 

2019 Autism at Work Summit East/Fall

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In October, the Els for Autism Foundation ™ hosted the 2019 Autism at Work Summit East/Fall at The Els Center of Excellence ™ campus in Jupiter, FL. The summit was sponsored by SAP, EY, DXC Technology, JPMorgan Chase, and the Olitsky Family Foundation.

Launched in 2016, the Autism at Work Summit supports SAP’s vision to provide for a more neurodiverse workplace. The objective has been and continues to be – creating a collaboration platform for private and public sectors, academic/educational institutions, civil societies, sports and entertainment leaders, philanthropists and members of the community at large.

10-year-old Sami Gershenhorn opened the 2019 Autism at Work Summit with a piano performance that showcased his musical talent. Sami is diagnosed with autism.

While the current national unemployment rate in the United States is just below 4%, this rate stands at 85% for individuals on the autism spectrum.  The summit was a significant opportunity for participants to engage with leaders across multiple sectors, advancing career options for job candidates on the autism spectrum.

The statistics speak to the energy and drive of the event:

  • 290 onsite attendees from 15 countries
  • 60 Participants with Autism
  • 21 Speakers and Panelists with Autism
  • 10 K-12 Education Institutions
  • 42 Higher Education Institutions
  • 6 U.S. Government Organizations
  • 72 Enterprises – Small, Medium, Large
  • 56 Non-profit Organizations
  • 54 Ecosystem Companies
  • 7 Philanthropists
  • 18 local Jupiter, Florida businesses, many who are Els for Autism Foundation Employer Partners, participating in the Employer Expo and Reception

The East/Fall summit expanded the scope from previous summits to include content highlighting employment across ability levels and industries, from self-employment/entrepreneurship to professional and non-professional jobs.