OfficialKolainuMagazineFinalSpreads(with Bleeds)

FEATURED ARTICLE
A-Z AUTISM:
THE IMPORTANCE OF
ROUTINE
COUNCIL MEMBER
ANDREW COHEN
SAVES MILLIONS
FOR AUTISM
DR. ALAN KADISH
SHEMA KOLAINU’S
2016 HONOREE
DORY’S MESSAGE
FOR ASD
A SALUTE TO DR. BETTY A.
ROSA CHANCELLOR OF THE
NYS BOARD OF REGENTS

Facts about Autism
and Shema Kolainu
Autism is the fastest growing disability reported
today.
There are 24,000 new cases each year.
Only $15 million each year is dedicated to
research, compared to the $500 million for childhood
cancers, muscular dystrophy, juvenile diabetes
and cystic fibrosis, which combined are still
less common than autism.
Shema Kolainu has more than 50 students
enrolled in its school.
Through its center-based and home and community
programs, Shema Kolainu serves more than
1,000 children in all five boroughs.
Shema Kolainu does not charge tuition for any
child.
Shema Kolainu has kicked off a $12 million dollar
campaign to “Raise the Roof” and add three
more floors to the existing structure.
With children getting diagnosed with autism every
day, Shema Kolainu needs your help to support
affected children and their families.
2 | FACTS ABOUT AUTISM & KOLAINU

Shema Kolainu | Message from our Founder and President
Greetings
Another year of progress! Summer is Here!
We’ve had multiple successes with our children, grand
achievements with our staff, and visitors from all around. We
even had a visit to our school from Governor John Kasich in
the midst of his presidential campaign. Our kids had a great
time and you could see the compassion he had for them.
We believe that every child is unique and has the opportunity
to blossom and our teachers bring out the best in them.
One teacher in particular, Rivky Ismach, has done a spectacular
job with her year-long curriculum that we have opted to
highlight her and her curriculum in this issue. You’ll definitely
find her accomplishments astounding and so did we, as we
promoted her to Assistant Educational Coordinator for the
coming fall semester.
Showcased in our summer publication are the highlights from
last year’s Annual Legislative Breakfast, and some background
on our relationships with devoted public officials through the
years.
Also in this issue, we reflect on our recent interview with Dr.
Stephen Shore after a fantastic year of monthly workshops on
Autism.
At Shema Kolainu- Hear Our Voices, we strive to empower
each child to discover his or her own unique voice. This is
done through a closely monitored and individualized set of
programs, such as Art and Music Therapy, Technology Applications,
and Adaptive Physical Education. We seek out the
most educated staff, and we well as up-to-date therapies and
facilities to provide an environment where children with ASD
can thrive.
This issue of Kolainu Magazine delves into most inspiring
aspect of our work here - the daily challenges and marked
improvements of our unique students. Through support from
our caring community we are able to change the lives of children
as they reach levels of achievement previously deemed
impossible. Join us on our journey as we continue to raise our
voices for autism awareness!
Table Of Contents
Remembering the 2016 Graduates 4
Mark Levine & Brad Lander Visit Kolainu 6
Success Stories 7
Governor John Kasich Visits Kolainu 8
The Importance of Routine 9
Room 101 at Shema Kolainu 10
Andrew Cohen 1 3
Betty Rosa 14
2015 Annual Legislatve
Breakfast Recap 1 5
Dr. Kadish: Kolainu’s 2016 Honoree 17
Finding Dory’s Message for ASD 18
Interviewing Dr. Stephen Shore 20
Big Red Safety Box 22
Invitation to Donate 24
Magazine Contributors:
President: Dr. Joshua Weinstein | Editor: Evangeline Joy
Writer: Evangeline Joy | Graphic Design: Jessica Holguin
Joshua Weinstein, Ph.D., M.B.A.
GREETINGS | 3

Shema Kolainu | Graduation Class of 2016
A Graduation of
Growth at Shema Kolainu
Graduation was a colorful event to say the very
least. The children were ecstatic and proud to have
their parents there. Each class had prepared a musical
performance with the music therapist and as
you looked around each room the work that had
progressed over the year was evident.
