Els for Autism South Africa has big plans for 2017, and is exploring ways to provide senior students with work opportunities, while continuing to expand its support for families affected by autism.
Els for Autism in the US has channels that provide employment for adults with developmental disabilities in the catering and service industry. Their life-span service programmes aim to help adults successfully transition to all aspects of life through independent-living models, and include:
Employment services: Pre-employment skills courses, job-search assistance, employer training and on-the-job coaching.
Hospitality Work Experience Programme: For adults to develop industry skills and knowledge in preparation for obtaining competitive employment and earning a living wage. This is for adults with developmental disabilities who have completed high school, and is run in conjunction with the PGA National Resort & Spa.
Independent Living Programme: Adults will be able to participate in cooking classes and practise household chores, using the organisation’s life-skills learning lab and laundry facilities.
Recreation and Leisure Programmes: Provide adults with social opportunities and access to activities such as golf, computer and video production classes, and art and music therapy.
Els for Autism South Africa will attempt to mirror these feats locally in 2017, with a view to helping adults on the autism spectrum to develop individualised strengths and vocational skills on the job.
There is a second goal, to develop learnership programmes within the work environment, which is sure to help with industry-related and behavioural skills. The organisation, which began in 2009, initially focused on helping families affected by autism and targeted children aged between two and 16. They ran programmes that helped parents to understand autism, come to terms with the affliction and learn ways of employing evidence-based practices.
This year the goal is to expand the spread of services and help senior students ‘fulfil their potential to lead positive, productive and rewarding lives’ – a part of the mission statement of Els for Autism South Africa.
The organisation is also increasing its services using a three-tiered approach.
The original tool, Rethink First, was produced for families wanting detailed and structured guidance how to teach their children a range of skills.
It requires frequent practice and data capturing to ensure continued support for the affected children in the best way possible.
One in 68 people are affected by autism and a more immediate strategy became necessary as Els for Autism South Africa grew. An increasing number of families were coming forward for assistance.
The aim for this year is to boost Rethink First, with a new parent training set-up that runs for 12 bi-weekly sessions. This short-term series uses the RUBI (Research Units in Behavioural Intervention) network, focused towards empowering caregivers and parents in dealing with disruptive behaviour.
The network consists of autism experts located at five universities across the US, all of whom are PhD specialists. This collaborative ‘team’ provides fresh ways of learning to manage autism-related behaviour.
The third tier of Els for Autism South Africa will focus on support for parents in the form of ‘Coffee Conversations’, a series of monthly group sessions that began in March.
The aim is to provide a space for parents and caregivers to share experiences, advice and support regarding their autism- spectrum journey. These sessions will take place on the first Friday of every month from 10:45 to 12.45.
Compleat Golfer is into its second year as an official media partner of Els for Autism.
HOW CAN READERS HELP?
Els for Autism funds its centre mainly through golf days, which form part of the ‘Els for Autism Drive to the SA Open’. Readers can enter these golf days:
7 April: Omeya GC (Namibia)
11 May: Zimbali
18 May: Pearl Valley
25 May: Houghton GC
1 June: Royal Jhb East
22 June: St Francis Links
29 June: Randpark GC
21 July: Oubaai
27 July: Copperleaf
31 August: Kempton Park
14 September: Fancourt members
28 September: Mount Edgecombe CC
20 October: Silver Lakes
26 October: Ebotse Links
2-3 November: Fancourt (Final)
HOW IT STARTED
The Els for Autism Foundation was established in 2009 by Ernie and Liezl Els to focus on autism, a couple of years after discovering their son Ben was severely affected by the disorder, which impacts one in 68 people worldwide. Els for Autism aims to provide affected families with best-practice interventions and support. In 2011, Ernie and Liezl initiated a project to create a service that would give lower-resourced families of children on the spectrum in South Africa free access to effective treatment, and the Ernie Els Centre for Autism was born.
CONTACT
The Children’s Memorial Institute (Gate 13), cnr Empire Rd and Joubert St Ext, Braamfontein 2011
Tel: (011) 484-7254, ernieelscentre4autism.co.za, [email protected]
– This article first appeared in the March 2017 issue of Compleat Golfer.
