What exactly do you do?
Currently, our program aims to help people touched by autism in several ways, directly and indirectly.
First, we have a resource library housed at the Autism Institute @ Bethel College (AIBC) for parents to use. By checking out books or videos, parents who utilize our library experience reduced costs to gain knowledge to help their child (raising a child with a disability such as autism can entail enormous costs). Available on campus at the Bethel College library are several excellent offerings as well. See our books and videos page for more details.
Second, our building is used by extremely qualified area professionals (at this time a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, or “BCBA”, and a Speech Language Pathologist, or “SLP”) that contract individually with the parents to treat their children.
Third, regular parent support group meetings occur at the AIBC on the first Tuesday of every month. The AIBC provides the space and publicity, but the parent support group is coordinated and conducted by our parent representatives. The support group is a place where parents and grandparents can meet one another, support one another, laugh with one another, and cry with one another. The leadership takes a positive approach and uses laughter as a very useful coping tool. Each session has a topic which should be of interest to those with children or grandchildren on the spectrum. These parents have a wealth of knowledge about autism that they enjoy sharing with others.
Fourth, the Assistant Director is available to help individuals learn more about autism. She can help individuals learn about useful and trusted websites, well-researched intervention strategies, controversies concerning autism, careers in working with individuals with autism, etc. Family members, professionals, and students are welcome to ask questions about autism and we are happy to help however we can.
Fifth, we coordinate to present free or low cost trainings for area family members, professionals, students, and other interested parties concerning autism related issues. Many individuals in rural West Tennessee do not have the means to travel to Nashville, Kentucky or California for information and training, so we are going to do our best to bring the information to West Tennessee!
Are you experts in autism?
We do not claim to be experts in autism. Each person involved at the AIBC has been touched by autism either personally or professionally, and has had some experience with children with autism. We all are passionate about what we do and about reaching out to help others. We want to do everything we can through the AIBC to be facilitators. We strive to help parents and children thrive, to help professionals and families to become more hopeful about outcomes for individuals on the spectrum, to help others learn about current information about autism, and to expand programming for individuals on the spectrum.
What is your mission statement?
The Autism Institute at Bethel College strives to impact those living with and affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders. The Autism Institute offers learning experiences to Bethel students of all majors. Functions include increasing Autism awareness, facilitating compassion and understanding as well as providing supports for the lives of those touched by Autism. The leadership intentionally chooses mechanisms by which the intellectual, spiritual, social, and physical needs of those who are touched by the Institute may be addressed (children with Autism, families and friends of individuals with Autism, Bethel undergraduate and graduate students, as well as Bethel faculty and staff).
Are your parent representatives paid for their efforts at the AIBC?
No. These parents do all they do because they desire to help others in similar situations.
Is there any cost for your services?
Individual parents pay their own professionals and paraprofessionals who work with the child at the AIBC. In addition, parents who belong to the AIBC cooperative association pay a small fee to the AIBC for the use of the building and the coordination of the professionals by the AIBC staff. AIBC trainings are either low-cost or no-cost. All other programming is available at NO COST.
Are there any job openings at the AIBC?
No. At this time we only have one part time position (Assistant Director). The Director of the Pilot Project only worked part time as well, serving in her capacity as one-fourth of her time as full-time faculty member in the psychology department at Bethel College. The incorporated parent organization, the Bethel Autism Cooperative, is now filling that role through parent volunteers. We do hope to grow in the next two years in ways which will require new positions to be created. Hopefully this growth will include a full-time position so that the parents may focus their energies toward their individual children and also, to their own health and well-being..
How is Bethel College funding this venture?
The building which houses the AIBC was already in use by the Renaissance program as a dressing room during performances. The transformation of the building from a large changing room to the AIBC involved two months, generous donations from Champion Homes, wonderful and dedicated volunteers, donations from area parents and interested community members, and many hours of painting and trimming!
Supplies for the children have been provided thus far mainly by the parents involved in the program and/or their close friends or family members.
We hope to expand our program this summer to include a social skills day camp, for which we would love to receive donations. We are also actively seeking grants in order to fund other future expansion.
Lakewood Elementary in Paris Assistant is planning a fundraiser for April which will benefit the AIBC.
Does Bethel pay for the children’s intervention which occurs at the AIBC?
No. Parents contract with professionals (BCBA and SLP) and paraprofessionals (tutors) to work with his or her child. The building is then used as a place for intervention to occur.
Why do you use a building for intervention rather than people’s homes? Hasn’t research shown that it is best to be intervene in the child’s natural environment?
Certainly there is voluminous research indicating that the natural environment is the most desirable place for intervention to occur, partly because it increases generalization and involves the parents.
The AIBC provides a neutral child-friendly meeting place for professionals to come to the children (rather than the children going to the professionals as had been the case before the AIBC). Thus, the AIBC helps reduce family and child stress. Because of the limitations of living in a rural area, many professionals who assist children with autism cannot travel the countryside to treat each individual child, or else their charge for doing so makes it virtually impossible to access those services. The AIBC is helping children receive help who may not otherwise get it due to time, cost and geographical constraints.
How do/will Bethel College students benefit from the AIBC?
Bethel College students will benefit greatly through learning experiences in the form of tours, informational seminars, observations, internships, volunteer opportunities, and more!
We are beginning undergraduate and graduate student observations of intervention with children who have autism in February of 2008. As faculty members express interest for their students to receive learning experiences through the AIBC, experiences are developed. Majors to begin observing in February include exceptional learning and development, psychology, human services, education, and nursing students.
We plan to expand to regular volunteer opportunities this summer. As our services expand, we hope to have an internship-type program set up for the 2008-2009 academic year for Bethel College students.
I am interested in my child receiving intervention through the AIBC. Is that possible?
Possibly. If you have concerns about your child or if you already have an autism diagnosis, we would be happy to discuss our program with you. If we cannot help you with your situation, we can hopefully steer you in the right direction! Please contact the Assistant Director, Brooke Cooper at 731-352-2603 or by email at Director@AutismInstitute.org., for more information.