Even the most withdrawn children seemed to be
brought out of their shells when they heard the familiar
melody and you could see their eyes light up
when they heard the happy beat and sang along.
Some of the children played instruments when
prompted and others used a microphone to sing
portions of song lyrics. One child, Zachary, chose
to play the piano. He had been gearing up for this
from the beginning of the ceremony and could be
heard exclaiming how excited he was to play the
piano.
In another classroom, all the students sang along to
a cover of the current pop song “The Story of My
Life” in which their teacher had changed the lyrics.
They all came in on the Chorus of the song to passionately
shout “The story of my life: you gave me
love, you raised me right, and now I’m grown and
I’ll keep growing. The story of my life: my teachers’
love, my friends all ‘round, oh how I’ve grown inside.
I’m growing.”
By the end of the ceremony, one parent had tears in
her eyes as she looked on lovingly at the students
and it was clear that each year, students, parents,
and teachers alike, all grow a lot more together.
4 | GRADUATION CLASS 2016 GRADUATION CLASS 2016 | 5

Shema Kolainu | Mark Levine and Brad Lander Visit Kolainu
Shema Kolainu | Success Stories
Success Stories from 2015-2016
Mark Levine and Brad Lander
Visit Shema Kolainu
Councilmembers Brad Lander and Mark Levine
Speak at Autism Workshop
As part of its parents training program Shema
Kolainu-Hear Our Voices hosts an annual workshop
for parents and autism professionals that
is funded by the NYC Council Autism Initiative.
A recent workshop featured the participation
of long-time friends of the school, City Councilmembers
Brad Lander and Mark Levine, who
witnessed the interactive nature of the workshop.
Dr. Josh Weinstein expressed his appreciation
to City Councilmembers Brad Lander and Mark
Levine for personally taking the time to see how
the workshop functions and for their overall individual
steadfast support of Shema Koainu -
Hear Our Voices and its various programs.
A note on the acheivements of Brad Lander:
“Brad Lander is extremely dedicated to the disabilities
community and was instrumental in acquiring
the funds to upgrade Brizzi Playground
across the street from Shema Kolainu, along
with many other things within Shema Kolainu
and the community that he has been directly
responsible for.” - Dr. Joshua Weinstein
A note on Mark Levine:
“Mark Levine cares for our children and families
with disabilities and is always there for them.
He is a man of steadfast character.” - Dr. Joshua
Weinstein
“Louis (age 4) had a very hard time transitioning.
He used to have a tantrum every time a transition
occurred. We created an individualized visual
schedule of his day for him to keep at his work
station and shortly after the schedule was given to
him he began to transition appropriately between
activities. He understood what he had to do in order
to get to the next activity and it made it easier
for him to accept the changes and carry them out.
Through the use of the visual schedule he was able
to do what he was supposed to and the ‘transition
tantrums’ became extinct - Esti
“Johnny (age 4) used to take a very long time eating
his breakfast. However, after we gave him a fun activity
to look forward to, he knew he had to finish
his first task in order to get to the second and this
helped him tremendously” - Simi
“With Yaakov (age 6), our activity schedule strengthened
his independent play skills. We taught him
how to complete an activity schedule and how to
get the toys himself. We built this up with task analysis
(breaking up a large task into smaller accomplishments).
We started by having a teacher play
next to him and give him reinforcement. Next, we
introduced having the teacher at a distance while
he played. The activity schedule he followed had a
picture of legos, blocks, and puzzles. He must get
each toy, play with it, and then clean it up, with a
timer to back up the activities. Now, Yaakov cleans
up and puts the toys back without being prompted.
In addition, at home he can play independently,
where as before, he needed someone present at all
times.” - the Teachers of Room 203
“Zachary (age 7) started the year exhibiting inappropriate
behaviors such as crying, throwing and
hitting. He was not interested in interacting with
others but rather was reinforced by the negative
attention he was receiving for his inappropriate
behaviors . He was always having bathroom
accidents because he would avoid going to the
bathroom throughout the day to be in control.
