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Fairfax County Public School Resources

• Parent Resource Center: 703-204-3941, Dunn Loring Administrative Center, 2334 Gallows Road, Dunn Loring, VA 22027

Community Resources

• Employment

  • ServiceSource: Contact Lauren Goldschmidt at 703-475-1935 or lauren.goldschmidt@servicesource.org
    Employment services, including resource navigation, soft skills group to build skills needed for obtaining and maintaining employment, career assessments, and assistance with finding volunteer and paid employment (supported by ServiceSource Foundation and Safeway Foundation)

  • Virginia Department for Aging and Rehabilitative Services (DARS): Contact Jessica Stehle at 571-210-2183, 11150 Fairfax Boulevard, Suite 300, Fairfax, Virginia 22030. DARS operates a vocational rehabilitation program that helps individuals with disabilities get ready for, find, and keep a job. 

• Social Skills / Recreational

  • Department of Therapeutic Recreation: 703-324-5532

    • F.A.N.tastic Times is a free drop-in program for individuals on the autism spectrum ages 2 to 22 years old and their families hosted by the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services.

  • Park Authority Adaptive Aquatics: 703-324-8565

• Respite

  • McLean Bible Church: Please email accessministry@mcleanbible.org if you are interested in attending.
    Respite group (Friday evening for ages 2-15 and Saturday mornings for 16+)
  • Hartwood Foundation: 703-914-3901; fee-for-service respite provider for persons who have a primary diagnosis of intellectual disability

• ID Waiver/DD Waiver

  • Families of children with Autism should apply for a DD waiver. Those with an ID diagnosis should apply for an ID waiver. For Fairfax-Falls Church Community Services Board intake information, call 703-324-4400.

• Family Support

  • McLean Bible Church:
    • Respite group: https://mcleanbible.org/tysons/special-needs/
  • Parents of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia: 703-391-2251, Concerns@POAC-NoVA.org
    • Parent support group: https://poac-nova.org/join-poac-nova/

Autism Organizations

• The Arc of Northern Virginia: 703-532-3214
• Autism Society of America, National Office: 301-657-0881
• Autism Society of Northern Virginia: 703-495-8444, info@asnv.org
• Parents of Autistic Children of Northern Virginia: 703-391-2251, Concerns@POAC-NoVA.org

Websites with current Autism research

• Autism Society of Northern Virginia: 703-495-8444, director@asnv.org
  • Focus: Advocating for people with autism; providing support for their families and caregivers; ensuring access to education, vocational training, housing, transportation, recreation and other lifespan needs.
• National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Autism
  • Focus: Providing easy access to the most current information about NICHD research projects, publications, news releases and other activities related to autism and similar disorders.
• Organization for Autism Research: www.researchautism.org
  • Focus: Funding applied research and providing feedback on research to the Autism community.

State resources

• University of Virginia's Supporting Transformative Autism Research Initiative
  • Focus: Statewide resource database for individuals with autism and their families. Virtual services/supports, connecting people with resources, and conducting groundbreaking autism research. Additionally, many in-service and professional development trainings for organizations within the state of Virginia.

Understanding challenges and building on strengths for students with autism

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Federal resources

• Disability resources from the U.S. Department of Labor (includes information related to education as well as to employment)
• Autism resources from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
• Autism resources from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention