Filling the GAP in Autism Support Erin Porter started Guided Autism Program (G.A.P.) to fill in the GAPS for parents who are new to Autism in Ontario. Having spent her first 23 of 28 years as a teacher in kindergarten, Erin began noticing an increase in children coming to school with symptoms of Autism, or with a new diagnosis but no therapies in place because of waitlists and funding backups. “I started putting programs in place in my classroom”, she recalls. “Then I realized that Autism was on the increase everywhere, so I switched to Special Education and began putting programs in place in multiple classrooms.” Above: A rendering of the new roundabout, which is under construction at Southdale Road West and Colonel Talbot Road Erin recognized however “that the parent piece was missing”. While children could benefit from the programs at school, parents were still at home waiting for support. “In our province, there are over 50,000 families waiting for a diagnosis, funding, and therapies,” she laments. “It is heart- breaking to know that there are families who are feeling anxious and overwhelmed, and are ready and willing to start early interventions but don’t know how or who to reach out to.” Erin provides parents with a customized plan – a GAP ROADMAP – that outlines goals, priorities, strategies, and clear next steps, and that could include up to ten weeks of one-on-one online coaching, weekly live calls and/or a year-long support program. There is also a free, private Facebook group called Launching Life with Autism that provides access to a community of experts and peers. “I coach families in navigating services, applying for funding, school readiness, navigating the school system, toileting, bedtime, talking to family about Autism, travel, safety...even just going to the park can be too stressful without a plan. I hold their hand and help them realize that they can still have the family that they dreamed of, although parenting just looks a little bit different.” “If a family is new to Autism I can help,” says Erin. Learn more at guidedautismprogram.com. Erin attended Oakridge Secondary School If you have any ques- tions or concerns about the project, please reach out to the City of Lon- don’s construction project manager, Max Kireev at mkireev@london.ca or by calling call 519-661-2489 ext 5560. Construction is expected to wrap up in late fall of 2023, with some minor finishing work in spring of 2024. There will be more changes to traffic operations over the coming months as we start to reopen the area gradually and introduce the new roundabout. The best way to get the latest information is to sign up for project updates on the City of London’s Get Involved webpage, at getinvolved.london.ca/ southdaleroundabout Above: A temporary full closure to complete work in the south half of the intersection.
Construction update: Southdale and Colonel Talbot Roundabout by City of London staff Many of us who live, work, or travel in the southwest part of the city have had a front-row seat to one of the City of London’s top 10 projects, the Southdale and Colonel Talbot Roundabout. The City of London is reconfiguring the intersection as a roundabout, adding active transportation improvements, and making upgrades to underground infrastructure. The roundabout has been designed to improve comfort and safety for all road users and help accommodate current and future travel demand in one of the fastest growing parts of the city. We’re pleased to share there has been great progress made over the summer, and the roundabout is really starting to take shape: · The majority of underground work is now complete · Permanent street lighting and new sidewalks are being installed, to be completed by October 5 · The first two of four pedestrian crossings are being installed, to be completed by October 5 · Regulatory and advisory road signs and messages are being installed for October 5 Temporary Intersection Closure The roundabout project has been broken up into stages to allow construction to occur while maintaining traffic through the area and access to nearby businesses. While we’ve been able to keep traffic moving through the area for most of the project, we knew at the outset there would be lighting, asphalt, and concrete work within the Southdale and Colonel Talbot Road intersection that would require a full closure. Initially it was estimated that a 10-day closure would be required to complete this work; however, through close collaboration and innovation from the City of London’s contractor, the project team has achieved efficiencies that allowed the closure to be shortened to five days, from Saturday, September 30 – Thursday, October 5. The team is exploring other opportunities to optimize the project schedule with a goal of reaching substantial completion ahead of schedule.
Thank you once again for your patience as we’ve worked to deliver this once in a generation project.
and then Huron University College in London and York University in Toronto. She lives in the Hyde Park-Oakridge area. Above: A map graphic showing the temporary detour route during the 5-day closure
Because waiting is not an option. G uided A utism P rogram SUPPORT AND STRATEGIES FOR PARENTS NEW TO AUTISM
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ERIN PORTER Autism Family Coach 28 years of serving over 600 children www.guidedautismprogram.com guidedautismprogram@gmail.com
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