Autism Foundation of Oklahoma
Helping to improve the quality of life for Oklahomans with autism and their families.
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Autism is one of the fasted growing developmental disabilities in the world, affecting children of all races, faiths and socio-economic backgrounds. The latest U.S. prevalence numbers from the Centers for Disease Control are 1 in 59 children, making it an issue we can no longer ignore. The impact of autism is significant and pervasive for not only the individual, but for family members, caregivers, and our society at large. Health care, education, therapeutic services, and caregiver costs may range from $17,000 - $21,000 more per year to care for a child with autism, causing tremendous emotional, financial and physical stress for families. These costs can greatly increase when a child goes without early intervention and appropriate educational services, in the form of residential care, loss of productivity, underemployment, or unemployment among adults with autism.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
Autism Advocacy and Awareness
AFO is actively involved in raising awareness for autism in the state of Oklahoma to benefit individuals and families affected by the disorder. We host a statewide Autism Awareness Day at the Oklahoma State Capitol each year, giving caretakers and providers the opportunity to meet their legislators and educate them on the issues that affect their loved ones and community. We also advocate for increased healthcare access, post-secondary education opportunities, and meaningful employment options to improve the quality of life for individuals with ASD and their families.
Early Childhood
Early childhood care and education provide a vital role in the development and well-being of children. The Training Oklahoma Childcare Providers to Support Children with Autism (TOCA) project is a three-tiered pilot program with the overall goal to increase quality childcare services for Oklahoma children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related disorders. AFO is proud to partner with Sunbeam Family Services and the Inasmuch Foundation to support the first step in creating a statewide blueprint for supporting childcare centers in providing quality services to children with ASD and related disorders.
Workforce Development
Interested in building a more inclusive workplace? The Autism Foundation of Oklahoma provides training and business solutions to employers who are committed to diversity and equity. Learn about the benefits of hiring people with autism, how to attract and interview neurodiverse candidates for your company, and how to foster an inclusive work environment that includes and respects individuals with cognitive differences. Contact Leah Harris at [email protected] for more information.
Public Safety
Project: Safe Stop is a community event that teaches drivers and passengers with autism how to safely interact with police during a traffic stop or event. These events are also designed to educate local law enforcement about autism and give officers the opportunity to meet the autistic citizens that live and work in the areas they serve.
Sensory Kits for First-Responders
Designed in collaboration with local law enforcement, AFO’s First Responder Toolkits are a helpful tool for local police, firefighters, and EMTs to help them better assist Oklahomans with autism and other special needs. These kits contain items such as a weighted blanket, noise-canceling headphones, sunglasses, fidget toys, and a non-verbal cue card to help children and adults cope with the stress of an emergency situation.
Justice System Reform
Autism Training for Oklahoma’s Courts
A 2019 study conducted by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Center for Autism Research (CAR) showed that approximately 1 in 5 young adults with ASD will interact with a police officer before the age of 21. The U.S. Department of Justice reports that individuals with disabilities, including those with autism, are five times more likely to be incarcerated than people without disabilities.
Researchers agree that most individuals with high functioning ASD are law-abiding citizens who are more likely to be victims of crimes than commit them. However, they are still seven times more likely to intersect with the criminal justice system than individuals without ASD (Berryessa, 2014).
The court’s understanding of ASD can make an enormous difference in a variety of juvenile, family, and criminal law cases. AFO now provides judges, lawyers, and other judicial professionals needed access to ASD education and experts with knowledge and experience in t
Health Equity
Health equity is achieved when every person has the opportunity to “attain his or her full health potential” and no one is “disadvantaged from achieving this potential because of social position or other socially determined circumstances.” Health inequities are reflected in differences in length of life; quality of life; rates of disease, disability, and death; severity of disease; and access to treatment. AFO strives to achieve health equity for patients with autism and their families in all types of health care settings.
Where we work
Awards
Executive Director, Catalyst of Change Award 2016
The ARC of Oklahoma
Early Access Team, Catalyst of Change Award 2019
The ARC of Oklahoma
Executive Director, Excellence in Autism 2016
Oklahoma Autism Network
Affiliations & memberships
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, ONE Award Nominee 2018
Oklahoma Center for Nonprofits, One Award Nominee 2020
External reviews
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of program/model/intervention innovations
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Type of Metric
Outcome - describing the effects on people or issues
Direction of Success
Increasing
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
To improve the quality of life of individuals with autism by building the capacity of public programs and other providers to offer effective services.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
Our mission will be accomplished by the advancement of knowledge and skills through continuing education, internships, coaching, mentoring and scientific inquiry; resulting in systems change at the state, regional and community levels.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
EARLY ACCESS: SCREENING PROJECT
Although there is no cure for autism, a key factor to successful outcomes for a child with autism is beginning specialized intervention as early as possible. Unfortunately, the national average for age of diagnosis in 2011 was around 5 years and was likely higher in Oklahoma given a lack of awareness about autism and the importance of early identification. The Early Access Project works to increase autism awareness, improve access to early screening and connection to needed services. The project collaborates with public and private agencies statewide to train Community Screening Partners to provide autism screening and strengthen long-term, community-based early identification capacity.