Behavioral toilet training was implemented to
address this problem. Now, at the end of the year,
he’s very independent, asking us to use the bathroom
and then going by himself. He is also very
social and shows emotion and affection towards
his peers and teachers continuously.” - Chany
The workshop was conducted by Dr. Stephen
Shore, and is held monthly at the Hotel Pennsylvania
which features top level professional
speakers frequently.
Check our website for a schedule
of our monthly workshops!
6 | COUNCILMEMBERS VISIT KOLAINU SUCCESS STORIES | 7

Shema Kolainu | John Kasich Visits Kolainu
Shema Kolainu | Question of the Quarter
The Question of the Quarter:
“Is Routine Important and Why?”
We asked some of our teachers what their thoughts
were on the importance of a routine for children
with autism and they responded as follows.
“Routine is very important. The children feel
a sense of security when they know what will
happen next, what the schedule for the entire
day is and what’s expected of them in general.”
–Chaya Ruchie
actual transition a fun activity so they actually
want to do it.” - Esti
“Routine is crucial. It is important that the students
know what is going to happen so that order and
structure is provided.” - Sossi
Governor John Kasich
Visits Shema Kolainu
During his recent candidacy, John Kasich stopped
by Shema Kolainu to visit our students.
While he was here, all of the students couldn’t get
enough of him. They had prepared letters, questions,
and a painting of the White House, which,
when he asked whether he could keep it, they replied,
“yes!” One of the students, Yaakov, asked
why Gov. Kasich wanted to be president and his
reply was “So I can help you grow up and be president
one day. How’s that?” Yaakov was ecstatic.
Before he left the students he said that they could
come visit him in the White House if he became
president and they replied that they would vote for
him and they loved him. As he walked away, the
childrens’ chants of “Kasich! Kasich!” echoed after
him into the hallway.
Our founder, Dr. Joshua Weinstein commented
that “he was compassionate for the kids and was
genuinely interested in the different systems we
used to help them”.
Kasich has been a strong supporter of Autism
for a long time now and during his presidential
campaign he included Coverage for Autism as a
necessary change when he addressed healthcare
plans in the future. Though he didn’t continue in
the candidacy we were proud to have him here
and proud of his campaign. We know Gov. Kasich
will continue to support Autism and are so glad
that our students left the best impression on him
as he did with them.
“A daily schedule makes it easier for the children to
transition largely because of the expectations that
it sets. Expectations really do help the children to
learn to behave appropriately. We learned quickly
the importance in keeping to a routine as we once
made the mistake of switching the last two activities
of the day without the proper preparation, this
change affected the student’s behaviors and their
ability to engage in the activities.
Normally, we follow a specific transitioning proto
col: we notify the children prior to an end of the
activity, letting them know how much time they
have left. An example would be, ‘in 5 minutes
we’re going to finish arts and crafts and transition to
gym… ‘Okay, in 2 minutes, we’re going to switch
to gym…and so on.’ Then, we have transitional
songs for the actual transition period. We also use
edibles or social reinforcement as a motivational
tactic for appropriate transitions. We make the
8 | GOVERNOR KASICH VISITS SHEMA KOLAINU THE IMPORTANCE OF ROUTINE | 9

Shema Kolainu | A-Z A Year of Routine
ROOM 101 at SHEMA KOLAINU
A-Z - A YEAR of ROUTINE
Meet Rivky Ismach, Master Teacher, who is also in charge
of Room 101. Her bright and enthusiastic passion for
teaching has changed each and every one of her students’
lives.
Rivky is known amongst the other teachers as being
excellent at coordinating behavioral plans and having
the most creative activities for her classes. She understands
that the key to her students’ success is having a
classroom where structure, predictability and schedules
are followed. Her teaching approach is to create a safe
and caring environment for her students and she was able
to accomplish this by using the alphabet as the theme
of the school year. Rivky divided the alphabet to be taught
over the weeks of the year and familiarized her students
with not only recognition and sounds of the letters but
also words. For example, when learning the letter H the
children engaged in written and hands-on activities that
involved H words. They built and painted a house and
spoke about concepts relevant to the home such as
identifying name and function of the rooms and practicing
functional adaptive daily living skills relevant to the
home. Also, the student’s learning together in a group
setting helped them increase their social awareness,
appropriate behaviors and communication skills.
