Vol. 20, No.

1 Compassionate Mental Health Care for Children Spring 2011

Marillac’s Discovery Program Enters Third Year

of Serving Children with Asperger Syndrome

Discovery Program
uses evidenced-based
treatment for youth
and adolescents with
Asperger Syndrome and
other High-Functioning
Autistic Disorders

Elliot’s parents always knew he was a
little quirky. At age 4, he would gladly lec-
ture you about dinosaurs for hours on end,
but if you tried to engage him in a back-and-
forth conversation, he would turn away. In
kindergarten, his teacher reported that he
never played with his classmates at recess.
Instead, he would spend his time walking
the perimeter of the playground, talking to
himself. By second grade, he could read at
a fourth grade level, but could barely write
the alphabet, crying that the pencil hurt
his hand.
Everything always had to be “ just so”
his usual sweat pants, he would be preoc-
cupied with them all day, scratching and
fussing with them as if they were made of
sand paper.
As Elliot got older, it became obvious
that his differences were more than “quirks.”
By third grade, Elliot had become interested
in other children and desperately wanted
a friend, but his attempts to interact with
classmates were so awkward and tactless
that they ostracized him. After a school
psychologist suggested to Elliot’s parents
that they have him evaluated by a child
psychiatrist or developmental pediatrician,
carrying on back-and-forth conversations.
They have trouble understanding abstract
language such as idioms, metaphors, and
sarcasm and often fail to recognize non-ver-
bal cues like facial expressions. They often
have all-consuming special interests about
which they are very knowledgeable, but
which interfere with their social relation-
ships and their academic work. Many also
experience problems with inflexibility or
rigidity. These issues can become significant
barriers later in life, preventing them from
getting or keeping a job, or forming mean-
ingful relationships with others.

for Elliot. If the bus driver took a different
route to school than usual, he would panic.
If he expected to have reading class at 9:30
and the time was changed to 11:35, he would
melt down. If his mother made him wear
a pair of blue jeans to school, instead of
Elliot was diagnosed with a high-function-
ing autism spectrum disorder known as
Asperger Syndrome.
Children with Asperger Syndrome have
normal-to-high intelligence and good con-
crete verbal skills, but have difficulty with
L
aunched in 2009, the Discovery Pro-
gram at Marillac was created for
children like Elliot. The Discovery
Program is a social skills training program
aimed at addressing the unique needs of

Newsletter Information Contact: Marillac Development Department

8000 W. 127th Street, Overland Park, KS 66213 | 816.508.3309
E-mail: jimmy.courtice@marillac.org URL: www.marillac.org
feature story  (continued from first page) volunteers

Discovery Program Leadership

children and teens with high-function- After the lesson, the children engage Overland Park
Volunteers Share
ing autism spectrum disorders, such as in a variety of structured role-plays to help
Asperger Syndrome. practice each particular skill.

