ASC has Four Main Programs:

1. Information and Referral – ASC responds to more than 150 inquiries for support monthly, hosts the www.autismcolorado.org website, publishes a newsletter for more than 2,500, produces timely email Action Alerts, and monitors the Autism-CO Listserv peer support.
   
   
2. Education – ASC performs public awareness outreach through more than 50 speaking engagements annually, as well as designs and produces autism provider trainings and workgroups, and instructional seminars for families, advocates, caregivers and individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
   
   
3. Community Enrichment – a hallmark of the Autism Society of Colorado are the social events we offer for families (with child care provided) to ensure a sense of belonging to a caring community and a safe harbor environment of acceptance. Adults with autism spectrum disorders attend ASC Community events as well and feel admired and respected. The ASC Give Me a Break program provides respite grants to complement our respite provider training programs. We have poignant letters of thanks from many families who are very moved that ASC cares about them.
   
   
4. Policy – ASC has spearheaded 15 laws resulting in more than $50 million in funding for supports and services in Colorado. ASC is one of the most respected disability nonprofits in statewide policy efforts and is a requested partner in policy development by the Colorado Department of Human Services, the Division for Developmental Disabilities, Health Care Policy and Financing, the Division for Vocational Rehabilitation, the Colorado Department of Education, and the Division of Behavioral Health as an example. ASC is part of Colorado’s Medical Home Initiative, 2010 All Children Covered, Partnership for a Healthy Colorado and many other policy collaborations.

We are now in the second year, thanks to the generous support of the Daniels Fund, of a new program called The Give Me a Break Respite Provider Training.  In this training, potential respite providers (attracted from home health agencies, school districts, childcare and other disciplines) will be instructed about autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and about preparing for and addressing the individualized needs of children and youth impacted by an ASD and their families. Providers will have undergone a CBI background check and basic first aid as well.   

Our GMAB Families will have the opportunity to be matched to one of the trained providers who have completed the two-day workshop mentioned above.  The providers they utilize will be paid up to $150 per family to provide respite care. 

Participating families will be required to attend a two-hour instructional session in which they learn how to prepare an individualized respite notebook.  This notebook will assist respite providers to know some of the care, behavior, communication, and “preference needs” of the person with an ASD.  Equipped with basic training from our two-day workshop, this notebook, and some good communication strategies for working with kids and families, the respite provider should be well-prepared to assume the role of temporary caregiver, freeing  families for a well-deserved respite break.

In addition to attending the training, families are asked to write a brief letter to us describing what kind of a difference it made to their quality of life to be able to take a break and use a competent respite provider. 

The funds for paying respite care providers have been made possible this year through a grant awarded to ASC from Jewish Family Services of Colorado.  Providers will be paid from this fund as long as money is available.

Adults over age 18 may apply either as a family member who would like to benefit from having up to $150 worth of respite care funded or as a potential respite care provider that we could pay up to $150 per family to provide the respite care. 
If families already have respite providers that they are comfortable with, we will consider including those providers in this program without the required training.  We will, however, ask these families to come to the respite notebook training session and create a notebook.

The $150 stipend can be applied for once every 90 days.

If you want information about the GMAB Respite Training events, please contact Lorri Park, Programs Director, by phone at 720-214-0794, x11.  You can also send her a message from our website.

Download GMAB FAMILY Application

Download GMAB PROVIDER Application