Rivky strongly feels that “students crave structure and
consistency which encourages them to feel more comfortable
and reach their potential in their behavior and
learning by providing a structured and stable environment
students can thrive and grow.”
In the beginning of the school year, the students of
Room 101 were unaware of each other and did not
have the basic pre-social/academic skills needed to be
a part of a classroom setting. At this point of the school
year, a complete transformation has taken place. One
of the students, Tariq, age 5, used to throw himself on
the floor if he was placed in a social situation. However,
now he is more socially aware and has recently
shown interest in involving his classmates during group
time. These characteristics show real capabilities to empathize
with his peers and develop appropriate socialization
skills with others. Tariq is now able to move on
to a less restrictive environment where he will use the
skills he gained to learn.
Another student, Isaac, age 4, now speaks in full sentences
and can carry a simple spontaneous conversation
with a peer. Just last year, he was not speaking at all!
His parents are very excited with his progress and his
ability to generalize the skills he acquired in the classroom
into the home setting. Jason, age 4, used to run
everywhere without being aware of the expectations set
for him in his environment but now is able to self-monitor
his behavior and can focus on a task for a longer
duration of time.
So how did she do it?
Rivky says routine is what the student’s thrive on! It
is a crucial component along with appropriate activities
planned for every single minute. An example of this
is the daily journal the students kept. In their journal,
they would complete an activity that involved the
letter of that week. The students were always occupied
and every minute accounted for. A daily routine was
posted on the wall as well as the alphabet letters to
help guide them through the year. The students had
their expectations firmly set and it provided consistency
and predictability that the children seek.
(continued on next page)
10 | ROOM 101 ROOM 101 | 11

Shema Kolainu | A-Z A Year of Routine (Continued)
Shema Kolainu | Cohen Saves Millions for Autism Awareness
ROOM 101 at SHEMA KOLAINU
A-Z - A YEAR of ROUTINE
(continued)
Rivky built an environment that was safe and comforting
for the students where they were able to leave
their social anxiety and fears behind and grow within
the secured environment that was created for them.
She introduced fun and hands-on activities that
challenged them within the structure she had built.
Many of the activities incorporated multiple skills that
involved social components and taught cooperation.
It is through all these activities that the students are
now not only aware of each other but they now truly
love being together. Students now notice when a classmate
is absent and are able to vocalize the fact that
they miss having him in the classroom and are waiting
anxiously for his return. Their social awareness
increased because of the various activities and instruction
that was taught. Rivky states that the point of
teaching the students social interaction is to create an
internal pull to be social, which will result in the students
interacting with others on their own. “The whole
concept is using reinforcement to encourage children to
not only do what they need to do, but to turn an undesirable
task into an intrinsically motivating experience
that the students want to do”.
Rivky began as a Teacher’s Assistant, then moved on to
a Classroom Teacher, then Master Teacher earning her
BCBA certification and recently promoted to an Assistant
Educational Coordinator for the 2016-2017 school
year. We congratulate Rivky and look forward to the
wonderful changes she will make in the lives of others
in the coming years.
Cohen Saves Millions
for Autism Awareness
Council Member Andrew Cohen has been an
outstanding advocate on behalf of children with
disabilities. His recent budget proposition he singlehandedly
allocated millions of dollars to autism awareness
and public schools and organizations that
serve children with disabilities.
In his proposed fiscal budget, he has portioned
off approximately 19.8 million dollars in the
coming years to mental health needs of public
schools and interventions, 2 million dollars
to autism awareness programs and services
for children when school is closed, training
seminars for families, recreational/socializa-
tion, and 218.6 million dollars for the Early
Intervention Program.
Council Member Cohen has always been supportive
of the work done for all our children and has
acknowledged Shema Kolainu as the leader in the
autism community. We are most grateful to have a
great public servant like Andrew Cohen in office
representing the needs of the children and families
we work so hard to support. Shema Kolainu salutes
Council Member Cohen for the awesome efforts on
behalf of every citizen and especially for all those in
the disabilities community.
