THE FOUNDATION FOR AUTISM TRAINING & EDUCATION
...NO CHILD WITH AUTISM LEFT BEHIND
FATE as an organization had its roots in another organization called POAC (Parents of Autistic Children - http://www.poac.net). In the late 1990s, a small group of parents of children with autism in Ocean County, New Jersey formed this small non-profit organization with the intent of improving educational programs for children with autism. They began to research alternative methods for teaching children with autism, including other strategies, interventions, and treatments which might help their children better succeed.
In 2001, POAC hosted a two-day conference at Georgian Court University (Lakewood, NJ) that featured the world’s most prominent speakers in the field of autism intervention. At that conference, Dr. Vincent J. Carbone, a Board Certified Behavioral Analyst, presented a model of applied behavior analysis that incorporated B.F. Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior and natural environment teaching into the program. Dr. Carbone explained and illustrated through extensive use of video, how Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior coupled with effective teaching procedures provided a means that could be used to help every child learn at a rate commensurate with their ability. An overwhelming majority of the teachers who participated in this conference said that their greatest need was for more targeted training in the application of Skinner’s analysis of Verbal Behavior. POAC responded to this need and began to work toward providing more training for teachers.
OUR HISTORY
POAC’s energized group, spearheaded by Tom Caffrey, Dawn Marzarella, and Bob & Donna Lanzieri, scheduled teacher training workshops throughout the 2001-2002 school year so that teachers could receive training in this evidence-based program. This success led the group to launch Project Pipeline; a focused teacher training initiative. The mission of Project Pipeline was to provide funding for teachers and school personnel to attend targeted training in Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) that would eventually lead to board certification as a behavior analyst. Grants from Project Pipeline enabled professionals to participate in this rigorous program, which required over 100 hours of training at a cost of more than $3,500 per teacher.
POAC requested only that the teachers and personnel who received Project Pipeline grants share their new-found knowledge by conducting evening trainings for their colleagues and parents throughout the state of New Jersey. Newly-trained special education professionals throughout the state responded enthusiastically and collaborated with each other through an informal organization called the Verbal Behavior Network. These teachers in the Verbal Behavior Network developed an eight-part training series and presented more than 120 free trainings throughout the 2002-2003 school year. This program continued to expand into new areas over the next few years, benefitting thousands of teachers and parents.
While special education teachers worked to train colleagues and parents in other districts, POAC formed a strategic partnership with Brick Township School District (Brick, NJ) and assisted them in establishing pilot classrooms. This Brick/POAC pilot program gained national attention and welcomed over 250 visitors from around the world to observe classrooms in Brick and surrounding areas. Parents and teachers in other parts of the country heard of the program and formed their own POAC groups in hopes of replicating this success. Groups were formed in Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, Maryland, and overseas in Ireland.
Between 1999 and 2005, every penny raised by the organization went to fund teacher training. Additionally, all work for POAC and Project Pipeline was done on a volunteer basis. It is a testament to the dedication of this core group of parents that through their tireless efforts, POAC and Project Pipeline were able to fund training for hundreds of special education teachers working directly with children with autism.
By 2005, the demand for Project Pipeline grants had exceeded POAC’s fundraising efforts and the teacher training program was put on hold indefinitely. Since the need for teacher training remained as urgent as ever, the Foundation for Autism Training and Education (FATE) was formed in May 2007 by professionals in the field of special education to resurrect Project Pipeline. FATE is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives, education, and future successes of children with autism.
