On Oct. 18, Alex’s Autism Alliance launched at the Metropolitan Multi-Service Center at West Gray.
 

Named after Alexandre Santos, the son of Autism Moms of Houston founder Andreza Carleo, the program allows HCC Occupational Therapy Assistant students to share knowledge and strategies with parents in the support group and to provide skill-building activities for their adult children to promote independence.

 

“This semester, our OTA students are working with individuals with autism who have aged out of the traditional education system,” said Renee Shepherd, HCC Occupational Therapy Assistant program director. “With the assistance of our students, participants can continue developing skills that increase their quality of life while giving parents some support and respite.”
 

According to Carleo, the drive behind the alliance stems from Alex’s own journey. “After turning 21, Alex aged out of school and faced a lack of programs and opportunities for continued development and goal achievement,” she said. “He aged out this past May, and the program is launching just in time to offer a space for individuals in our community who are often overlooked due to their autism and unique behaviors. “This initiative is allowing us to fill a significant gap in our community.” 
 

Gwin Young, a registered nurse who specializes in shadowing young adults with autism, helped initiate the program after learning that the HCC Occupational Therapy Assistant curriculum included autism training. “We (Autism Moms of Houston) wanted to try and team up with the OTA program because we thought it could benefit the families and students,” Young said. “Andreza and I also graduated from HCC, so we were extra excited when they agreed!”  For the Alex’s Autism Alliance program, the HCC Occupational Therapy Assistant students develop customized plans for the participant assigned. The activities can range from self-care routines to social skills lessons to fine motor crafts and even job skills.

“This is real-world learning for our students. The hands-on experience will allow our students to develop their critical reasoning and therapeutic use of self,” Shepherd said. Though in its infancy, the program is already showing promise. “I think the parents were pleasantly surprised by how much our students already know, and the students are already able to apply the things they have only read about.”
 

The first session on Oct. 18 exposed Kayli Graham, a second-year Occupational Therapy Assistant student, to a different population of individuals with autism. “It was my first time working with adults. They were all over 21. I had normally only worked with younger kids, like 10 and younger,” Graham said. “I learned you could still plan similar activities, but you had to ‘age them up’ because they are adults, and they do understand much more.” As the participants continue their life skills development, the parents will explore new opportunities and strategies for their children. “What we hope to achieve is to help the participants transition to the next stage of adulthood and offer parents strategies and resources to plan their child’s future and figure out the next steps,” Shepherd said.

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