On Sunday August 14th, 2016 the Hillman family will host the 1st Annual MAX Charity Challenge, a charity golf tournament and dinner reception to benefit The Institute for Autism Research (iar) at Canisius College and their MAX programs for high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (HFASD).
The iar is an interdisciplinary collaborative research center dedicated to understanding autism and related developmental disorders and enhancing the lives of those affected and their families. Researchers from diverse backgrounds work together to address critical questions related to autism involving causes, development, assessment, clinical treatment, and education. This research work has led to development of several new and effective treatments which are provided by the iar staff, our community partners and schools.
SummerMAX is a comprehensive summer social development program for 7-12 year old children with HFASD offered by iar. The focus of the summer program is to teach social skills and provide multiple opportunities to practice the skills. Specifically the program addresses four main areas that are problems for children with HFASD: social skills, interest expansion, interpretation of non-literal language (idioms), and face and affect recognition. Many of the children attending this program are not eligible for summer services through their home school district, but need support to continue learning and building social skills that would enable them to interact with friends, family members, teachers, and others.
Proceeds from the 1st Annual MAX Charity Challenge will help to defray some of the costs associated with running the summerMAX program, which results in a less expensive program tuition rate for families.
If you have any questions or wish to discuss opportunities, please feel free to contact us at (716) 864- 4553 or by e-mail at maxcharitychallenge@gmail.com.
On behalf of our family, the researchers, clinicians and staff at the iar at Canisius College, and the children with HFASD and their families, thank you for your support!