www.SanTanSun.com
Youth
Autism center opens Chandler location BY TRACY HOUSE
East Valley families with children on the autism spectrum have a new treatment facility to consider at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD). CARD provides a variety of services using the evidence-based principles of applied behavior analysis to treat the delays and challenges commonly associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The international center, established in 1990, has opened a Chandler location to serve the area. CARD’s Dr. Doreen founder and Granpeesheh. executive director Dr. Doreen Submitted photo Granpeesheh explains the organization works with families with individuals of all ages who are diagnosed with ASD. “We work with children from birth, all the way up to adulthood,” Granpeesheh says. “With our children, the goal of the program is to teach them all the skills they don’t have in order to help acclimate them to the real world. Once you have skills, your behavior has changed, you don’t tantrum because you’re not frustrated because you can express yourself.” CARD has more than 100 therapists in the Valley, treating about 150 families in
a full-time program. Working with early intervention, Granpeesheh says the goal is to integrate children into school and help them to have typical functioning. “For the children that don’t make it, our goal is find the best placement for them and help them with adaptive skills and community daily living and becoming more functional,” she says. Older students are taught safety, vocational and life skills. “Anything you name, we work on, from potty training to teaching how to balance their checkbook for the autism spectrum,” Granpeesheh says. CARD also offers Skills, an online curriculum for autism. “Skills is a massive assessment of the child,” Granpeesheh says. “A massive curriculum of all the lessons a child, or adult, could possibly need. It’s kind of our database. We currently have about 7,000 children in the Skills database, and by the end of the year, we’ll have about 10,000.” The program is valuable for analysis of sub-types of autism, she says. Educational games, specifically programmed for the way CARD trains the students, are available for additional application. CARD offers weekend and afterschool enrichment that includes dance, art and drama. “We are really going heavily into enrichment here, and piloting it here,” Granpeesheh says. “We’re moving a lot into leisure enrichment for our kids, not just teaching. We want to give them the opportunity to get involved with other
aspects of life.” Therapists work days, evenings and weekends with participants, at the center or in homes. “Any waking time for a child, we are available.” Granpeesheh says there are plans to open a charter school to work with students during the day to allow for more interventions to kids. She explains she is actively seeking funding to offer respite services as well at CARD. Working with the families is a core component of CARD. “A lot of our program has to do with parent training, parent education, parent resources,” Granpeesheh says. “We have a parent association. They’ve basically become our parent support group. They help new parents come on board and have all sorts of incites.” She says parent involvement is a large portion of program. “It’s very necessary.” Funding comes from insurance coverage for services at CARD. Required by the state, “The autism mandate has no limitation on coverage,” Granpeesheh explains. She suggests viewing the CARD website at www. centerforautism.com for information about insurance coverage and admission. The Chandler Center for Autism and Related Disorders is located at 290 S. Alma School Rd., Suite 1. For more information visit, www.centerforautism.com or call (855) 345-2272. Tracy House is a freelance writer for SanTan Sun News. She can be reached at tracy@santansun.com.
December 6 – 19, 2014
27
CUSD high school tours set Approximately 3,000 eighth graders in the Chandler Unified School District will be given a tour of the four district high schools during the week of Jan. 7. Tours will be held Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Basha High School, 5990 S. Val Vista Rd., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Chandler High School, 350 N. Arizona Ave., Chandler; Wednesday, Jan. 7, Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Hamilton High School, 3700 S. Arizona Ave., Chandler; and Thursday, Jan. 8, and Friday, Jan. 9, at Perry High School, 1919 E. Queen Creek Rd., Gilbert. All tours will begin at approximately 9:45 a.m. and end at 1:30 p.m. Students will have the opportunity to explore Career and Technical Education programs, food/lounge areas and campus highlights while becoming familiar with their prospective high schools. Student presents will showcase the schools’ programs and lead the tours. To learn more, call Basha High School at (480) 224-2100, Chandler High School at (480) 812-7700, Hamilton High School at (480) 8835000 and Perry High School at (480) 224-2800.