12 | ROOM 101 COHEN SAVES MILLIONS FOR AUTISM AWARENESS | 13

Shema Kolainu | Betty Rosa
Shema Kolainu | Breakfast Recap
Salute to Betty A. Rosa
If you haven’t heard of Betty Rosa, then you have a lot
to hear! Dr. Rosa has a B.A. in psychology from City
College of NY, two Master of Science in Education
degrees from City College of NY and Lehman College
(respectively), and an Ed. M. and Ed. D in Administration
Planning and Social Policy from Harvard University.
Dr. Rosa has worked for the NYC Department of Education
in many roles from bilingual paraprofessional
to principal in special education, to community school
principal. She has introduced an integrated linguistic
model in developing a multilingual and multicultural
school for general and special education populations.
Dr. Rosa taught graduate level courses and is currently
an executive coach for doctoral students.
Dr. Rosa was appointed as Superintendent of Community
School District 8 and later appointed as Senior
Superintendent of the Bronx. One of the schools she
founded as superintendent, M.S. 101, became the top
ranked middle school in the City of New York based
on State examination results. She has since been
elected to a four-year term to the Alumni Council of
Harvard University’s Graduate School of Education and
also appointed to a three-year term to the Principal/
Site Administrator Advisory Committee of the American
Association of School Administrators.
It doesn’t end there though. Dr. Rosa is currently a member
of the New York Team of the National Education
Policy Center’s Schools of Opportunity project. She is
also the President of B.D.J. & J. Associates LLC, a company
she founded in 2005 to provide consultations to
large urban school districts and educational companies
as well as business development assistance in sports,
camps, not-for-profit enterprises, and organizations.
She’s been honored with the Women of Distinction
Award from the Bronx Chamber of Commerce, the
Latina of the Year Award from the New York State
Assembly/Senate Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force,
the Marconi Medal from the Technical Career Institute
as well as many more awards and acknowledgements.
We would now like to honor her with a heartfelt thank
you from our founder
“Dr. Rosa is a true dedicated public servant who
goes the extra mile on behalf of all members of
the community and especially the community that
needs her the most, those who are disabled and
need more care and attention.”
- Dr. Joshua Weinstein
2015 Legislative
Breakfast Recap
Maybe you missed it, but last year’s breakfast was a
sure success; so let’s recap.
Last year, our co-chairs were Abe Biderman, President
of Met Council on Jewish Poverty, and Abe Eisner,
Chairman of HASC Center. Menachem Lubinsky and
Kalman Yeger were the masters of ceremony.
At our last ceremony, Dr. Merryl H. Tisch, NYC Councilmember
Andrew Cohen, and Zelig Friedman, of the
Tantzers, were honored.
Dr. Tisch is known for her commitment to children
with autism and her colleague Carmen Farina, NYC
Schools Chancellor, quoted that this is her “interest
above all”. As he gave Dr. Tisch the award, our founder
Dr. Weinstein reported, “It’s an honor for Shema
Kolainu to have someone who understands education,
who understands children, but more so who understands
children with disabilities and feels for their
rights to become who they are and who they can be.”
Dr. Tisch received the award and said, “We cannot
fix what G-d has done, we must accept it. But what
we can do is stand up to help every family and every
child in these most challenging circumstances.” She
finished with the Shema Kolainu blessing and said
how important the words are to her in every day.
SKHOV bestowed NYC Councilman Andrew Cohen
the Appreciation Award, presented by Councilman
David Greenfield, who stated that Councilman Cohen
has “singlehandedly saved millions of dollars for mental
health services” according to Greenfield and has allocated
funding for autism awareness continuously and
works tirelessly to ensure New Yorkers living with disabilities
have equal rights. Councilman Cohen responded
that he was “very touched”.
The community based organization we featured this
year was Zelig Friedman, founder of the Tantzers, which
is a volunteer group of over 200 men who bring joy,
14 | NYS CHANCELLOR BETTY ROSA
SHEMA KOLAINU BREAKFAST RECAP | 15

Shema Kolainu | Breakfast Recap
Shema Kolainu | 2016 Honoree
In addition, he has been elected to prestigious scientific
research and education societies including the American
Association of Professors, the American Society for
Clinical Investigation, and the American Society of Physicians.
strength, hope, and a feeling of being cared about to
all people with special needs.
