No. 16 Vol. 5
www.mypaperonline.com
May 2018
Short Hills House Tour Raises Awareness For Autism In N.J.
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By Anya Bochman elanie Rosenbaum, a resident of Short Hills, led her sixth annual Short Hills House Tour to benefit Millburn Township public school special services, and promote autism awareness, on Saturday, May 5. A sales associate and agent with Keller Williams Premier Properties of Essex, Union and Morris Counties, Rosenbaum is moti-
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vated by more than house views and sales; aside from a passion for real estate and architecture, Rosenbaum is truly engaged in educating New Jersey about autism. Her son, who is now in junior high school, is on the autism spectrum; Rosenbaum recalls a long-ago encounter with his kindergarten teacher, a woman whom she considers a close friend and who had no idea that
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the boy required an aid and social worker to help with his autism in the classroom. Legally, teachers are not mandated to be educated about the needs of autistic children when special aids are present. “My teacher friend and I started speaking about the need for awareness,” Rosenbaum said. “She had many questions, and I thought this was an opportunity to educate teachers.” As a result, the Architectural and Real Estate House Tour – which Rosenbaum says is not the average “kitchen and garden tour” – charges $25 and donates all the proceeds to Millburn Township Public Schools’ Special Services Department. From there, the department uses the funds to send a select number of teachers, typically involved with social services, to the Autism NJ State Conference and the Au-
Short Hills House Tour organizer Melanie Rosenbaum (left) and Brynn Alberici, manager of Special Events and Community Relations at Autism New Jersey. Photo courtesy/Melanie Rosenbaum.
tism NJ Transitional Conference. The remaining proceeds are utilized to provide further parental and professional development for all district members. “The teachers [that go to the conferences] are over the moon about it,” Rosenbaum stated. “They write letters and thank you notes about how educated they are about the subject now.” The tour gives a participant a chance to “get a pulse on local real estate values,” while taking in all
the creative architectural and design elements inside the homes. At each house, the tour members are greeted with treats and prizes. Last year’s tour provided four fully paid grants to the Autism NJ State Conference, and two to the Autism NJ Transition Conference; a speaker on the topic of “The Power of Mindsets, Motivation, and Resilience in Students;” a seminar titled “A Parent’s Guide to Signs and Strategies to Help Reduce Anxiety in
Children;” and a guest author from Harvard, Dr. Brooks, presenting his book “Raising Resilient Children.” According to Autism NJ, autism affects one in 41 children in N.J. “The number of those affected is so high, but many people don’t understand the behaviors,” Rosenbaum said. “Autism is life-challenging, not life-threatening, and if we can come together as a community to learn about it, how great is that?” cont. on page 4