Cedar Park & Leander - Community Impact Newspaper

Courtesy The Autism Project
Nonprofit Profile | The Autism Project
The Autism Project helps families learn more about their children’s capacity to interact with the world around them.
By Rob Heidrick
Basic childhood activities are not
always about fun and games—even the
simplest routines can help teach fundamental
skills that determine a child’s path
to adulthood. For children living with
autism, picking up life skills and behaviors
can be a significant hurdle, and their
families often rely on outside guidance
during these formative years.
The Autism Project, a nonprofit
initiative within the University of Texas
Department of Kinesiology and Health
Education, aims to further explore this
idea by hosting educational programs that
not only teach life skills to children with
autism, but also provide hands-on experience
for university students entering
health and education fields.
“In the world of autism spectrum disorders,
there’s a lot of searching and seeking,”
Director of Research Jody L. Jensen
said. “People say, ‘If there’s something
that might work, I’ll try,’ because it is so
unknown still. We do not know the cause;
we do not know why the numbers are rising;
we do not know a cure. What we do
know is that educationally, these children
have an incredible capacity to learn and
that it is interaction and time on task that
makes a big difference.”
The Autism Project offers instructional
workshops that range from three
hours to three days long, all of which are
designed to extend beyond the traditional
lecture format, Director of Programs
Pam Buchanan said.
“Parents can go to a workshop or conference
and say, ‘This is great information,
but what do I do when I pull in my driveway
and walk through the door and my
child has needs—my family has needs?’”
Buchanan said.
The nonprofit has hosted programs for
families from Round Rock, Pflugerville,
Georgetown, Waco, Huntsville, San Antonio
and other locations well beyond the
UT–Austin campus. Two workshops were
held at Blackland Prairie Elementary in
Round Rock ISD last spring, and Autism
Project volunteers have also led sessions at
Ridgeview Middle School.
Many of the programs are geared toward
the children themselves as well as their
families, helping them better understand
the behavioral and social abilities
of children affected by the disorder. The
Autism Project also leads summer camp
programs and weekend overnights, providing
children with one-on-one mentors and
allowing their parents to take an evening
for themselves.
Another central component of the
Autism Project is its focus on research,
creating opportunities for UT students
to examine the scientific mechanisms
behind the disorder. Jensen describes
the project’s academic model as “service
learning,” which provides hands-on
experience for students studying psychology,
education, pharmacy, neuroscience,
and speech, occupational and physical
therapy.
This spring, the Autism Project will
launch a new program that emphasizes
physical activity and the importance of
regular exercise. Personal trainers will
visit families at their homes twice a week
for an eight-week period, leading children
in short workout sessions.
In addition to promoting physical wellness,
Jensen also hopes the program will
give researchers insight into the effects of
exercise on behavior and mood in children
with autism.
“We’ve got some literature that says
if you can get kids with autism to be
moderately to vigorously active for 15
minutes, it really helps to settle them,”
Jensen said. “This is a low-cost, big-bang
strategy for how parents and schools
can help mediate behavior in kids who
struggle with autism.”
Buchanan said the Autism Project’s biggest
challenge is to operate all of its programs
with no salaried staff, no dedicated
instructional space and no annual budget
from the university. The initiative relies
on a minimum of $100,000 in private
funding each year to operate its current
programs, but Buchanan and Jensen have
set a goal to raise $3 million to pay for
dedicated faculty and additional assistance
from graduate students.
Buchanan said the organization is
Lotus Ob.Gyn
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Courtesy Chris Caselli
developing new programs with Eanes
ISD in Westlake this year and has also
formed a partnership with Striker Sports
in Georgetown. With the continued
expansion of the project, the need to build
up the program’s resources is becoming
increasingly important, she said.
The Autism Project coordinates overnight programs in which
autistic children spend one-on-one time with mentors.
Current and upcoming programs
offered through the Autism Project
The Autism Project coordinates a variety of
programs with families and educators to discuss
the latest information on autism and to allow
children to participate in social activities.
“It’s not a classroom structure,” Director of
Research Jody L. Jensen said. “We try to use the
typical activities of childhood, but provide greater
structure. We continue to work on language skills,
behavioral skills, social skills, transition skills.”
• Presentations and workshops at education
centers and schools throughout Central Texas
• Overnight programs in which children are
matched with mentors and participate in
activities while their parents take a night off
• Summer day camps with group playtime
• Physical fitness sessions in which personal trainers
visit children in their homes for short workouts
• Proposed after-school program with the Austin
Dog Alliance in which animals would visit children
• Planned partnership with Striker Sports in
Georgetown in which the Autism Project will
offer programs in a new athletics facility
For ideas on how to get involved, visit
www.autism-society.org.
The Autism Project
232-1715 • utap@austin.utexas.edu
www.edb.utexas.edu/utap
SAIMA JEHANGIR,
MD, MPH, FACOG
I-35
University Blvd.
Exit 256
Lotus Ob.Gyn
Seton Center Pkwy.
CR 112
FM 1460
301 Seton Parkway, Ste. 407
Round Rock, TX 78665
512.716.0971
www.lotusobgyn.com