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Health & Fitness

Autism Awareness Year Workshop

Attention All Children and Adults with Autism in Faith Communities

In conjunction with national autism awareness efforts, St. Pius X Church Rolling Deck Ministry is pleased to present: Including Children and Adults with Autism in Faith Communities. This event is presented by both Kim Newgass, Director of Outreach & Special Projects ASCONN/ASRC and parent of a young adult with autism, and Joe Geriak a teenager with autism!  ALL ARE WELCOME (regardless of faith, faith community, or prior knowledge of/experience with autism!!!)

Where: 310 Westfield St., Middletown CT St. Pius X Church Hall (side entrances off lower parking lot)
When: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Wheelchair accessibility and accommodations for the deaf/hearing impaired provided. Please refrain from wearing scented products to accommodate those with chemical sensitivities and allergies. Light refreshments will be served (including gluten/casein-free snacks).

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Autism is a developmental disability significantly affecting verbal and nonverbal communication and social interaction, generally evident before age 3. Also present are repetitive activities and stereotyped movements, resistance to environmental change or change in daily routines, and unusual responses to sensory experiences.

Kim Newgass and her husband have a 21 year old daughter with an autism spectrum disorder. In her work for ASCONN/ASRC, Kim has served on Connecticut State Department of Education committees, including the task force responsible for the current Guidelines for the Identification and Education of Children and Youth with Autism. Kim and her family live in the Greater New Haven area.

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This workshop is designed as a non-denominational approach to ministering to families living with autism in all of our faith communities. The workshop includes simple ideas for religious instruction and spiritual development that focus on the “how” of teaching a student with ASD.

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