EARLY FOUNDATIONS: MODEL AND OUTREACH PROJECT
Research has shown that if a child with autism is identified early and receives specialized instruction for an extended length of time, they will enter kindergarten needing less support and fewer specialized services. Early Foundations is a model program for providing early intensive intervention for the youngest children (toddlers) “at risk” for autism. The model is built on behavioral techniques with a developmental and social emphasis. The program is community-based and inclusive, offering weekly playgroups with typical peers in addition to family education and support. Early Foundations serves as a model training site where professionals can observe and get hands-on practice using evidence-based instructional strategies.
THE MESA PROJECT
Education of children, and of their parents and teachers, is currently the primary form of treatment for autism spectrum disorders. Yet, schools and teachers are struggling because they lack adequate training and support to provide appropriate services for these children. The goal of the MESA Project (Multidisciplinary Education Support for Autism) is to build the capacity of educators and other professionals to provide effective programs for children. This is accomplished by a variety of professional development services and by promoting school/family partnerships to bring about systems change within school districts
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Over the past five years, EARLY ACCESS has:
• Aligned and partnered with the CDC’s Learn the Signs, Act Early national campaign.
• Engaged and partnered with over 20 early childhood service agencies and other providers.
• Collaborated with the Oklahoma Family Network to provide a Family Support Partner to their network.
• Facilitated screening for more than 650 children and connected their families with services.
• Trained a network of 28 Community Screening Partner teams.
• Conducted awareness training for 675 early childhood providers from Head Starts, child care centers, and other early childhood programs.
• Developed and disseminated awareness materials at 103 events, reaching thousands of families and other community members.
Over the past five years, EARLY FOUNDATIONS has:
• replicated the program in 3 additional community sites (Canadian, Cleveland, and Tulsa counties).
• provided intensive intervention to 86 toddlers.
• supported 1,310 typical peers and promoted acceptance and appreciation of differences.
• trained 250 professionals through observation and hands-on practice at the model site.
• provided bi-weekly family education and support to 86 families.
• responded to 1,445 requests for information and resources (e.g., phone calls and emails) from the community.
Over the past five years, the MESA PROJECT has reached children, educators, and families in every corner of the state, training an average of 1000 educators each year. Professional development includes large and small group trainings, onsite intensive one-on-one coaching and mentoring of school teams, and short-term internships. During an average year the MESA Project provides:
• 10 (1-2 day statewide trainings).
• 20 building or school-wide trainings at school sites.
• 70 consultations at the school sites, involving direct demonstration and coaching.
• 100 responses to technical assistance requests.
• 15 summer internships.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people's needs and how we can help them achieve their goals
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
We don't have any major challenges to collecting feedback
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Autism Foundation of Oklahoma
Board of directorsas of 01/22/2024
Ms. Erin Baird
HealthStar International
Term: 2024 - 2024
Mr. Ryan Blanton
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Term: 2024 - 2024
Rondalyn Abode
Crossover Community Impact
Erin Baird
HealthStar International
Ryan Blanton
Oklahoma Panhandle State University
Aimee Franklin
University of Oklahoma
Kim Gaddie
University of Oklahoma
Crystal Hernandez
ODMHSAS
Julia Jernigan-Smith
Creative Capital Strategies
Ed Long
MetaFund
MJ Major
OKDHS
Dana Miller
OHCA
Dave Smith
Dapper Digital Creative
Dan Sterba
George Kaiser Family Foundation
Cory Sutton
ODMHSAS
Tom Taylor
Oklahoma City University
Jake Yunker
Oklahoma State University Foundation
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? Yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
No data
Gender identity
No data
Transgender Identity
No data
Sexual orientation
No data
Disability
No data
Equity strategies
Last updated: 10/16/2020GuideStar partnered with Equity in the Center - an organization that works to shift mindsets, practices, and systems to increase racial equity - to create this section. Learn more
- We review compensation data across the organization (and by staff levels) to identify disparities by race.
- We disaggregate data to adjust programming goals to keep pace with changing needs of the communities we support.
- We employ non-traditional ways of gathering feedback on programs and trainings, which may include interviews, roundtables, and external reviews with/by community stakeholders.
- We have long-term strategic plans and measurable goals for creating a culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.
- We have a promotion process that anticipates and mitigates implicit and explicit biases about people of color serving in leadership positions.
- We seek individuals from various race backgrounds for board and executive director/CEO positions within our organization.
- We have community representation at the board level, either on the board itself or through a community advisory board.
- We help senior leadership understand how to be inclusive leaders with learning approaches that emphasize reflection, iteration, and adaptability.
- We engage everyone, from the board to staff levels of the organization, in race equity work and ensure that individuals understand their roles in creating culture such that one’s race identity has no influence on how they fare within the organization.