Dinner and auction allow families to thank others for their
support
Members of the Autism Parents Club of San Benito County honored
more than 50 people at the third annual Autism Awards dinner and
auction April 2. Some of those honored included teachers, aides,
special education staff, siblings, grandparents and more.
”
We go back and forth with schools about services and what is
needed on an IEP (Individualized Education Program),
”
said Victoria Coronado, president of the club.
”
This is a chance to thank them for what they do and thank those
who give services to our kids
– aides, those who go unrecognized such as school bus drivers,
coaches.
”
Dinner and auction allow families to thank others for their support
Members of the Autism Parents Club of San Benito County honored more than 50 people at the third annual Autism Awards dinner and auction April 2. Some of those honored included teachers, aides, special education staff, siblings, grandparents and more.
“We go back and forth with schools about services and what is needed on an IEP (Individualized Education Program),” said Victoria Coronado, president of the club. “This is a chance to thank them for what they do and thank those who give services to our kids – aides, those who go unrecognized such as school bus drivers, coaches.”
Coronado first got involved in the Autism Parents Club when her son Nathan, now 7, was diagnosed with autism at 3 years old.
“I didn’t know where he would be in kindergarten,” said Coronado, of the initial diagnosis. “He has been mainstreamed in a regular classroom with an aide, but I still don’t know how he will look in high school. It’s all about building blocks now so he will be able to be better.”
One of the goals of the annual awards banquet is to recognize the many people involved in helping local kids with an autism spectrum disorder.
Many of the families honored more than one person, as many of the children work with a team of supporters.
Coronado said Nathan has two teachers at school, where he is mainstreamed in a first-grade class at Ladd Lane, as well as a one-on-one aide, a resource specialist, a case manager, an occupational therapist, a speech therapist, three aides who work with him at home and others.
“I think it’s just being a parent – you are overwhelmed,” she said. “If I was not taking him to speech therapy, I would be taking him to different things.”
Even Nathan’s leisure activities are all in the pursuit of helping him gain communication and social skills, said his mother, who added that he is involved in gymnastics at USA Sports, where she said the staff works with Nathan and other autistic children. He also is involved in horseback riding as part of his occupational therapy.
“The fun stuff is chosen because it helps him with his sensory issues,” Coronado said.
New categories at the banquet this year included awards for siblings coaches and buddies.
“They need to be around normal developing children so they can learn from them – communication and social skills,” Coronado said.
Nathan and his family recognized his friend Chris Beltran, a first-grade student at Ladd Lane, for one of the buddy awards because he is Nathan’s first “at-school friend.”
“Chris has chosen to be Nathan’s friend all on his own, without any prompting from school staff or aides,” Coronado wrote, in the awards program.
She said Nathan’s friendship with Chris even keeps him interested in going to school some days.
“We say, ‘Don’t you want to see Chris?’ and he goes, ‘Yes,'” Coronado said.
The group also recognized siblings for the first time.
“It seems like they are more tolerant with their brothers and sisters on the spectrum,” Coronado said. “They (the kids with autism) might get away with things; they might have more tantrums. And the siblings might not be able to have friends over because of the disability.”
In the coaches category, those honored ran the gamut from a high school physical education teacher to home consultants to an art teacher.
Other awards were given for outstanding teacher in the autism program; outstanding team in the autism program; distinguished service in the autism program; the advocacy in action; and the grandparents award.
“Sometimes we feel isolated by the autism,” said Coronado, of thanking especially supportive grandparents. “We can’t go to families’ houses or out in the community. It’s really good when they are understanding and make accommodations.
“A lot of the kids are on special diets so they hide food from the kids that can’t have the food.”
That same feeling of acceptance is one of the reasons many parents get involved in the Autism Parents Club.
“It’s about building resources and networking,” said Coronado, who sought out the group shortly after her son’s diagnosis. “We can find out what services are out there – what people have tried. What works and doesn’t work. It’s just a great sense of understanding.”
The families involved in the local chapter of the Autism Parents Club have children ranging from ages 3 to 22.
“We go from Asperger’s to high-functioning autism to severely autistic,” Coronado said. “I benefit from hearing parents of older kids. I hear what they came from and tried. I’ve been a member since [Nathan] was 3 and now he’s 7. But I see parents come in with a 3-year-old and they have newer, up-to-date information. They come to us for help and end up helping us as well.”
The dinner serves the dual purpose of honoring those who help the families, as well as raising money so that members of the group can attend conferences on autism.
“One reason we fund raise is we are paying for members to attend those conferences,” she said.
For more information on the Autism Parent Club of San Benito County, visit www.php.com/support/autismsanbenito or call 408-727-5775, or call Coronado at 801-4996. The next meeting of the club is May 20, at 7 p.m., at the Hollister Fire Station No. 2, 1000 Union Road.
