Byesville Rotary Learns About New Initiatives for Working with Autistic Children

Pictured: Joe Waske, Speaker Chair for May; Mari Ann Hooper, PATH; Chris Morris, Byesville Rotary President.

Reading for May 26: District 6690 Newsletter for May.

Reminder: Meeting location will change June 2. Beginning June 2nd, Byesville Rotary meetings will be held at Stop Nine Senior Center.

Mari Ann Hooper, founder of PATH –a support group for parents of children with the autism spectrum disorder, introduced the club to new ways for parents and educators to work with autistic children. Hooper spoke about three initiatives.

Children with autism or related disorders need help learning appropriate social behaviors to prepare them for life on their own. Since there is no cure for autism and its related disorders, it is important for parents to begin working with their children at an early age. Hooper demonstrated a $26.00 packet of materials designed to help parents identify behaviors that their child needs to modify, help the parents teach the appropriate behaviors, and track the child’s successful development of the appropriate social behavior.

Hooper is also working to raise funds to purchase educational videos for local EMS teams and the fire and police departments. These videos would help emergency responders learn how to deal with an autistic child during an emergency.

Hooper is working with MRDD to write a grant that would support education about and services for families dealing with the autistic spectrum disorder.

Based on 2003 data, autistic spectrum disorder affects 1 out of 150 children. Most of the children affected are boys. About half of all parents with autistic children do not admit to themselves that their child has a problem.

Hooper works with about 100 families in the area. Her group provides support for parents and works to get parents connected with appropriate resources. For more information Hooper can be reached at 740-439-3768.

The Golf Outing held on Sunday was successful. The hard work and dedication of Trevor and Trent Black, who organized the event, raised a total of $2400 for the Byesville Rotary Scholarship Fund.

The club will be moving the location of its meetings. Beginning June 2ed, Byesville Rotary will meet at the Stop Nine Senior Center at 60313 Southgate Road, Byesville.

The club’s next chicken barbeque will be Saturday, May 30.

The club’s next meeting will be May 26, at the Rolling Hills Schools Administration Building.