Point Loma Nazarene - "Peer Mentor Program”

In an effort to develop a more inclusive university environment, Point Loma Nazarene University is seeking to develop a peer mentor program to support students with autism.  There is a large body of research demonstrating the positive impact of peer mentors on student success, including increased overall student retention in higher education settings.

Through their Peer Mentor Program, Point Loma Nazarene seeks to improve student outcomes, such as academic success, social integration, campus/student life engagement, social skills, self-advocacy, etc.  Peer mentors are able to help familiarize students with higher education norms and institutional systems (Minor, 2007). In addition, peer-to-peer relationships provide students with opportunities to learn from a mentor who can help navigate the expectations, requirements, and procedures within academic departments on campus.

This program would provide training to mentors, and pair them with students to meet throughout the school year at least 1 x per week.  In addition, the development of the Peer Mentor Training Manual will also serve as a final product to be used and revised in the following years.

This NFAR funded initiiative will serve 20 students with autism.

San Diego Autism Society - “Camp I Can”

Camp I Can is a summer day camp for autistic children and teens, ages 6 to 17 years old, in San Diego County.  The camp is held Monday through Friday from 9am until 3pm at Toby Wells YMCA in San Diego or Ecke YMCA Encinitas.  It is their goal to offer this unique opportunity to as many different children and teens as possible.

Participants are those that generally aren’t able to particpate in traditional summer camps due to their need for supervision.  In San Diego County, there are limited autism specific, summer camp programs available to families that are cost affordable. For many families and their children, this is the one and only opportunity for successful participation in a summer recreation program in San Diego. The Camp provides opportunities to learn, play with peers and interact with the world around them in everyday settings. The Camp serves 110 campers.

TERI Inc. and SDSU - “Preparing for Transition: Learning to Navigate as an Adult”

The process of transitioning from high school to the adult community can create anxiety in many students with ASD who may not be cognizant of or looking forward to this life-change. The purpose of this project is to prepare them for the workplace prior to this transition.

Up to 8 students will receive coaching regarding how to identify their own goals, the skills required to achieve them, and the path needed to get there. They will meet 90 minutes weekly for 12 weeks, in a small group setting working with board certified behavior analysts (BCBAs) trained in the Facing your Fears protocol and behavioral strategies along with speech-language pathologists (SLPs) trained in pragmatic language and overall communication skills (oral and written).

At the end of the program, particpants will have the following: resume review and update , Interview strategies, use of electronic media, including emails and tests, communication topics, self-advocacy options and a sense of employability.

Vista Hill, Stein Education Center - “Stein Education Center Supplemental Therapies for Students with Autism”

Vista Hill's Stein Education Center is one of the first private special education school settings in San Diego for students with Autism. Today, our special education campus is State certified to provide individualized special education services to children, teens, and young adults with intellectual/developmental disabilities or severe emotional disorder.

Our ancillary services, such as music therapy, animal therapy, and art therapy provide enrichment and healing to the students, including improved cognition, sensorimotor, speech and language, and leadership skills.  The program serves 52 students.

Positive Action Community Theatre (PACT) - “Performing Arts for Autism”

Performing Arts for Autism consists of 3 inter-related projects: our workshops, our traveling theatre troupe, and our vocational training. The overall purpose of this program is to utilize the performing arts to improve the wellbeing of people with autism, and empower them to develop their potential and lead self-determined lives.

PACT provides four 8-week cycles of improv theatre workshops and performing arts (singing and dance) workshops on Saturday afternoons. The objective of their workshops is to provide a supportive, highly motivating environment where skills such as group collaboration, turn taking, cognitive flexibility, listening and responding within context, perspective taking, problem solving, critical thinking skills, self-advocacy skills, and defining personal space can be learned and successfully applied.

PACT is a small organization that seeks to make life-changing differences for those they serve through on-going workshops and a long term place to belong. With NFAR funding, PACT seeks to serve 45 teens and young adults with autism.