Autism group offers awards to teachers, students and others
Last week’s Autism Awards Dinner and Auction honored dozens of
San Benito County residents of various ages and backgrounds who are
involved in helping young people who have the complex developmental
disability.
Autism group offers awards to teachers, students and others
Last week’s Autism Awards Dinner and Auction honored dozens of San Benito County residents of various ages and backgrounds who are involved in helping young people who have the complex developmental disability.
From a fourth-grade girl who encourages her autistic cousin to play and “gives him big hugs” to a high school teacher honored for helping a student improve his participation with fellow students, approximately 70 people and organizations were recognized for their work by the Autism Parents Club of San Benito County.
“We stepped it up 100 percent this year,” said Angela Everett, one of the founding members of the club, which hosted the event at Paine’s Restaurant. “Nine years ago we were a group of moms and dads whose children had this diagnosis and we were in this little niche where we didn’t have a lot of support or programs in place. We needed to network with one another and outside our community to bring notice about autism to our community.”
The event featured a silent auction of items from local businesses and individuals, along with an auction of artwork created by autistic children.
“It was really pretty amazing to see how a lot of the businesses in town stepped up,” Everett said. “These people donated from their heart.”
According to the Autism Society of North America, autism typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in 2007 said that 1 in every 150 American children – including 1 in 94 boys – had autism.
“We have about 60 children who we know of through our club and there are 20 active families in the club, but we are certain that there are other children with autism that don’t know about us yet,” Everett said, noting that the group gives parents of autistic children “a place to connect and get ideas and support.”
The award recipients included Ladd Lane Elementary School and Applied Behavioral Consultants, which were given certificates of merit for excellence in autism programs.
The Autism Parents Club honored Jane Bambrick and Shannon Parsons with teacher awards and Marcella Harris, Jawantey Morris and Angie Pomo with distinguished service awards.
Bambrick, the autism teacher at the local Early Childhood Education Center, was recognized for her advocacy for children with special needs.
Parsons, a teacher at Ladd Lane School, was praised for creating the Kids Helping Kids program, which pairs typical-developing children with autistic children on the playground to help the latter group learn social skills and find value in friendship, according to Everett.
Spring Grove School eighth-grader Dylan Lomanto was given the honorary junior therapist award for being a source of encouragement to an autistic classmate; and fourth-grader Denae Lopez was a co-recipient of the award for “compassion and acceptance that reaches beyond that of most adults” in her relationship with her autistic cousin.
The parents club offered a number of exemplary service awards to individuals and three outstanding team awards. People were also honored with awards for innovation and dedication, and grandparents of autistic children were also feted.
Even though San Benito High School doesn’t have a formal autism program, life skills teacher Tania DeLeon was honored for her work with an autistic student who has struggled in the school system.
“All through school no one ever got it quite right with him until Tania,” said Ann Vasquez, a colleague of DeLeon’s and the person who nominated her for the award. “He’s now participating with the class and he’s so much calmer. He has a relationship with the staff and students now because Tania put together a program for him that really works. She created a routine for him so that he’s really comfortable and is being successful for the first time.”
Advocacy, Everett noted, “is a huge piece” of helping young people with autism, so recognizing the efforts of locals may encourage others to get involved – or at least have a better understanding of the disability.
“[The awards ceremony] was a great opportunity for us to educate the public about the different faces of autism because no two children are going to look the same or act the same,” she said.
The Autism Parents Club of San Benito County meets on the third Thursday of every month at Fire Station #2, 1000 Union Road at the corner of Union Road and Airline Highway. For more information, call Marcella Harris at 524-5024.
Award recipients:
Certificate of Merit for Excellence in the Autism Program
Applied Behavioral Consultants, Inc.
Ladd Lane Elementary School
Outstanding Special Education Autism Program Teacher Award
Jane Bambrick
Shannon Parsons
Distinguished Service Award in the Autism Program
Marcella Harris
Jawantey Morris
Angie Pomo
Hero Award
Jordan Orasco
Honorary Junior Therapist
Denae Lopez
Dylan Lomanto
Exemplary Service Award
Barbara Sanders
Sandy Zuniga
Steve Lucero
Linda Thompson
Dr. Susan Villa
Logan Shankle
Outstanding Team Award
Gwen Bamba, Sandy Zuniga, Maria Hernandez, Paul Shanley, Mary Smith, Nathan Larison and Susan Warner
Shannon Parsons, Linda Franklin, Clara Para, Phyllis Vasquez, Shannon Hatchett, Debi Conti, Cathy Ortega, Nathan Larison, Mary Smith, Brenda White, Susan Warner, Adam and Tara Mendolla
Jane Bambrick, Edith Merlo, Beverly Foster, Regi Lim and Lori Galvin
Innovation Autism Program Award
Shannon Parsons
Victoria Coronado
Dedication Award
Linda Franklin
Monica Ruiz
Michel Query
Angie Pomo
Paulette Cobb
Vanya Robles Davidson
Tania Deleon
David Munoz
Olivia Horn
Ardeye Velenzuela
Mary Coronado
Linday Padilla
Clarice Santiago
Meonie Miller
Recognition Award
Debbie Ventimiglia
Elvira Ramos
Tammy Eastham, school psychologist
Mary Smith, occupational therapist
Maryann Beltran
Grandparents Appreciation Award
Mary Coronado, Nathan’s grandma
Barbara Brookshire
Sher Pestino, Max’s grandma
Apple Fierro
Rose Ann Scornaienchi
Dieter and Barbara Kerl
