Chris Pierce is the Director of Via West, part of Via Services. It’s an organization over half a century old that provides early intervention services in a clinic setting, and offers a camp experience to participants ages five and up, including people in their 70s and 80s, at their Via West campus in the Santa Cruz mountains, just a few minutes drive from the heart of Silicon Valley. The client needs range from autism, to mild physical or cognitive impairments to those with more significant mobility issues and medical concerns. Chris how did you come to be a camp director and why do you think camp is so important? It was an integral part of my personal child hood. My father was a founder of an adult special needs program back at the camp he started outside of Chicago, Illinois. It’s been in my DNA from day one. I was…
Tag: autism resources
A Community Book and Blog Project The Thinking Person’s Guide to Autism (TPGA) is the book and website we wish had been available when our children with autism were first diagnosed. We want to help people with autism and their families make sense of the bewildering array of available autism treatments and options, and determine which are worth their time, money, and energy. Think of us as a little bit of Snopes for the autism community — trusted, accurate, and friendly. Our essays will cover informed approaches to autism and autism treatments, as well as the personal experiences of people with autism and their families. Our attitude is cautionary yet loving — we’re honest, but we’re not interested in negativity. We envision TPGA as a community-based effort, with the very best writing on evidence-based approaches to autism from autistics, family members, and professionals. If you have something to say about…