Autism Aspergers Friendship Society of Calgary

Home
Whatwedo

AAFS Provides Respite Care in a Recreational Environment for children, youth and adults on the Autism Spectrum; including but not limited to Autism, Aspergers, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Non Verbal Learning Disorder. AAFS is constructed and implemented by the youth; we envision and facilitate programming where youth can choose their own activities and every intricate detail of each activity regardless of how difficult it is to conceptualize or organize.

The AAFS Mission was written by 2 AAFS Members.

Friendship means someone who you can trust and/or someone who heals you. You cannot simply ask to be Friends, or if the other person is your Friend, it is much more advanced than a yes or no answer, and Friendship builds up over time.

Friendship is "People getting to know other people and being interested in one another. Liking them for who they are, and not judging them. Not judging the book by its cover."

We believe it is important to provide a safe space for youth to learn social thinking and take social risks. It is also vital to connect our youth with other members of their community to not only share experiences but strengthen them as individuals and as a community. Our youth have so much to share with the disabled and greater community if we take the time to listen.

Social, Life and Communication skills are a priority for all. It is important that children are given the opportunity to practice and develop these skills in a safe environment

Children of all ages should have the opportunities to attempt as many activities as possible. You need an understanding of a child’s limitations but more importantly you need an appreciation of a child’s potential. There is a substantial difference in being out with a group and being a part of that group. Our children are a part of our group.

We let the children/youth be themselves, while understanding and accepting their quirks. We facilitate the development of social and life skills in the community at large. Our overall goal is to lead our members from social skills to social thinking. Our Recreational Companions convey a message of respect for self and others leading to a stronger Self Image.

AAFS is a Community of Unconditional Acceptance, Respect, Experience and Social Dynamics.

Community of friends and family

Acceptance of our members for who they are

Respect for Self and Others

Experience the world around you in your way

Social Dynamics

We see a socially and recreationally satisfying future for all of our members. We see them spending their evenings and weekends laughing with their friends, celebrating with their families and being as happy as anybody, anywhere, anytime.

We see a clubhouse filled with children of all ages. Our participants come to this place to hang out after school while their parents work, meet their friends on their way to a movie, play video games, learn how to ride a bike, play catch, shoot baskets or just drop by to say hello.

Some of the kids that were 12 or 13 when we first met them work for us now. They are Recreational Companions and work directly with some of the young children. They are planners and plan activities for our various groups and they help us decorate and maintain the integrity of our building.

History of AAFS

AAFS was founded by a small group of parents who saw a need for social and recreational programming specific to the ASD community. Many kids on the Autism spectrum did not fit traditional day camps or recreation programs for typical children nor did they fit Camps and programs for children with disabilities. A program was needed that was tailored to their special social/recreational needs, a program where the staff understood their abilities and they would be accepted for who they are.

The original 7 families had one common thread, a connection to Dean Svoboda who provided private care to their children. The parents approached Dean about using his philosophies to be the basis behind starting a new agency.

We wish to recognize the Autism Calgary Association (ACA) and express our gratitude for the its early commitment to AAFS. After a number of local agencies declined the AAFS pilot project proposal, ACA came through with the support needed to launch the program. Direct client care did not fall under ACA’s mission so they were willing to do whatever they could to help our new program get started.

Without the support of ACA in those early days, AAFS would never have gotten off the ground. They provided us an office space, funds when needed, space in their newsletter to advertise our new society and most importantly support and belief in our program. They remain one of our closest community partners to this day.

When AAFS began is 2004, we had 7 families. We focus on serving our members as best we can, finding gaps in service and filling those gaps. We have gone from 1 activity per week to activities 7 days a week and many days, we have 2 or 3 different activities running. To put our growth in perspective; in our first 12 months of operation, we provided just over 500 hours service to our families; In June 2010, we provided over 1400 hours.

One thing we are most proud of at AAFS is what we have accomplished with little capacity in comparison to similar agencies. We have 2 Full Time Staff, 2 Permanent Part Time staff and 12-20 seasonal Part Time staff. We have no Fund Development department, No Full Time Office/Administration people and No Human Resources department. We instead focus our resources on Program Service and Development.