San Diego CA— National Foundation for Autism Research (NFAR) has awarded $5,000 to the San Diego Center for Children to fund the launch of its ASD Thrive Program for children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and their families at the Center’s Family Wellness Center.
ASD Thrive is designed to help meet the mental and behavioral health needs of San Diego County adolescents with ASD especially those from low-income households, and to strengthen their families through education, support and skills training. This emphasis distinguishes ASD Thrive from other programs, who primarily focus on behavioral therapy for the child.
The Center’s program model will support families, providing them each with 12 sessions of family therapy interspersed with 48-hours of skills training. Adolescents will receive 48-hours of Applied Behavior Analysis focusing on three adaptive skills (social, self-advocacy or communication, and one coping skill) per participant. Anticipated outcomes include improvements in: adaptive skills among children and adolescents; parenting skills among parents and caregivers; improved mental health and behaviors; and reduced family stress.
Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the U.S., and one of the most critical issues of our time. Approximately 1 in every 59 children in the United States has autism or a closely related disorder.
ASD Thrive fulfills an unmet community need to support adolescents with ASD and their families, especially those struggling with co-morbid mental health issues. As autism awareness continues to grow, more and more children will be assessed and diagnosed early and require effective, ongoing treatment. Additionally, more families will require support and guidance to help their child flourish.
The Family Wellness Center was built in response to the growing challenges that families have in accessing appropriate and timely therapeutic services for their children with mental, emotional and behavioral disorders. The focus of the Family Wellness Center is to support and empower families of all backgrounds by increasing access to a broad range of quality integrated care, including mental and behavioral health, education, skill building, and advocacy.
The San Diego Center for Children, founded in 1887, is the oldest children’s nonprofit in San Diego. The Center provides therapeutic care, specialized education and critical life skills to more than 1,000 children and their families in eight locations and hundreds of homes across the county.
NFAR’s mission is to help in the development, expansion and support of autism programs and services that improve the quality of life for children and young adults with autism.