One of Shema Kolainu’s board members, Milton
Weinstock, then introduced Public Advocate Letitia
James, who highlighted Shema Kolainu’s work and
said that we “allow the children to feel the sunshine.”
We’re glad she noticed. She was followed by councilman
Mark Levine who commended Shema Kolainu
for advancing, “The notion that every child is precious,
every life has dignity, every young person can learn
and grow if they are given the love, care and the
support that they need.”
Tali Farhadian Weinstein, Assistant United States Attorney
in the Eastern District NY, delivered warm greetings,
and emphasized the importance of a quality education
for all types of children. She was then succeeded by
Assemblyman David Weprin who also stated his support
for Shema Kolainu and congratulated Dr. Tisch.
Other prominent elected officials in the audience included
State Senator Simcha Felder and Assemblyman
Steven Cymbrowitz.
We were so emphatic to have garnered such a successful
gathering and everyone left feeling proud of
the cause that we all support together. Now it seems
this year’s breakfast is upon us and we’re sure that it’s
bound to be yet another success, in which we continue
to grow in strength and raise our voices for autism
awareness and education for children on the spectrum.
“Dr. Alan Kadish is a true educator in every sense
of the word, who helps all students at Touro
reach their potential and is dedicated to receiving
the utmost excellence in their educations.”
- Dr. Joshua Weinstein
Dr. Kadish Article
Congratulations to this year’s Shema Kolainu honoree,
Dr. Alan Kadish, President of Touro College and
University System. We are thrilled to recognize Dr.
Kadish for his wide-ranging commitment to people
living with autism, and their families. Dr. Kadish is a
prominent cardiologist, dedicated teacher, researcher,
and experienced administrator.
Dr. Kadish has helped in developing many successful
initiatives dedicated to those with autism, including the
Touro University Nevada Center for Autism and Developmental
Disabilities. The center is home to a specialized
multidisciplinary team, extensively trained in
evidence-based assessment and treatment of developmental
disabilities. In addition to providing comprehensive
services and resources for children and their
families, the center works to promote early detection
of symptoms and intervention implementation through
evaluations and treatments.
Recognizing the importance of early intervention, the
services offered at Touro’s Autism Center include occupational
therapy, speech/language therapy, applied
behavioral analysis and neuropsychological diagnosis.
The center serves more than 400 patients a month
ranging from 18 months to 18 years old and provides
$250,000 in support to help families defray the costs of
evaluation and therapy.
Dr. Kadish is also committed to the education of healthcare
professionals on interacting and communicating
with autistic patients. Touro’s School of Health Sciences
recently sponsored an Inter-Professional Education
Symposium (IPE) where more than 350 students, faculty,
and clinicians from the departments of Physical Therapy,
Occupational Therapy, Nursing, Speech Language
Pathology, and Physician Assistant gathered to assess
and address the challenges health care professionals
confront when treating adult patients with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD). Future health care professionals
were trained on best practices for treating patients
with autism, especially in the acute care setting, where
symptomatic characteristics such as tactile hypersensitivity
and communication deficits can prevent them
from receiving optimal care.
Prior to joining Touro, Dr. Kadish taught at the University
of Michigan and held a19-year tenure at Northwestern
University. He is a past chair of the Clinical Cardiology
Program Committee of the American Heart Association.
We thank Dr. Kadish for hearing the voices of those with
autism through his ongoing support of those with autism
and the health care teams who must work in collaborative,
interprofessional teams to treat ASD.
16 | SHEMA KOLAINU BREAKFAST RECAP DR. KADISH | 17

Finding Dory’s
Message for ASD
With bullying the way it is, ‘Finding Dory’ is an exceptional
movie for all children. However, its message is
even stronger for those on the Autism Spectrum. The
film has been in theaters for less than a week and already
its message has spread to tens of thousands of
families and has been reviewed by dozens of people
within the autism community.
The film had an underlying stress on community, individuality,
and determination, all of which together left
you floored - and all by a fish. That little blue fish just
has a fervor and a message that grips you and won’t let
you go.
Dory suffers from short-term memory loss and many
people with autism have faced similar challenges with
memory lapses. However, though she has this memory
lapse that frustrates all the fish around her, they show
her love and compassion. She is clearly the most-loved
character in the whole film! However, while she may
need support in the memory area, she inspires the others
in her community with other strengths that she has.
