Hello you are viewing the CARD UF Gainesville online orientation. This presentation provides basic information regarding our Center and the services we provide, and is primarily for parents and caregivers of individuals with autism and related disabilities and their families, but is also informative for anyone interested in our Center. As we continue, any resources i mention, including our contact information, are available on our website at card.ufl.edu Objectives By viewing this presentation we hope you will: understand what CARD is and whom we serve; know the services we provide; and know what you can do next as well as how you can access our services. About CARD The Centers for Autism and Related Disabilities were created in order to provide services to individuals with autism and related disabilities, their families, and the professionals who work with them. The Florida State Legislature allocates funds that are administered to the seven regional centers through the Florida Department of Education. Center Locations On this slide we have a map of the state of Florida divided into 7 regions representing the service areas for each Center. There are seven centers throughout the state of Florida, each one located at a major University. The University of Florida Gainesville center provides services to the following counties in Florida, highlighted with a red oval on the map: Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, LaFayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, and Union. If you're in a different County in Florida visit our web page to find the Center that provides services to your area. What is autism? Autism Spectrum Disorder and autism are both general terms for a group of complex disorders of brain development. These disorders are characterized in varying degrees by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and restricted and/or repetitive behaviors. The specific criteria for a diagnosis of autism can be found in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, feel free to contact us for more information. Who We Serve We provide our services to individuals of any age with a documented diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder or a related disability. A related disability is defined as deafblindness (or dual sensory impairment), or a vision or hearing loss combined with another disabling condition. We also provide services to family members, community members, and professional who live and work with individuals with ASD and related disabilities. Who We Are Our staff is comprised of professionals from fields such as education, psychology, speech and language pathology, and more, each having experience working with individuals with autism. What We Do The services we provide include Individual Assistance, Technical Assistance, Training, Resource Referral, and more. The following slides will describe our services. Individual Assistance Individual Assistance is a range of consultative services to individuals with autism and their families. Our staff provides consultation in areas from toilet training, you can see in the picture a small child standing in a bathroom smiling proudly, to job preparation, and everything in between. Contact our office for more information. Technical Assistance We provide technical assistance to public, private, and charter schools, school districts, and agencies who serve individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Related Disabilities. To receive technical assistance the school, district, or agency must submit a request. Technical assistance can be requested by downloading and faxing a Technical Assistance Request Form from our website. Call our office for more information. Training We offer training to families, teachers, service providers, community members, and more. We provide training on topics such as managing challenging behavior, promoting literacy, IEP meeting preparation, and much more. The picture on this slide shows attendees seated at tables viewing a presentation participating in one of our larger training conferences. Check the events calendar on our website frequently and sign up for our e-news electronic newsletter to stay up-to-date,or submit a training request for your group. Also be sure to check our website for Spotlights on important topics, Professional Development On-Demand modules, and information about live webinars and face-to-face events. Information and Resource Referral We try to help individuals and their families connect with the resources they need such as medical professionals, therapists, and other service providers. We maintain a list of providers who provide services to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Related Disabilities. Contact our office for more information. Visual Supports We offer free consultation regarding the design and creation of visual supports for almost any purpose. Make an appointment to come to the visual supports lab in our offices in Gainesville and walk out with your visual supports in hand. Contact us by phone or email for more information. Additional Services Website Facebook page Support groups Parent Partners Community events We also provide other very important services including our website with information about Autism Spectrum Disorder as well as our events, staff, contact information, and more. We have an active Facebook page so you can connect with us or other parents and community members through social media. We have several support groups available for parents and some for other groups that vary from time to time. Contact our office to find out if we have a group or event that meets your needs. A CARD Parent Partner is a parent who has experienced firsthand the joys and challenges associated with raising a child with autism spectrum disorder, and in turn provides advice to parents who have learned their children have autism. The main goal of the parent partners is to assist families in navigating their journey sharing relevant lessons learned from their own personal experience. As part of our efforts to increase public awareness about autism and our centers we host and or participate in a number of community events including fundraisers and more. The picture on this slide shows college students running up the steps at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium for our annual Stomp the Swamp for Autism event. We also have information tables at a variety of community events and festivals. Come out and have some fun at one of our fundraisers or log in to our Facebook page to join the community today. What's Next? We hope this presentation has provided you with some basic information regarding our center and the services we provide. This can be a very overwhelming time and it helps to be as organized as possible. Here are some things you can do next. Contact our office if you have any questions. Register with and provide documentation of your diagnosis to CARD. Attend our parent orientation. Participate in some trainings or workshops to learn as much as you can. Make an appointment to create some visual supports if appropriate for your child. As you encounter questions and situations as your child grows up contact CARD for consultation or referral to the appropriate resources. Thank you very much for taking the time to view the CARD UF gainesville orientation online. If you have any questions please contact us!