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| Back to School Luncheon |
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| RSVP for Family Fishing Day & Picnic |
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| Read About Spectrum In The News |
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Meetings will be held at:
First Baptist Church of Duluth
2908 Duluth Highway 120
Duluth, GA 30096
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About SPECTRUM:
Spectrum Autism Support Group (SPECTRUM) was established in the fall of 1998 for families, friends and teachers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) within Gwinnett County, Georgia and the surrounding areas. It is a parent operated group whose mission is to provide support, education and resources encompassing the entire spectrum of ASD for children and adults.
What SPECTRUM Offers:
Monthly Support Group
SPECTRUM hosts free monthly meetings the first Thursday of each month featuring guest speakers who share their knowledge and expertise regarding Autism Spectrum Disorders. Free childcare is offered with RSVP and is staffed by Autism professionals from the Gwinnett County Public School system (among other counties) and community volunteers.
Asperger's Group
Families of children with Asperger's Syndrome meet during the monthly support meetings. Speakers and facilitated discussions address issues and solutions pertaining to raising children with Asperger's syndrome. Some months this group meets with the main Autism support group if the topic applies to the entire autism spectrum.
Adult Asperger's/HFA Group
This group provides an opportunity for adults with Asperger's/HFA to meet, support and learn from one another in a non-threatening environment.
Sibling Support Group
Siblings of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) have specific concerns and needs related to life with autism. Spectrum offers a special group just for siblings during our monthly meetings facilitated by a trained leader. The program involves group discussion, arts & crafts and games and utilizes the SibShop curriculum by Don Meyer, which was specifically designed for children with siblings with special needs.
Dads Group
This group meets quarterly during the support group meetings to address the needs of the family from the dad's perspective and to provide them the opportunity to meet other dads and share their concerns and issues.
Grandparents Group
Grandparents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders want to know more about what autism is, what this means for their grandchildren's future, and what they can do to help. Meetings are held during the monthly support meetings and address the unique issues related to families of grandchildren with Autism.
Family Outings
Community outings for families such as egg hunts, costume parties, fishing trips, bowling, parties and picnics are organized through out the year. These events allow parents to participate in social setting in the community where they don’t feel isolated or misunderstood due to their child’s behaviors.
Respite Gwinnett
Respite Gwinnett is a collaborative effort between Spectrum; Georgia Community Supports and Solutions; and Hi Hope Service Center. It is a respite program provided on the third Saturday of each month and is available for those persons with Autism ages 3-adult.
SPECTRUM Friday Coffee Talk
Coffee talks are held every other Friday at various locations throughout Gwinnett County. All are welcome to come and share, vent, chat and just enjoy spending time with others who understand where you are coming from. Contact Kim Powers for more information at kpowers_ms@yahoo.com
SPECTRUM also offers Social Clubs & Camps including:
Camp Spectrum provides opportunities for children ages 4 to 22 to participate in weekly camp with fun, interactive and instructional activities with an emphasis on social skills. Our Small Group program offers a high ratio of one trained staff member for each two to three children and accommodates children with moderate and severe Autism. Our Large Group program has a ratio of one to two trained staff members to ten children and is geared toward children who require less intensive support. Three specialty camps are also offered: Computer Mini-Camp, Sibling Group and Counselor in Training Camp.
Spectrum’s Kommunity Inclusion Project (SKIP) provides training and support to local community camps and churches so that children with Autism may be included in typical settings where they can learn crucial social, communication and play skills. Over twenty camps in the Gwinnett area have participated in this training during the past 5 years.
Friends Club offers small social outings one time per month in the community for children with HFA and Asperger syndrome. The groups focus on developing new friendships, social skills training, and generalizing social skills in the community while enjoying fun activities such as putt-putt golf, movies, bowling, swimming, dining, etc.
Social Skills Clubs are for children with ASD. The clubs meet during the Spectrum monthly support group meetings (September through March). The emphasis of the program is improving social skills with fun, interactive and instructional group activities. The program also provide care for children so that parents can participate in the meetings knowing that their child/children are participating in an educational and structured program.
Teen Social Skills Group is a pilot program we will be launching in September of this year. This is a chance for teens with Asperger's/High Functioning Autism (HFA) to get together for games, friendship building, pizza and more.
Teen Overnights provide teens with HFA and Asperger’s an opportunity to spend two nights at Camp Twin Lakes/Will-a-Way at Fort Yargo in Winder. The program includes social skills lessons on teen issues such as inviting someone to dance, proper conversation topics, table manners and interacting as a team member. Typical high school peers are invited to participate in the weekend activities.
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Thank You, SPECTRUM Supporters!
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| Around The World |
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| Delta Pilots Charitable Fund |
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We welcome your generous donations to help support our summer camp and education programs, raise autism awareness and contribute to the overall success of children with autism in our community. Community contributions and memorial donations are greatly appreciated. SPECTRUM is a not-for-profit, tax-exempt 501(c) (3) organization, and all donations are tax deductible.
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SPECTRUM does not promote or endorse any particular form of therapy, treatment, school, service provider or medication.
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