The astounding theme Disney emphasized so clearly
was that we all have different strengths and weaknesses.
What Dory lacked in memory, she far made up for in
her courage, positive demeanor, and ability to improvise
at a moment’s notice. Nemo’s dad, Martin, remarks
throughout the movie that though he has always been
responsible, he has a short temper at times, can’t adapt
quickly, and is fast to give up.
Dory is known for her expression “just keep swimming”
and Disney shows us her past and the ‘psychology’
behind her catchphrase and the way she behaves. For
much of her life her parent’s had supported her, trying
to help her remember important rules of life through
various techniques while crying and worrying that she
would never be able to be independent. This is something
many parents with Autistic children can relate to.
When Dory got lost at a young age she had to improvise
constantly and trust her inner intuition because her
memory continuously failed her. She quickly learned
from this that there was always another way around any
situation and that you can do anything if you put your
mind to it (even crossing an ocean on your own without
an iPhone to keep notes…). She realized that once she
accomplishes one thing she can do anything else.
Dory developed the learned skills of quick adaptability
because she never remembered anything. Marlin
and many other fish noticed this and had to constantly
remind themselves to be more like Dory and to allow
themselves to embrace adventure as she did simply out
of learned necessity. There’s no point in living in a confined
box when you have those you love in your heart
and at your side because then you’re declining opportunities
furthering the journey that will make you who
you are meant to be.
By the end of the movie, the audience has witnessed
multiple occurrences of people working together. It was
only because of the support, acceptance, and love of
Marlin and Nemo that Dory was able to trust herself so
much and embark on the journey that helped her memory
and allowed her more independence. It was everyone
together who made the story and it showed how
much more can be accomplished when everyone works
together and how much we are strengthened by love.
Disney once again reminds us of how important love
is in keeping people together and helping them realize
their full potential and individuality. After all, we don’t
always start off being the fullest version of ourselves; it’s
other peoples’ love that gets us there.
18
DORY’S MESSAGE FOR ASD | 19

Shema Kolainu | Interview with Dr. Shore
Interviewing
Dr. Stephen Shore
After his latest monthly workshop with Shema Kolainu, on
Bullying Prevention, Dr. Stephen Shore shared with SK-
HOV the insider’s story. He told us he has autism and was
diagnosed when he was very young. He stated “after 18
months of typical development, I was hit with what I like
to call the autism bomb, otherwise known as aggressive
autism.” He started to lose the function of communication
entirely and would have frequent meltdowns. This was 52
years ago. Now, he has written 5 books, is a professor of
Special Education at Adelphi University with a focus on
Autism, and he gives frequent workshops and lectures all
over the world.
At the time, when Dr. Shore was diagnosed so little was
known about autism. It took an entire year for his parents
to find a place for diagnosis and when they did, the doctors
said they’d never seen a child so sick and recommended
institutionalization. You would never believe it seeing
him now.
His parents of course wouldn’t accept this and they convinced
a nearby school to take him after they’d had a year
to prepare him. During that year, his parents implemented
what we now know as an intensive home-based early intervention
program, emphasizing music, movement, sensory
integration, narration, and imitation. However, at the
time, they were forging new grounds on their own.
His father, a liquor store owner, and his mother, who’d
studied business and was then a stay-at-home mom tried to
figure out any way that they could reach their child. They
used instinctive ideas to develop a program for him and
one of their tactics involved imitation. When he refused
to imitate them, they opted to imitate him. The interesting
thing is, all of it worked. His parents especially relied on
music and would play music all the time around his home.
Dr. Shore told us that people with autism develop very
specific interests on various subjects that doctors or researchers
will often refer to as “restricted interests”. Dr.
Shore however, likes to refer to these as highly focused
interests, and he stated that music became one of those
interests which he took with him and ended up studying
professionally in school all the way to a doctorate degree
in music education. He still teaches music lessons to children
on the autism spectrum.
