We're Going on an Adventure...

Hello, everyone! We welcome you to our little blog. We hope you will laugh, cry, celebrate with us as we share our hiking stories with you. Both the staffers and kids will be telling their hiking experiences weekly. You may be wondering about the title and/or blog address. The name derives from the idea of letting kids be kids for a few afternoons a week. The kids we work with all have various forms of autism. On those afternoons, we tell "Autism Take a Hike." Nature is the ultimate playground. To some autistic children, nature can be very relaxing. While taking a hike, we will incorporate some fun games. Games such as "Follow the Leader", "I Spy", and singing silly songs. Well, singing songs is simply for being silly ;). These games will teach social skills which is key for autistic children to practice. The majority of autistic children have difficulty in social situations. This hiking club is also to build a community of families who love hiking and have autistic children. Parents are always invited to join us on our hikes or to help out in other ways. College and grad students who have the time are always welcome to join in as well. With that brief introduction done now, let me share a little about my heart for this. I love helping kids and serving others. I love when a whimsical idea is the small spark that lights a fire, then watching the fire spread...well like wildfire. Although, I do not have any kids of my own and know very few families with autistic children, I wanted to provide a creative outlet for those who did. Simply becoming aware of a need and acting to meet it. We like to keep to keep it as simple as we can around here. So come along on our adventure with us. A few quick facts about autism. 1. 1 percent of the population of children in the U.S. ages 3-17 have an autism spectrum disorder.. (autism-society.org/about-autism/facts-and-statistics.html, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011) 2. Fastest-growing developmental disability; 1,148% growth rate.(autism-society.org/about-autism/facts-and-statistics.html, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011) 3. 10 - 17 % annual growth. (autism-society.org/about-autism/facts-and-statistics.html, 2003, 2006, 2009, 2011) 4. "Children with autism generally have problems in three crucial areas of development — social interaction, language and behavior. But because autism symptoms and severity vary greatly, two children with the same diagnosis may act quite differently and have strikingly different skills. In most cases, though, children with severe autism have marked impairments or a complete inability to communicate or interact with other people."(Staff, 2012) 5. "Young children with autism also have a hard time sharing experiences with others. When read to, for example, they're unlikely to point at pictures in the book. This early-developing social skill is crucial to later language and social development." (Staff, 2012) .