Families Forward

Families Forward is an education arm of Pope's Kids Place. In 2001, on behalf of Pope's Kids Place, Dr. Isaac Pope convened a group of representatives from several Lewis County agencies, Juvenile Justice, school districts, Centralia College, and local counselors.

The purpose of Families Forward is to enhance the mental health information available to children and their families in Lewis County. Families Forward strives to present one-day seminars/conferences focused on various topics relating to the needs of children and families in Lewis County.

Presenters at the seminars are often outstanding in their fields. Attendees are often medical office personnel, counselors, juvenile justice employees, parents, foster parents, and school personnel.

Past conferences have included:

Children at Risk: Communities Partnering for Effective Solutions, Robin Karr-Morse
Beyond Consequences: A New Understanding of Difficult Behaviors, Heather T. Forbes, LCW
Protecting Our Children: Advice From Child Molesters, Cory Jewell Jensen

Autism Awareness was the focus of a day-long conference held Friday, September 23, 2011 at the Church of the Nazarene. The conference was sponsored by Families Forward and the Lewis County Autism Coalition.

Parents and professionals gathered to learn the early signs of autism, best practices and community resources, and practical tips on living with autism. Keynote speaker was Dr. Wendy Stone, Director of the University of Washington Autism Center in Seattle. Morning panels featured parents, school and health providers; followed by afternoon workshops with local and statewide presenters.

Below are documents presented at the conference:

Dr. Wendy Stone keynote address: From Early Screening to Early Intervention: Best Practices for Young Children with Autism

Dr. Glenn Tripp workshop presentation: Co-managing with Pharmacology

Sharron Feucht workshop presentation and handouts:

Diana Stadden workshop presentation:

Suzanne Partridge workshop presentation:

Sensory Strategies

Cyndi Cooley workshop presentation:

The Conference packet had copies of a Road Map to autism resources in Lewis County. These documents (in English and Spanish) can be downloaded here.

The Lewis County Autism Coalition promotes awareness and resources that enable individuals to make informed decisions that will improve the quality of life for people with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, their families and their community.

The Coalition is comprised of parents and family members, educators from local school districts, health and mental health professionals, physicians, early childhood specialists, and social service professionals. For more information contact Mary Chmelik at (360) 736-9147 or chmelikarnp@popeskidsplace.org