INDIVIDUALS & FAMILIES Educate | Support | Protect | Prevent Harm
Community Engagement New Jersey residents have unequal access to services and information. Underserved communities experience delays in diagnosis and access to treatment, rural areas often have no specialists and language barriers can impede them from communicating clearly with providers and schools. Autism New Jersey provides comprehensive supports and referrals, but to contact us, communities need to know about us. Autism New Jersey’s Community Engagement efforts introduce our agency to communities across the state and let them know we’re here to help.
“My helpline staff member was the exact right person to speak to. He listened. He understood. He asked great questions. And he made sure we both made a list of follow-up items to complete before our next conversation. I could not be happier with our interaction today. I felt heard and supported.”
Helpline Autism New Jersey’s flagship 800.4.AUTISM Helpline offers comprehensive assistance to individuals with autism and their families on a wide range of topics including: individual and family supports, treatments, diagnosis, special education, the adult service system and more. Parents often call after their child is diagnosed to find specialists and get help with an IEP, and then they call back throughout their lives to learn about adult services or make end-of- life plans. The helpline is unique — staff will listen for as long as a person needs and make customized recommendations. We’re here for individuals with autism and their caregivers every step of the way.
The helpline staff welcomed a third specialist this year, who went through a comprehensive six-month training program before fielding calls. All helpline staff members have deep knowledge about all things autism, and their areas of individual expertise include government benefits, estates, insurance and end of life concerns; employment, mental health and secondary education; and sedation dentistry.
2,046 CALLS, EMAILS OR WEB INQUIRIES 32,711 REFERRAL SEARCHES 197,000 ACTIVE VISITORS TO THE WEBSITE
19 INFORMATION FAIRS ACROSS THE STATE INCLUDING IN UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES 25 INFORMATIONAL
DIRECTOR OF HELPLINE AND FAMILY ADVOCACY JON GOTTLIEB, ESQ. IS A FORMER SPECIAL EDUCATION LAWYER AND USES THAT EXPERTISE TO ASSIST HELPLINE CALLERS. HE LEADS A TEAM OF THREE HELPLINE SPECIALISTS.
PRESENTATIONS GIVEN COVERING THE BASICS OF AUTISM AND HOW WE CAN HELP
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR KAYLA TORRES, MPA, HAS YEARS OF EXPERIENCE DELIVERING IMPACTFUL PROGRAMS FOR URBAN COMMUNITIES.
Made with FlippingBook Online newsletter maker