One of my objectives for this sabbatical is to learn about resources that are in our area for young adults in their 20’s who have an average to above average IQ and have Asperger’s, complex learning disabilities or are on the high end of the autism spectrum. I am doing this by meeting with lots of new people and revisiting with long time friends who are interested in this project and can share their ideas and insights with me.
Connecting with folks began this summer. Through a wonderful pair of women with a company called Evolve Advisors who have been hired by Hill Top to assist with our fund-raising I was introduced to a gentleman named Michael Rouse. If folks don’t know Michael, they are likely familiar with his company, ESF Summer Camps.
It turns out that Michael and his wife are interested to learn more about autism spectrum disorders. So, we began to get to know each other this summer.
In one of our conversations, Michael suggested that I might want to meet a professor at Chestnut Hill College who teaches students looking to become qualified as therapists. His name is Scott Browning. In addition to being a tenured professor at CHC, Scott and his wife have a son who was diagnosed years ago as being autistic. He also has done several sabbaticals of his own and was willing to meet, tell me about his work at CHC as well as share some helpful insight on taking a sabbatical.
So, on a cold Sunday morning, we met at a wonderful deli (it’s actually a food mecca) in Narberth called Hymie’s Deli. If you haven’t been there yet, you need to go….and bring the family!!
Speaking of family, one of Scott’s interests in his teaching and his writing is Families on the Spectrum (FoS). He uses this phrase when a member of the family has been diagnosed with autism. Scott writes about how autism affects all members of the family and that is why the entire family can benefit from knowledge and support. He also talks about the importance for families, but specifically parents, to seek out other families with children having similar diagnoses. They provide greatly needed understanding, acceptance and support to each other. I certainly find this to be true for our families at Hill Top. Not only is the comradery among parents strong at Hill Top Prep but this relationship is important enough to some parents that they actually maintain this bond for years after they have graduated from HTPS. We have several families who even continue to come back and work in our lunch program weekly and attend special events or PA Meetings. It is wonderful to have them return to Hill Top and share their stories to provide us (parents and faculty) with perspective for the future of our current students and in many cases, show a great sense of humor. A case in point is our Dinner with Dads that happens 3 to 4 times each year. In a small school of 80 students, it is always a surprise to see as many as 60 to 70 men at each meeting where we enjoy beer and pretzels, a dinner and a program with a speaker(s). The dads are uncharacteristically frank about the value they place on the connection with each other at a meeting like these. The conversations and the program allow them to take home with them a better understanding, greater perspective and reduction of some anxiety or fears.
Connecting with folks began this summer. Through a wonderful pair of women with a company called Evolve Advisors who have been hired by Hill Top to assist with our fund-raising I was introduced to a gentleman named Michael Rouse. If folks don’t know Michael, they are likely familiar with his company, ESF Summer Camps.It turns out that Michael and his wife are interested to learn more about autism spectrum disorders. So, we began to get to know each other this summer.
In one of our conversations, Michael suggested that I might want to meet a professor at Chestnut Hill College who teaches students looking to become qualified as therapists. His name is Scott Browning. In addition to being a tenured professor at CHC, Scott and his wife have a son who was diagnosed years ago as being autistic. He also has done several sabbaticals of his own and was willing to meet, tell me about his work at CHC as well as share some helpful insight on taking a sabbatical. So, on a cold Sunday morning, we met at a wonderful deli (it’s actually a food mecca) in Narberth called Hymie’s Deli. If you haven’t been there yet, you need to go….and bring the family!!Speaking of family, one of Scott’s interests in his teaching and his writing is Families on the Spectrum (FoS). He uses this phrase when a member of the family has been diagnosed with autism. Scott writes about how autism affects all members of the family and that is why the entire family can benefit from knowledge and support. He also talks about the importance for families, but specifically parents, to seek out other families with children having similar diagnoses. They provide greatly needed understanding, acceptance and support to each other. I certainly find this to be true for our families at Hill Top. Not only is the comradery among parents strong at Hill Top Prep but this relationship is important enough to some parents that they actually maintain this bond for years after they have graduated from HTPS. We have several families who even continue to come back and work in our lunch program weekly and attend special events or PA Meetings. It is wonderful to have them return to Hill Top and share their stories to provide us (parents and faculty) with perspective for the future of our current students and in many cases, show a great sense of humor. A case in point is our Dinner with Dads that happens 3 to 4 times each year. In a small school of 80 students, it is always a surprise to see as many as 60 to 70 men at each meeting where we enjoy beer and pretzels, a dinner and a program with a speaker(s). The dads are uncharacteristically frank about the value they place on the connection with each other at a meeting like these. The conversations and the program allow them to take home with them a better understanding, greater perspective and reduction of some anxiety or fears.
The family as a unit can experience times of stress related to their developing child who is on the spectrum when it is added to all of the regular stressors found in any neurotypical family, work environments, and marital relationships. Dr. Browning suggests that families themselves and therapists that they may work with take the “Emotional Temperature” of the family. At any given time, the family temperature can be cool when things are running smoothly, or the family temperature can be hot when issues come up and the family struggles with how best to cope.
While not every FoS seeks out a therapist for an on going long-term relationship, it would certainly appear from my conversations with families over the years that when hot times are experienced, touching base with a therapist who has knowledge of complex learning differences can be beneficial. In addition to, or in lieu of that therapeutic relationship, finding and connecting with others who have personal experience with spectrum disorders in their family can be a real benefit.
I enjoyed meeting Scott Browning. He is a soft spoken, gentle man who clearly connects with students and patients with ease. Hearing about his work in the field and reading chapters of books and articles that he has written has helped to broaden my understanding of young adults on the spectrum. The two of us agree that the Philly area, while it abounds with a wide variety of experiences and opportunities, it is in significant need of many new opportunities for young adults on the spectrum who strive to be successful following graduation from high school, want to have friendships, seek to be gainfully employed and to find that supportive sense of community beyond the walls of the family home. Scott suggested that I visit several programs in our area and I look forward to sharing those experiences in the near future.
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