Life Skills’ TouchPoint Autism Services Offers FREE Parent Training During Autism Awareness Month

Life Skills, a United Way agency that helps people with developmental disabilities – including autism – learn, live, work and participate in the community, will offer its two-week intensive Parent Training program* to families with children on the autism spectrum.

Date:

The next session is Monday, April 8 through Friday, April 19.  Parents and children must attend together from 9 AM – 5 PM Monday through Friday for both weeks. Additional dates may be made available – interested parties should call for details.

Location:

Life Skills’ TouchPoint Autism Services Office 10176 Corporate Square Drive, St. Louis, MO 63132

Registration:

Registration deadline is Wednesday, April 3 at 5:00 p.m. CST. To register for the Parent Training course, call 314-432-6200 Life Skills’ TouchPoint Autism Services advises that its Parent Training program is one of the best tools available to help families with a child on the autism spectrum. In parent Training, families will learn coping skills and effective methods to communicate and interact with their child, as well as therapy techniques to support their child when at home.

“The need is great and growing to help parents and families with children on the autism spectrum,” said Life Skills CEO Wendy Sullivan. “We want families to know that they are not alone and to know that help is available.”

“We applaud Life Skills’ TouchPoint Autism services for so generously reaching out to families in need,” said Gary Dollar, President and CEO of the United Way of Greater St. Louis. “By offering this class free of charge, TouchPoint Autism Services can make an immediate and profound difference.” It was recently announced in a study conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention (CDC) that 1 in 50 schoolchildren have autism, surpassing the previous 1 in 88 estimate for the disorder.

Autism affects the way a child perceives the world and makes communication and social interaction difficult. Autism symptoms and their severity vary in the affected areas: communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors. No two people with autism are alike.

“We tailor all of our training and support services to fit each family’s needs,” continued Sullivan. “And, our clients never ‘age-out.’ We can help children from the moment they receive an autism diagnosis through adulthood. Parent
Training is the first place to start.”

*The $5500 class will be offered free of charge. Life Skills will also offer financial assistance for the in-home training course to those who are unable to attend onsite in April.

About Life Skills | Life Skills, a United Way agency, helps people with developmental disabilities – including autism –
learn, live, work and participate in the community. The agency currently serves more than 4,200 individuals through three specific divisions:

Community Living, which helps people in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County find joy through learning skills to live and participate in the community;

Employment Services, which helps people in St. Louis City, St. Louis County and St. Charles County find empowerment and dignity through competitive, meaningful employment in the community; and

TouchPoint Autism Services, which helps more than 3,000 families in 95 counties across Missouri find help and hope for their loved ones with autism.

For more information, visit www.lifeskills-mo.org.