Geneva Centre for Autism
By Louise Chatterton Luchuk
March 30, 2009
TORONTO, ON // What started out as a summer camp for children with autism is now an international leader in the development and delivery of clinical intervention, support and training for individuals, families and professionals. There is no question that the Geneva Centre for Autism has come a long way over the years, offering a wide range of clinical services for people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). According to spokesperson Holly Bannerman, "Our first focus is to provide training and education to children and youth - how to live day to day with autism. The next major focus is teaching families to learn to live with autism, and then our third priority is to teach teachers and support staff in the school system how to support children with autism."
A multi-disciplinary team of trained and experienced professionals support all of the clinical services - including speech-language pathologists, behaviour analysts, therapists, early childhood educators, occupational therapists, developmental paediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists and social workers. In addition, the staffing team receives support from a Professional Advisory Council composed of world-renowned clinicians.
International reputation...and closer to home
For the most part, Geneva Centre's international reputation is built on their biennial International Symposium. It is considered the preeminent symposium for leaders working in the autism sector around the world. The 2008 symposium, the eleventh, attracted 2,400 attendees - the highest number ever. For the first time, Geneva Centre offered an accredited education program for physicians as part of the event. The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada approved the session entitled Integrating the Sciences: Combining Medical and Behavioural Approaches to Interventions for credit toward the maintenance of certification.
Not only are international attendees taking critical information back to their own countries, but Geneva Centre is also currently under contract to provide training programs around the world. This past year they were in the Middle East and Bermuda. Says Bannerman, "As the Middle East area develops, they are looking at delivering better services. In the last two years, Kuwait opened an autism centre. They felt their staff needed information and training in the most recent best practices in program delivery. Some of our senior staff was hired to train the Kuwaiti staff."
Expanding services to support youth and adults with autism
Since Geneva Centre for Autism's creation in 1974, its direct service capacity has increased from 20 to 3,000 families per year, and more than 18,000 people access services each year from across Canada and beyond. This is due to a growth in the diagnosis - and awareness - of autism. "A lot of children weren't diagnosed in the past. It was labeled as ADD or something else," explains Bannerman. "So, it's a re-evaluation with a correct diagnosis. But we still believe there is an increase in the incidence of autism."
A snapshot of... |
Who: Geneva Centre for Autism
Mandate/Mission: Our mission is to empower individuals with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and their families, to fully participate in their communities.
Location: 112 Merton Street, Toronto, Ontario
When established: 1974
Number of staff: 260 (full and part-time)
Number of volunteers: 320
Budget: $15.1 million
Awards won: Bloomfield Award, Showcase Ontario Award of Merit, City of Toronto Recognition of Contribution
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Bannerman acknowledges that the growth creates challenges for her organization. "We have 80 families per month coming to us for support. It is a challenge to address and meet all the needs. We're constantly trying to evolve our service capacity." One way that Geneva Centre manages to meet the growing need for its services is to offer more group training sessions rather than only providing individual sessions.
Another reason for Geneva Centre's growth has to do with its decision to expand services beyond children under the age of 12. Ten years ago they expanded to provide services for people with autism up to the age of 30. Currently, Geneva Centre is in the midst of a $3 million campaign to create the first-ever specialized resource centre for youth and adults with autism spectrum disorder. It will be a direct service centre like a drop-in centre plus respite services. The current economic situation notwithstanding, Bannerman says they are off to a good start with the campaign, but it will be a three to four-year process.
Geneva Centre will put the spotlight on youth with autism as they celebrate World Autism Day (April is Autism Awareness month). On April 30th, Geneva Centre for Autism has a special event planned in partnership with CTV. They'll be airing an episode of Degrassi Junior High that explores Aspergers Syndrome in the school system. Some of the cast will be on hand for the screening, as well as some youth with autism and close friends of those with autism. Following the screening there will be an interactive discussion because Geneva Centre wants to engage youth in talking about autism. "Parents talk a lot about autism. Professionals talk a lot about it. But we don't often hear what youth have to say," says Bannerman. "It's especially important because there are social stigmas for youth in the high school system and social relationships are so fundamental. It's still a difficult topic but we hope to promote awareness and foster respect."
Louise Chatterton Luchuk is a freelance writer and consultant who combines her love of writing with experience at the local, provincial and national levels of volunteer-involving organizations. For more information, visit www.luchuk.com.
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