Aware 4 Autism
Are We Awake Ready & Educated for Autism?
KoolKidz Social Group
Aware 4 Autism has a social skills group for children on the spectrum! Aware 4 Autism's "Kool Kidz" social group of Pasco County, FL for children and families affected by Autism, Asperger's syndrome, and related social skills differences!
How KoolKidz Began
My name is Suzette. I have a teenage son with high functioning autism. I became very frustrated with the lack of services that Florida provides for children with autism spectrum disorder. The services that are here, however, are extremely expensive, and I feel that it is unfair that only people with large amounts of money can afford beneficial programs for their autistic children. With this in mind, I imagined what it would be like for my quirky son to be part of a group where he feels happy and welcomed, and not strange. I decided that since there isn't such a group that existed, it was necessary that I needed to form something like this for my son. I emailed every parent I knew that had a child with asperger's and high functioning autism. Every reply I received from that email was positive. A few months later, the group kicked off.
Ever since the group started, I began to see positive changes in my son. I didn't think that it was possible for autistic children to bond with other kids, but I was wrong. These kids don't simply tolerate each other's presence, but they want to be together.My son and all the other children look forward to meeting every week. They are starting to become friends, which is miraculous to me, because my son never had friends before. He is happier than ever, and so am I. For the first time in his life, he feels like a normal, cool kid, and not weird.