Here is the article about the autism resource center.
O.C.'s first autism resource center opens Thursday
April 19, 2009
From The Orange County Register
Family Autism Network pulls together existing services and volunteers.
By SAM MILLER - The Orange County Register
The move from west Los Angeles to Irvine was supposed to be an escape for Barbara Forkish, who was tired of fighting, plotting and negotiating to get services for her two sons with autism spectrum disorder.
But Irvine was no easier for Forkish: "I was stuck, like what do I do? Providers were very difficult to find and get. Your insurers battle you for every service. And you first get the diagnosis and you feel like you're the only one in the world. It took basically three years to put together a team for my children."
As the rate of children diagnosed with autism - more than one in 70 Orange County kindergarten students in 2007 - continues to rise, many parents find it harder than ever to know where to go to for help. Beginning this week, the Family Autism Network will try to ease the burden on parents like Forkish - families new to Orange County, new to autism, or simply beaten down by the obstacles they face trying to get proper care for their children.
The network is a joint effort of three groups: The Grandparents Autism Network, founded by OC grandmother Bonnie Gillman; For OC Kids, a neurodevelopment center operated by Children's Hospital of Orange County and the UCI pediatrics department; and Help Me Grow, a referral service, also run by CHOC and UCI's pediatrics department.
The service immediately found support in the autism community when it was announced at a conference in January. About 100 people volunteered on the spot, and about 15 of those volunteers have been trained and will begin working when the center opens Thursday.
Parents can call Help Me Grow at 866-476-9025 to get a referral to the Family Autism Network, or walk in to the network offices at 1915 W. Orangewood Ave., Suite 200 in Orange. Initial hours will be weekdays from 10 a.m. to noon, and from 1-3 p.m.
"If you came in and sat down with a volunteer, we would give you education information, connect you to parenting classes, tell you places to go to find out about upcoming seminars," said Sara Gardner, the network's director of volunteer services.
"If you're overwhelmed with all the paperwork you have, you can bring it all in and we'll help organize it into an organized binder. Most families have file cabinets worth. You would leave us having ideas of where to go to get what you need. You'd leave organized to be able to handle the information when you go to a meeting, to the doctor, to your school. And you'd know where to get more education for yourself if you wanted it."
Forkish, once so overwhelmed trying to find help, is now one of the volunteers. The "stay-at-home mom who is never at home" will work three hours each Thursday.
"I'm really excited about it," she says. "Having someone tell you that there is hope and that everything is going to be OK is really important. That was important for me, and I want it to be easier for other people who have the same experience."
Contact the writer:
sammiller@ocregister.com or 714-796-7884
Family Autism Network
What: Provides information, access to educational opportunities and assistance to connect families affected by autism to needed resources. Collaboration of Grandparents Autism Network, For OC Kids, and Help Me Grow.
When: Opens Thursday, April 23. Walk-in hours are 10 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m. weekdays.
Where: 1915 W. Orangewood Ave., Suite 200, Orange
Contact: 866-476-9025 (Help Me Grow Orange County)