Foster Care Training

Foster and/or System Involved Youth who live in and out of home care not only bear the burden of their difficult family circumstances, but they also experience the weight of being subjected to biases that existed long before they entered this world. Participants will learn the importance of recognizing how their life experiences and position of power can influence how they communicate with the young people on the autism spectrum. Participants will explore ways to relinquish traditional roles of power/authority and purposely use language in a way that empowers these youth to discover their own truths about their life, wellness, value, choices, and contributions; examine, discuss, and challenge issues related to life on the autism spectrum; consider the difference between strategies that help and those that hinder; learn tools that will help youth care for themselves as they continue this process; and explore ways to abandon thoughts and actions that hinders the efficacy and empowerment of system involved youth that are on the spectrum.