Jens spoke about how he used to be an "angry young man" who hid behind a "veil" of long hair, black clothes, and spiked chokers, always with his head down. Since attending CIP, he is shedding that persona as he grows stronger in his confidence and self-understanding. He cut his long hair, holds his head high, and works hard to smooth over or filter his "brash" words.

One audience member asked each student to talk about their favorite, most memorable teacher from their schooling and share what made that teacher so special. The students spoke about the creativity and sense of humor that their favorite teachers exuded and how engaging they were. When answering other questions, the students emphasized the importance of perseverance and how important it is for parents to never give up.

Staff speakers included: Dr. Debra Jacoby, Licensed Psychologist; Dr. Stephen Nassar, Clinical Director; Karen Rathgeber, Occupational Therapist; and Jennifer Kolarik, Admissions Coordinator.

Jennifer provided an overview of the curriculum at the Brevard Center-College Internship Program as well as tips for preparing students for post-secondary life. Dr. Jacoby spoke about the benefits of Social Mentoring and the importance of helping our students grasp the complexities of Social Thinking.

Karen Rathgeber, MS, OTR, provided an introduction to Sensory Integration. She spoke about everyday sensory occurrences (such as entering a party, the glare of headlights, and the ticking of a clock) that can cause stress, increase anxiety, and decrease attention. In addition, she gave examples of activities which can counteract these effects such as: doing push-ups and pull-ups, stretching, walking a dog on a leash, eating crunchy/chewy foods, doing jumping jacks, using "stress balls," applying deep pressure, or relaxing in a shower or hot tub. Each of these activities tap into a different sensory system such as the Proprioceptive, Vestibular, and Tactile systems.

Many thanks to all of the attendants, speakers, staff, and students who made our 1st Community Workshop such a success. Also special thanks to all the individuals and organizations who helped us spread the word such as the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities-CARD; Brevard County Public Schools; Brevard Autism Society; and BFOCASD.

Families and educators expressed great interest in future CIP Community Workshops so we hope to hold our next workshop in the Fall! If you know someone who would like to be informed about the next workshop and other CIP events and news, please tell them to sign-up for the CIP Email Newsgroup.