Green Thumbs
The program offers a nurturing envi- Each lesson is followed by a period of
ronment and evidence-based methods for cooperative play during which the Discov-
students to learn valid social skills and sim- ery Team records data to help assess the
ple ways to relate to one another in real-life
situations. The major goals of the program
are to assist and support the child’s adjust-
progress each child has made while partici-
pating in the program. Based on the data
Marillac has gathered thus far, students
O n Saturday morning, April 9, a group
of 20 volunteers from the Leadership
Overland Park Program descended upon
ment and success in the classroom, in peer enrolled in the Discovery program have Marillac to help with some much needed
relationships, and in his/her family. The significantly increased their spontaneous landscaping and other projects.
child’s social-skill level is assessed at the greetings and back-and-forth conversation With shovels and spades in hand, the
point of intake, and then again at various with peers, while significantly decreasing coterie of cultivators began weeding and
times throughout the program in order to their inappropriate behaviors and refusals tilling the garden—cleaning out flower
measure progress and success. to participate. beds, laying fresh mulch, and planting
“A typical session starts off with some “In addition to imparting new social new plants. They also dug up and removed
sort of warm up game or activity,” says Ana skills, one of the great benefits of Discov- many of the old metal garden dividers;
Rankin, one of the two Discovery Team ery has been giving our students an oppor- replacing them with brand new rubber gar-
Leaders at Marillac. tunity to make friends,” says Lisa Mann, den dividers donated by McCownGordon
“Our younger groups may do some- Marillac’s other Discovery Group Leader. Construction.
thing like silly dancing or freeze dancing “Many of our students, before coming to They then turned their attention to the
to get them moving and engaged. After Marillac, were leading very isolated and arbor: sanding off the old worn finish and
that we review the schedule for the day so lonely lives. They thought they were ‘dif- re-staining it. Finally, they designed and
that the kids know what comes next after ferent’ from everyone else out there. Then laid-out a brand new soccer field that has
each activity.” they come to Discovery and meet other been on our wish list for some time. Maril-
The children will then look at a video children who think the way they do, and lac’s Development Department has solic-
or read an excerpt related to the target skill can relate to their interests and their chal- ited the public for a set of Soccer goals and
of the day before launching into a lesson lenges. It is an eye opening experience for they should arrive before summer starts.
regarding that specific social skill. They them. When we see children form friend- Several staff members here at Maril-
may work on anything from playing coop- ships that go beyond the classroom—some- lac also took part, helping to coordinate
erative games to learning how to introduce times for the first time in their lives—it can several Courage and Miller kids to work
themselves to other individuals in a safe be pretty magical.” with the volunteers.
and appropriate setting. One recent session For more information, please contact It was a great day, and we are looking
involved the children looking at images our Discovery Program Team Leaders Lisa forward to enjoying our garden and soccer
from comic books and trying to correctly Mann or Ana Rankin at 816-508-3279 or field all spring and summer long!
identify the emotion each character was via email at lisa.mann@marillac.org or
feeling, based on their facial expressions. ana.rankin@marillac.org, respectively.
Features of the Program:
• Individualized treatment programs supervised by qualified, caring mental-health
professionals, and educators
• Small-group activities that allow for focused, one-on-one interaction with other
children and counselors
• A structured setting and supervised activities in which children learn essential
social and interpersonal communication skills
• Encouragement of the child’s special interests, talents, and strengths
• Respect for diversity and the unique characteristics of children with Asperger’s
Syndrome
• Family education
Skills to be Developed:
• Interaction with others, self-sufficiency, and self-advocacy
• Communication and recognition of social cues
• Behavior management and dealing with emotions related to the disorder
• Turning fixations or obsessions into passions that can be put to use at home,
school, and in the community Jonathon Polack with Leadership Overland Park
helps to stain the arbor in Marillac’s garden.
volunteers
Teva Neuroscience Pays it Forward
O n Friday, March 25, employees from
Teva Neuroscience took part in the
company’s annual “Pays It Forward” day
of service event. Around 1 o’clock in the
afternoon, a pack of nondescript, white
vans carrying more than 250 of Teva Neu-
roscience’s Kansas City-based employees
fanned out across the Greater Kansas City
Metro Area, each van bound for a different
area nonprofit.
Armed with $500 and three-and-a-half
hours, each team was sent out with the
mission of stretching their money as far as
possible in service to the organization they
were going to see. The one stipulation: they
could not simply donate the cash; they had
