Our Go4It programme caters for families with teenagers to young adults with ASD.
The Go4It programme is designed to provide services that complement each other.
1. Workshops
Providing families the opportunity to learn new strategies and concepts increases their ability to take ownership of their own situation and empowers them to provide better support to their child with ASD. The workshops cover:
Friendship skills for Teenagers
• Understanding the value of friendships
• How to teach your child to choose the right friends
• How to teach to maintain a friendship
SexSmart
• Sexuality education: what is it and what should be covered?
• How to talk about sex with teenagers on the spectrum
• Demonstration of the Me range of resources – a series of CD Rom and books to teach young people with intellectual disabilities about safety in relationships, hygiene, getting help and other related topics
• Demonstration of the SexSmart resource – a CD Rom already available in 20% of secondary schools ion NZ, covering relationships, sexuality, contraception and sexual health.
Transitioning to Intermediate/High School
• How to manage new expectations and routines
• How to teach organisational and study skills to your child
• How to teach your child to work in a group
• How your child can survive and thrive on the playground
Transitioning to Work
• What skills are needed to join the work force
• Understanding the expectations in the work place
• How to find work that is suitable
• How to communicate with employers
• How to deal with stress
2. Parents Exchange
An innovative parent support group, based on peer modelling, with sessions designed to support to the implementation of strategies and tools introduced during the workshops. The long term goal is to create a supportive community of parents who learn together and can help and support each other.
Parents also have access to our growing range of books covering autism-related topics including social and friendship skills, communication strategies, inclusion, puberty and relationships and more.
3. Reach Out, family support
This is our holistic ‘hands on’ outreach service, led by family’s / whanau’s priorities and values with guidance from a trained and experienced staff member.
Families can access this service when their child has been recently diagnosed with ASD: this happens particularly with children diagnosed with high functioning autism or Aspergers syndrome when they are teenagers; it is also available during those difficult transition periods (going to high school, leaving school for work…).
Intensity of a family’s involvement depend on their specific needs, such as regular home visits, phone calls, as well as providing guidance in implementing strategies and concepts
learned at workshops and parent exchange sessions.
Our service focusses on empowering parents, providing coping and behavioural strategies and fostering family resilience. We provide families with an action plan that helps them achieve their goals, in the short term and long term.
