Autism Alliance of Michigan

Minavigator: beginning in 2014, aaom launched the mi navigator service, which is a dynamic navigation program for caregivers, professionals and community members offered at no cost to any family living with Autism in Michigan. Navigators provide case management, professional consultation, connection to services and support, and online resources to guide families through lifespan barriers to care, such as those related to diagnosis, treatment, support, education, and/or health care for individuals with Autism and their families. Aaom navigators work directly with families navigating the Autism roadmaps that are often confusing to families and cause delays to needed diagnosis and important treatments.

Aaom's community outreach and educational programs is expansive and includes targeted trainings and workshops covering topics such as 1)understanding and identification of early developmental delays and red flags for Autism, 2) first responder and community worker training to increase identification and responsiveness of behaviors associated with Autism during police encounters and more boradly, when individuals with Autism engage in community (e.g., museums, zoos, pakrs/recreation etc. ), 3) family education - addressing multiple topics including; Autism bootcamps, transition challenges, and independent living.

Aaom launched an innovative employment program that boasts a highly skilled multidisciplinary team of experts from Autism and related fields. Aaom partnered with manufacturers to build the first disability employment model within the automotive industry, but that has also been proven to be effective across a wide range of industries and jobs. Aaom boasts a retention rate that exceeds 95% through maintaining a dual customer model with the employer and job seeker and from the tremendous amount of research, job development, and frontloading employer training offered. Exceeding 600 job seekers, many with multiple college degrees, aaom has broken the ceiling on disability jobs codes, salary ranges, and demonstration of advanced technical skills within a competitive workforce. Staff at aaom work with precision to transition employees to natural and sustainable supports in the work environment with strategic fading of staff and external supports, without an interruption in the workday. Aaom's employment program supports companies hiring or learning to hire individuals with disabilities, state vocational agencies, and job seekers across the state of Michigan.

As part of aaom's comprehensive safety program, global positioning devices are offered for children with Autism who tend to wander into danger and awawy from the safety of their home and caregivers. The gps scholarship program offers familiers a gps device and a one year subscritpion at no cost to the family (est. Cost $500 per family per year). To date, aaom has awarded almost xxx families with life-saving gps devices and the program typically receives over 100 applications per year. If funds are available and families have actively used the device, the subscription is renewed. This program is 100$ funded through individual donations. Aaom's gps program was named for a 12 year old with Autism in Michigan who died from injuries sustained in a pedestrian vs automobile accident in 2012, shortly after he unexpectedly fled his home and sadly before he was located. Since incepion of the program aaom has many success stories regarding recovered children, however multiple incidents of lost and drowned children continue to raise the goal.