CIP National Advisory Board Members Honored by GRASP

By Dr. Michael McManmon, CIP Founder

May 12th at the William Bennett Gallery in Soho in NYC, GRASP honored National Professional Advisory Board Members Dr. Stephen Shore and Brenda Smith Myles.

Dr. Stephen Shore was honored with the DSM Award (Distinguished Spectrumite Medal) for his work as an Asperger’s Educator around the world, while Brenda Smith Myles received the DNA Award (Divine Neurotypical Award) for her support of Individuals on the Spectrum.

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Bloomington Women Step Out in Style

By Jessica Myszak, Bloomington Center

Last month the women from The Bloomington Center got glammed out, dressed up, and learned a little bit more about their own sense of style along the way.

The Bloomington Center’s Women’s Group meets once a week in the evenings to talk about a variety of issues impacting women.

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Berkshire’s Spring Break Trip to Greece

By Margaret Markham, Berkshire Center Academic Dean

On March 14, The Berkshire Center’s Academic Dean Margaret Markham, Residential staff member Jan Petrides and Michelle Plushanski, a students mother, departed JFK airport with 16 CIP students for Greece. Every one of the 19 individuals who experienced this trip agree that it was amazing!

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Berkeley Spring Break 2009, Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta

By Sheryl Meeuwsen, Berkeley Center student

Put together five students and one residential coordinator on one boat, and what do you get?…
One of the most amazing spring break trips ever! A week-long cruise that was full of firsts: CIP Berkeley’s first official Spring Break trip, two of the cruisers first time out of the country and three of us (not to mention the Residential Coordinator) going on a cruise for the first time.

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Thinking Social at Home

By: Amy Breyer, Bloomington Center student

Here at the Bloomington Center we hold our social thinking groups in our fellow student’s apartments, including mine. Doing this allows for variety and a more personal and comfortable group setting. We rotate apartments every week so that everyone can have a chance to host the group.

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Working as a Group

By: Audra Lampkins and the 1st year students at Bloomington Center

During the first-year students’ social thinking group on Thursdays I decided to split the students up into two groups. I wanted students to be involved in the writing process for the article. I also wanted to get feedback from the students about what they have learned. Each group had to determine the leader and their note taker.

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Social Networking

By Joan Williamson, Program Director, The Brevard Center

In the fall of 2008, the Brevard Center held it’s first CIP/CARD Social Networking Group and has met once a month since then.  This group is a social support group that has been created in collaboration with the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (UCF-CARD) and the College Internship Program at the Brevard Center.

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A Taste of Experience

As a follow-up to our previous article, The Berkshire Eagle newspaper has put out the following article about four Berkshire students who were accepted to this exclusive eight-week culinary arts program.

• “A Taste of Experience” by the Berkshire Eagle Newspaper

• “Students Accepted into Culinary Arts Program” by Lucy Allarie-Gosselin

Dear Friends at Berkshire…

By Michelle Plushanski, Berkshire Center Spring Break Chaperone

Ever since my son Brian has been in the CIP program at the Berkshire Center his favorite part of the program has been the Spring Break Trip. First Belize, and then to Punta Canta, and this year Greece; the icing on the cake.

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Culture by Day, Paranormal Phenomenon by Night – Brevard Spring Break

By Annette Corrado, Brevard Center

Amazing architecture, spooky cemeteries, unique landscaping, and a variety of historical sites were appreciated in the annual CIP Brevard Center Spring Break trip. Savannah, Georgia was our destination and students Daniel Eakin, Ian Wilson, Jarrett Suhr and Justin Kroiz with staff member, Annette Corrado  made up the road trip crew.

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What the Future May Hold

By Ryan Therriault, Academic Coordinator, Brevard Center

There are several students at the Brevard Center whose dreams include transferring to a 4 year college.  We thought what better way to prove to these students that success can be right around the corner than a tour of the University of Central Florida (UCF) given by our own student Chris K. who transferred there in the Fall of ’08.

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