Autism and Fathers: Coping, Understanding, and Support 1/5/17 Ewing
A Free Workshop for Fathers Only
When a child gets a diagnosis of autism or any developmental disability, regardless of how the parents react to the news, one thing is for certain - life as they know it is about to change. Sometimes parents can feel overwhelmed. The experience for fathers can be very different than it is for mothers. Mothers seem to have many avenues for information and support whereas fathers may not have as many options. This workshop is designed to help fathers of children of any age, to cope with and understand the diagnosis, participate in the process of education and transition, and to help the family thrive. It's presented and moderated by the executive director of POAC Autism Services who also happens to be the father of a young man with autism.
Workshop objectives:
- Coping with the loss of the "expected child" and finding the joys in living with a child with challenges
- How to become an active participant in the process of parenting a special needs child and the steps in becoming more involved
- Understanding and participating in the IEP process
- Keeping your child and family safe
- Meeting the challenges of difficult or maladaptive behavior and how this relates to discipline
- Planning for future challenges such as life after high school
- Resources, Q and A, Next Steps
Gary Weitzen is the Executive Director of POAC Autism Services, which is the largest provider of free autism training and events in the state of New Jersey. Mr. Weitzen is a certified law enforcement instructor with the New Jersey Police Training Commission, member of the National Association of Search and Rescue, and serves as a Special State Officer on the New Jersey Governor’s Council for Medical Research and Treatment of Autism. In addition to his duties at POAC, for the past fifteen years he has worked for an autism program as a teacher of life skills to adults with autism. Mr. Weitzen, has served as the New Jersey representative for Unlocking Autism, and Vice President of Princeton Autism Technology, and comes to POAC with 20 years of experience in the risk management field. The Weitzen family story was featured with the Doug Flutie family on the country’s first screening tool for early identification and intervention of autism, First Signs. He has appeared on virtually every major network and local news station as an expert on autism and has given presentations to tens of thousands of people across New Jersey. Mr. Weitzen’s son, Christopher has autism and he has been a passionate advocate of children and adults with autism for close to two decades.