The Autism Center celebrates its one year anniversary!

Last year to commemorate Autism Awareness Month, Ontario ARC held a ribbon cutting ceremony for The Autism Center right here in Canandaigua.  Housed within the Main Facility, The Autism Center is now celebrating its one year anniversary and its many accomplishments.  This includes...

• Providing14 community training opportunities to law enforcement personnel, college faculty, families, education professionals and people with autism spectrum disorders using our own clinical services staff and presenters that are nationally and regionally renowned for their expertise
• Giving 24 children with autism and other developmental disabilities the opportunity to attend 4-H Camp Bristol Hills
• Partnering with Assembly Minority Leader Brian Kolb for a sensory friendly movie viewing of How To Train Your Dragon at Smith Opera House 
• Starting an Autism Advisory Board consisting of parents, relatives, and other professionals to help shape and guide The Autism Center as it progresses
• Supporting an Autism Awareness Fair at Walmart of Geneva 
• Hosting 64 sessions of NextStep Prep -- an innovative social skills group for young adults with autism spectrum disorders
• Holding 16 SibShops -- a support group for children who have a sibling with autism or other developmental disabilities
• Loaning out countless books, DVDs and magazines through our Resource Library, which currently houses about 246 items focusing on autism.
• Offering 16 session of group play therapy sessions and hundreds of one-on-one play therapy sessions

 It is amazing to see how much has been done in just 365 days.  A big thank you goes out to our wonderful and highly trained professional staff who make this possible -- Noreen Quinn, Maggi Sullivan, Judy DeMyda, Dan DeClerck, Tonya Finn, Cheryl Cramer, Mike Kephart, Trudy Wyman, and Cyndee Jepsen.  Their hard work and effort have made The Autism Center a place where families can get the support they need.