Fundraising/Program Costs
Autism is one of the least funded, yet fastest growing mental disabilities.
It probably isn’t a surprise to most reading this that caring for an autistic child and running a full-time therapy program is an expensive proposition! According to a study by Michael Ganz, Assistant Professor of Society, Human Development, and Health at Harvard School of Public Health it can cost about $3.2 million to take care of an autistic person over his or her lifetime. Whoa! The study results were published in 2006 and took into account direct costs such as medical care, behavioral therapies and medications and indirects costs such as special education, camps and child care. To read the full press release regarding the study click here.
Stan and I can definitely attest to the high costs of caring for an autistic child based on our experiences with Ian. Our family budget revolves around the costs of Ian’s Son-Rise program which includes training classes, outreaches and consultations with Son-Rise teachers, therapist and facilitator fees and then the yearly cost of additional child-care we need in our home.
Fortunately, we’ve had some generous donations from family members and some long term care funding from the State of Arizona to help defray the cost of Ian’s care and Son-Rise program. However, with Arizona’s state budget in a huge deficit, Ian’s funds are continually under threat of being reduced and our costs at this point are beginning to exceed what we are able to afford. Also, our insurance does not cover any of Ian’s Son-Rise therapy program costs. This is why we decided to begin fundraising for TEAM IAN.
The Ian Joseph Aronow Special Needs Trust
When you support us through one of our fundraising events or donate directly to Team Ian, your money is deposited into The Ian Joseph Aronow Special Needs Trust. This is a living trust that Stan and I set up to pay for all of the costs involved in Ian’s care and his Son-Rise Program.
At this time, donations made to Ian’s trust are not tax deductible because we are not a 501(c)3, non-profit organization. We cannot qualify for 501(c)3 status because our fundraising efforts are for the benefit of a family member and it isn’t legal to set up a 501(c)3 in this situation.
Where Do Your Donations Go?
At this time, all of our fundraising efforts and received donations are being used to help support the continuing education and training costs of Ian’s Son-Rise program. See below for training program details and cost breakdown:
Help Us Raise $29,250 for Team Ian!
The Son-Rise Start-Up Program is the beginning 5-day group training program for parents, relatives and professionals to become trained in the Son-Rise therapy. Participants will learn how to build their child’s communication and social interaction and increase their motivation and cooperation. Participants will also learn how to create a warm rapport and connection with the child and how to utilize specific teaching techniques that will enable the child to reach certain goals.
New Frontiers Program is an advanced 5-day group training program that focuses on curriculum and social education, helping participants better track their child’s progress and create and implement clear goals to facilitate continued progress.
Maximum Impact Program is the 2nd advanced 5-day group training program that further develops a participant’s training skills in the areas of creating clear direction for a child’s social and developmental curriculum and be an effective leader in the child’s Son-Rise program.
In-Home Outreach with a Certified Son-Rise Teacher - We’ve had an outreach before and it has been immensely helpful having a certified teacher in our home working directly with Ian, the team and myself. The in-depth focus and individualized attention and feedback is phenomenal. The whole team benefits from having the teacher right in our home and we don’t have to travel! Julie Sando is the wonderful teacher we have had work with us and we would like to have her back again this year. To learn more about Julie and her Son-Rise services, check out her website, Autistically Inclined.
In-Home Outreach with a Certified Son-Rise Child Facilitator - We’ve had Aaron DeLand, a certified Son-Rise Child Facilitator from California for three outreaches since August of 2007. While a child facilitator does not directly train my team (only teachers are certified to do that), he works intensely with Ian and helps the team and I assess Ian’s current skills and create goals for his further development. My team also spends time during the outreach observing Aaron working in the room with Ian and asking him questions about technique and ideas for interactive games.
3- pack of Phone Consultations - The phone consultation is a 50 minute call with a certified Son-Rise Teacher– to ask questions about pressing issues or concerns, get ideas/direction for the program and/or anything related to running a more effective Son-Rise program.
3- pack of Video Feedback Sessions - A video feedback involves sending a 15 minute video of myself working with Ian in his playroom to a certified Son-Rise Teacher. After reviewing the tape, the teacher sets up a phone consultation to provide feedback. This helps to ensure I’m working on the most relevant goals for Ian and executing them in the best way.
