The Northern CA ASD Health Education Program

Mission: To strengthen the capacity of families with children on the autism spectrum to promote their children’s development

Rationale: The ASD Health Education Program was developed to support the growing number of Kaiser Members with children on the autistic spectrum in Northern California. Research on parent education and support classes suggests that the number one request from parents following an ASD diagnosis is clear, unbiased information and practical strategies. The goal of this program is to providing information and educational tools that will empower parents to facilitate their child’s learning and development

The Kaiser Permanente ASD Program recognizes that many parents, family members and caregivers:

• Do not have access to specific education about how children develop the ability to communicate, interact, learn and develop social relationships

• Are often presented with professionally recommended techniques or activities that may be difficult to practically use in everyday family life

• Require ongoing education and support to strengthen their ability to help their children communicate, interact, socialize and learn

Program Objectives:

To help families:

1. Understand how children learn and develop in the context of family life

2. Understand how their child’s autism/ “neurodevelopmental” differences interfere with learning and development

3. Recognize the key role they play in supporting their child’s development

4. Recognize their child’s particular abilities and challenges

5. Use everyday activities, routines and interactions to promote their child’s development

6. Understand and use strategies with their children that have been shown to enhance learning and development

7. Recognize when existing or newly learned strategies are successful and when to make necessary changes

8. Generalize effective strategies and solutions to new and different activities, people and settings

9. Work collaboratively with intervention programs, schools, and service providers to promote their children’s social development

ASD Class Descriptions and Calendars

Disclaimer
If you think you have a MEDICAL OR PSYCHIATRIC EMERGENCY, CALL 911 IMMEDIATELY or go to the nearest hospital. DO NOT attempt to access emergency care through this web site. An emergency medical condition is a medical or psychiatric condition that manifests itself by acute symptoms of sufficient severity (including severe pain) such that you could reasonably expect the absence of immediate medical attention to result in any of the following: serious jeopardy to your health, serious impairment to your bodily functions, or serious dysfunction of any bodily organ or part. An emergency medical condition is also "active labor," which means a labor when there is inadequate time for safe transfer to a Plan hospital (or designated hospital) before delivery or if a transfer poses a threat to the health of the member or unborn child.

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