It’s been 5 years since Dr. Shore first started with ICare4Autism
and he is now on the advisory board of ICARE. He
focuses on employment for individuals with autism as it’s
become a great frontier to be conquered. A whopping
88% of people on the autism spectrum are under- or unemployed
as declared by National Autistic Society in England
which means that only 12% are working to their full
capacity. He said that people with autism “favor routine
and predictability and when that’s translated to showing
up to work every day, employers would want that.” He
also states that Group Homes are another important area
to address as they could be very helpful for many individuals
on the spectrum in adulthood having varying needs
for support.
Just as important as support for adults with autism is early
diagnosis of children with autism. It is important to start
working with the children when the brain is most “plastic”
or spongelike and malleable. “The longer one remains
non-speaking, there is less of a chance that person will be
able to use the skill of speech,” he told us. He stated that
once a child is diagnosed they can begin accessing strategies
that would be of great use to them and focusing on
motivating communication. He says it is a complete myth
that anyone with autism who is taught other ways of communication
would become too lazy to speak at all because
they have found other means. On the contrary, learning
sign language and using technology and vision boards
help to compel speech in young children who had previously
been non-verbal. He also stated that once people
with autism know that they are on the spectrum, school
and other endeavors will be more navigable because they
will understand that they need different strategies and possibly
additional time to learn. He reflected that growing up
he knew he was different than all the other children, yet it
explained why things were different for him. His parents
used the word “autism” like any other word so this overall
understanding helped him overcome a lot of challenges.
So what about the hat?
Many people may notice that Dr. Shore can frequently be
seen sporting an Adelphi baseball cap and when we asked
him whether his hat was just a favorite fashion statement,
he chuckled and said yes but that was only the secondary
use. The truth is that the hat is an accommodation as he
tends to be more sensitive to lights. His hat is just one of
the many examples of the ways he’s learned to adapt and
to interact with his environment in a way that worked with
his individual characteristics and challenges.
His last remarks were that this was important for everyone
to remember and that the abilities of someone with autism
can be unlimited, just as with anyone else. We have to
find a way to access that potential by finding the strengths
of the individual that will lead to their success in employment,
education, relationships, and adult life in general.
His sixth book is currently in development and explores
social experiences and relationships of individuals with
disabilities following grade school. We certainly can’t wait
to read it!
20 | INTERVIEW WITH DR. STEVEN SHORE INTERVIEW WITH DR. STEVEN SHORE | 21

Shema Kolainu | Big Red Safety Box Toolkit
A Free Toolkit
to Prevent Wandering?
Is your child prone to wandering? Well, now there’s
an amazing free new toolkit assembled by the National
Autism Association.
You must apply for the toolkit and if you qualify
you will receive a Big Red Safety Box containing
the NAA’s Be REDy Booklet, 2 GE Door/Window
Alarms (batteries included ;] ), 1 personalized RoadID
and Engraved Shoe ID Tag, 5 adhesive stop
sign visual prompts for doors and windows, 2 safety
alert window clings for car or home, 1 Red safety
alert wristband, and 1 child ID kit from the National
Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
The Be REDy Booklet can be downloaded online
for free while you wait for your toolkit and additional
items can be purchased on their website.
This initiative is unbelievable and going to be a
big help for lots of families. Though it’s absolutely
free, they ask for optional donations to benefit their
cause and keep it going.
22
BIG RED SAFETY BOX | 23

Shema Kolainu | Invitation to Donate
You can now make a
difference in the life of
a child with autism
BRIGHTEN UP THE LIFE OF A CHILD
$18
Our therapy and education strategies help autistic
children to engage with others
GIVE HOPE, GIVE HAPPINESS
$180
This gift will provide 6 months of specialized education
and therapies for a child with autism
GIVE A YEAR IN A LIFE OF A CHILD
$1800
Provide a full year of specialized education, therapy
and family support for an autistic child
By making a donation, you support Shema Kolainu’s
mission to help children with autism spectrum
disorder (ASD) achieve their full potential for
independence, productivity and inclusion in the
community.
You Can Donate By
Calling: 1-718-686-9600 OR Mailing a check to:
4302 New Utrecht Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11219
www.shemakolainu.org
Make a donation, no matter how small or large. Your support
will help so many in need.
24 | INVITATION TO DONATE