Wednesday, August 06, 2008

Welcome to CATS

And it's not the musical.

James and our family have been accepted into the Collaborative Autism Training & Support (CATS) program at Sonoma State University. I and the kids attended the orientation meeting today. I loved seeing the campus. There is something joyous for me about being on a university campus -- especially if there are lots of trees. I can smell the possibilities in the air.

The program's mission statement:
To enrich the loves of families of children with autistic spectrum disorders by:
* Training service providers to implement effective interventions
* Providing free respite and family support
* Raising local and broader awareness of autism


Right now I have a binder full of information to sort through. It looks as though we will have a full schedule again for James this Fall.

Despite James being a bit disruptive by wandering around a room and vocalizing very long sessions of "Eeeeeeeee, eeeheeeeee!", I found the meeting to be informative. I was also happy to meet with and listen to other parents. Other parents like us, who love their kids, and want to fight for the best lives for them. How little we know and how much we want to learn!

Here is a link to an article that describes the program, and also features the program's director.

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