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20 NJ COUNTIES NOW OFFER THE BLUE ENVELOPE PROGRAM 12 AUTISM-FRIENDLY PRACTICES PROMOTED STATEWIDE 2,750 COPIES OF OUR FIRST LAW ENFORCEMENT PUBLICATION DISTRIBUTED TO 550 LOCAL POLICE DEPARTMENTS AND WHICH IMPLEMENTED A VOLUNTARY STATEWIDE DRIVER’S LICENSE DESIGNATION PROGRAM 22 LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS REPRESENTING LOCAL, COUNTY AND STATE AGENCIES SERVE ON OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT ADVISORY COMMITTEE COUNTY OFFICES 1 NEW LAW PASSED,
Individuals with autism need more healthcare and get less. In addition to providers such as behavior analysts and speech therapists, individuals with autism need traditional care from dentists, family doctors, pediatricians and specialists, too. But these doctors often do not
It was a banner year for Autism New Jersey’s Law Enforcement Initiative, which helps law enforcement officers better understand the needs of individuals with autism and create positive interactions between the two communities. This year we published a first-of-its-kind autism-friendly practices booklet and saw departments across the state pledge to implement these practices into their everyday protocols. Notably, we also launched the Supporting Autism- Friendly Enforcement (SAFE) network with 20 members and Law Enforcement Autism Planning Sessions (LEAPS), which offer law enforcement agencies peer-to-peer support in implementing autism-friendly practices, and free-of-charge consultation with Autism New Jersey staff.
have training in providing care for individuals with autism, and the difficulties that come with novel experiences at a doctor’s office often mean families can’t get the care they need. Autism New Jersey’s Healthcare Consortium and public policy team are working to fix that. We are creating a self-assessment tool for healthcare systems to identify their weak spots and become more autism friendly. The goal is to make tangible improvements to both providers’ physical spaces and their patient care processes so individuals with autism get the care they need. Families seeking an autism diagnosis often experience months-long wait times, when their local pediatrician could make the diagnosis. To help those pediatricians be more comfortable identifying the signs of autism and correctly diagnosing their patients, we launched our Pediatrician Resource Hub this year. Plus, we host a Timely Diagnosis Workgroup with developmental behavioral pediatricians around the state so they can share ideas and, ultimately, reduce diagnostic wait times. To help families find providers who are committed to being autism- friendly, we regularly update the referral listings on our website.
18 ORGANIZATIONS IN OUR HEALTHCARE CONSORTIUM 7 NEW HEALTHCARE TOOLS PROMOTING AUTISM- FRIENDLY ENVIRONMENTS 56 NEW HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ADDED TO OUR REFERRAL DATABASE 100 ATTENDEES FOR OUR WEBINAR GEARED TOWARD PEDIATRICIANS 20+ NEWSLETTER ARTICLES AND PEER-REVIEWED JOURNAL ARTICLES AUTHORED FOR THE NJ CHAPTER, AMERICAN ACADEMY OF PEDIATRICS
DOREEN YANIK, ESQ., A FORMER COUNTY PROSECUTOR, KNOWS HOW TO GET RESULTS. AS OUR LAW ENFORCEMENT INITIATIVE DIRECTOR, YANIK HAS MADE GREAT STRIDES IN MAKING NEW JERSEY ONE OF THE MOST AUTISM-FRIENDLY STATES IN THE NATION FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT.
DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC POLICY AND CLINICAL PARTNERSHIPS DARREN BLOUGH, MSW, BC aBA, LaBA, HAS DECADES OF EXPERIENCE AS A SENIOR LEADER OF BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS.
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