Upcoming ASBC Support Groups

What: ASBC's Social and Support Group for Young Adults with ASD (Ages 18-29)
When: Occurs every Monday, 5:30-6:30pm (Please RSVP with moderator to confirm)
Where: Panera Bread, 1855 29th Street, Boulder, CO 80301 (29th Street Mall)
Why:  This support group, focuses on social skills, employment, college, and skills for independent living for young adults with ASD.
RSVP: Please RSVP for this group to Moderator, Ruby Perske (Behavior Therapist with Behavior Services of the Rockies), at yellowfeather08@yahoo.com or 785.220.5338. Parents or teens/young adults who have not attended this group before should call and check in with Ruby ahead of time to be sure the group is a good fit.

What:   New ASBC Parent Support Group: Significant Challenges 
When: CANCELLED FOR JULY
Where: The Taj, 2630 Baseline Road, Boulder, CO 80305
Why:  This group is meant for parents who are experiencing significant challenges. You may be afraid to share in other groups for fear of you or your child being judged unfairly. You may be afraid to post something online because the internet is forever. 
This group touches on some very difficult topics, and confidentiality is a requirement. This isn’t a group where we talk about how the schools can’t keep up with our kids because they are too smart. While that can be a challenge, it is not what we are focusing on in this group. This also isn’t a group for any type of “functioning” person. We all have our high functioning moments and our low functioning moments, and we don’t want anyone leaving feeling like they are categorized, labelled or feeling worse than when they arrived. 
You may only need this group once. You may need it a few times a year, or you may need it every month. Whatever your needs are, you are welcome in this group. 
The group format is somewhat informal. We arrive at 7pm, mingle, hit the buffet, and start the meeting promptly at 7:30pm. Everyone will introduce themselves and talk about whatever issue is on their mind. The power of this group is the collective experience and resources that each of us has to share.
RSVP: Please RSVP to Moderator: Julie Darrow at info@autismboulder.org

What:   ASBC's Lafayette Support Group for Adults with ASD
When:  Wenesday, June 12th, 6:30-8:00pm
Where: THE EMPOWERMENT CENTER (Small Building), 102 E. Cleveland Street, Lafayette, CO 80026
Why:  This group is meant to give participants an opportunity to discuss topics related to ASD in a safe and understanding environment. This support group is open only to adults who are 30 years or older.
RSVP: Please RSVP to moderator: Karlin Bruegel, bruegelka@gmail.com 

New Social Opportunity: Karlin will be hosting a Fun on the Spectrum adult social group once per month. Dates are still TBD; please reach out to Karlin Bruegel for information!

What: ASBC's Boulder Thursday Evening Support Group
When: Thursday, June 20th, 6:30pm
Where: The Taj Restaurant, 2630 Baseline Rd, Boulder, CO 80305
Why: The focus of this group will be for parents of children who are preschool through high school age.
RSVP: Please RSVP to Moderator: Steph Fairbanks at  stephanie.fairbanks@gmail.com or 720-550-2968

PLEASE RSVP for this Support Group! Space is limited to a maximum of 10 participants this month due to circumstances with our venue, so please make sure you RSVP so that your spot is secured! 

What: ASBC's Support Group for Parents of Adults on the Spectrum
When: Wednesday, June 26th, 12:30-1:30 pm
Where: Confluence SBC - A Small Business Collective
75 Waneka Parkway, Lafayette, Colorado 80026, Map and Directions
Why: Support group for parents who have adult children with ASD. Group meets the fourth Wednesday of each month. For more information, please contact moderator.
RSVP: Please RSVP to Moderator: Nisa Libbey, (720) 308-2565

What:   ASBC’s East County Coffee Meet-up
When:  Wednesday, July 3rd, 10-11am (will meet on first Wednesdays of the month)
Where: Cannon Mine Coffee, 210 S. Public Road Lafayette, CO 80026,  http://www.cannonmine.com 
Why:  The focus of this group will be for families of children who are preschool through high school age. This group is for parents, grandparents, or anyone experiencing and experimenting with the joys and challenges of living with different abilities
RSVP: Please RSVP to Moderator: Julie Marshal, Julie@brainsong.net

What:   ASBC’s Teens with ASD (for teens ages 13-18 years old)
Summer Update: This support group is taking a summer break! Please keep an eye out for newsletter updates on when the group will reconvene again in the fall!

What's Happening in the Community?

Here's a taste of upcoming events and trainings happening in our area.

CU Boulder ATLAS Institute

Socially Assistive Robotics: Build Companions for Measurable Impact!

When: July 22 - 26, 2019

Register Now

DETAILS:
Participants will learn how to build a socially assistive robot from scratch (using a kit and foundation plans), needs assessment, storyboarding and prototyping,  design for robust field deployment, design of interactions to support behavioral development in a measurable way, and how to use socially assistive robots in context. We will provide an overview of the Socially Assistive Robotics literature and research space, doing a deep dive in what’s been done and the impact, spend time focusing on needs finding, identifying where there are gaps, where help is needed, and understanding therapeutic practice (this may include a field trip). We’ll then break into teams, share learnings and conduct brainstorming on ways of solving the problems we observed. 

We will create multiple concepts and evaluate in a critique-style format. After getting feedback as a team we will commence prototyping and fabrication of the robots and related software. Prototypes will first be tested and demonstrated in the class. We will assess the interaction design and provide feedback and iteration on methods measuring the success of interactions (these may be automated or qualitative depending on the participant's skills and  interests). The course will conclude with a final field trip to a site where we can interact with prospective users and stakeholders and share back our learnings as a class. 

Who is the workshop for?
This workshop is for anyone who is interested in building robots that measurably help people. Folks who have an understanding of basic mechanics programming and/or interaction design may get the most from the experience. *There are no specific skills required for this workshop, however a lot of skills may help you have more fun and develop a more robust prototype. We will be starting from an open source robot, encompassing hardware (mechanical and soft goods), software and therapeutic interaction framework. All of these items are open-source for you to alter and improve to create new robot solutions. *Applicable experience: Unity, Arduino, CAD / Fusion 360, Illustrator / Inkscape, Sewing Machine, Laser cutting

What should participants bring?
Participants should bring a laptop computer. Also, bring an old Android phone and/or Android tablet if you have one. We will also have laptops for use and phones/tables to borrow if necessary. Optional but encouraged supplies include fake fur or fabric and a sketchbook. 

About the Instructor
While at Carnegie Mellon, Aubrey Shick designed Romibo, a socially assistive robot for older adults and children with special needs, particularly autism. The robot itself turned out to be a successful therapeutic intervention, with open-source derivatives seeing over 10,000+ users in 7+ countries. She’s now the Technology Advisor of a non-profit using robots successfully with autism and memory care patients, serving hundreds of clients a year.

Outside of her non-profit work, Aubrey works in consumer hardware including wearables. She worked for Intel in the New Devices group, designing and researching augmented reality and as a Product User Experience Lead for enterprise head-worn products. After Intel, Aubrey returned to social robotics as the Head of Human-Robot Interaction and User Experience at Embodied, Inc. a robotics “wellness” startup in stealth mode based in Pasadena, CA for a year and a half.