to make an effort to pay it forward with a
meaningful service.
When the van pulled into the Marillac
parking lot, it was clear they had already
Our Teva volunteer team ‘The Executors” took a minute to pose for a photo with a few Marillac staffers before
heading out to “pay it forward.”
Summer Program
The Discovery Program goes to Spy
Training Camp!
T he life of a secret agent is more than
fancy gadgets, jet packs, and chasing
down bad guys. They use their commu-
nication skills to blend in and put oth-
ers at ease; they use their listening skills
to gather intelligence; and they use their
“social thinking” skills to discern others’
thoughts and motives.
This summer, the 8-week, 16-session
Discovery Program will be transformed
into Spy Training Camp. The program
is designed to be a fun approach to social
learning for boys and girls with normal-
been thinking about the needs of our chil-
dren. Stepping out of the van, Teva employ-
ees presented Marillac staff with a huge
box filled with dozens of full-sized beach
towels for the kids to use during the sum-
mertime at Marillac’s outdoor pool. After
a quick conversation with some Marillac
staff, the Teva volunteers set out to pay
it forward.
They returned a few hours later with a
veritable cornucopia of items for our sum-
mertime ‘Camp Connections’ program
including bathing suits, swimming goggles,
flip-flop sandles, movie passes, two com-
plete sets of bases for our softball field and
more! Our thanks to our Teva team, “The
Executors,” and the entire Teva Neurosci-
ence staff for another great day of service.
Thank you for helping make our children’s
summer much brighter.
to-high intelligence but social skills chal-
lenges. Each session includes a social skills
activity and a more typical “spy” activity.
All groups will be facilitated by Lisa Mann
and Ana Rankin. Lisa and Ana both hold
master’s degrees in Special Education for
Autism Spectrum Disorders, and specialize
in evidence-based interventions for chil-
dren with Asperger Syndrome and similar
social-cognitive challenges.
Classes start June 6. For more infor-
mation, contact Lisa Mann at 816-508-3279
or e-mail lisa.mann@marillac.org.
volunteer spotlight
Diane Knapic
E very Wednesday, a small group of vol-
unteers, the Reading Buddies, read
one-on-one with our children, helping
them with reading comprehension skills
and helping to develop a love for the writ-
ten word. For the past year and a half,
Diane Knapic has been volunteering at
Marillac. In that time she has been a Read-
ing Buddy, a Library assistant and more
recently a mentor.
Originally, her professional history
drew her to Marillac.
“I have worked in psychiatry in one
capacity or another for years. I kept feel-
ing ‘called’ to see what I could offer to the
kids that live so close to me.”
Once Knapic began volunteering with
the children at Marillac, she found herself
increasingly valuing the time she spent
with them.
“I love their resilience and their per-
spective on life. I love to listen to their
dreams, hear their stories, and help them
look at ways to problem solve. I gain more
from the kids at Marillac than they do
from me. They make me laugh, they tug at
my heart, and they challenge me to listen
and fully appreciate another person.”
By volunteering at Marillac Knapic
has seen firsthand how much of an impact
individual volunteers can have on the lives
of children in need.
She recalls, “One day, I was trying to
help a boy read. “Sam” age 10, loved sports,
but hated to read out loud. His attention
darted about the room and he could hardly
sit still. We talked about the upcoming
NCAA basketball tournament, and tried to
locate a book on basketball. The next time
I met with him, I brought him an NCAA
basketball tournament bracket. He read all
the team names, and learned about how
to read the graph. His face lit up like the
sun! At that moment, and on that day, he
felt good about reading.”
When asked if she had anything she
would like to say to potential volunteers
Knapic replied, “If I were to advise oth-
ers considering volunteering at Marillac,
I would say ‘Do it! You won’t be disap-
pointed.’ They will pay you back with
smiles, hugs and funny stories! You’ll owe
them more than you can ever repay.”
a letter from the president and the chairperson of the board

Celebrating Growth

T he arrival of spring is an especially beautiful time of year

here at Marillac. With the chill of winter finally lifted, the
campus has sprung to life. Walking the grounds, you feel
the warmth of the sun on your skin, as a faint breeze quietly rustles
through newly sprouted leaves. In a joyful chorus the sound of
cardinals and robins chirping and singing echoes from one side
of the campus to another.
As we witness the growth and change happening just out-
side our doors, we find ourselves reflecting upon the tremendous
growth and change we are able to witness each and every day
within the lives of the children and families that we serve. Over
the years, in countless moments both large and small, we have
been able to see lives transformed and hopes brighten for count-
less children and their families.
In recognition of Autism Awareness Month, in this issue
of Marillac Matters you will read about how our Discovery Pro-
gram has been dramatically improving the quality of life for
children with Asperger Syndrome and other high-functioning
autistic disorders as well as their families. This June the program
will be entering its third year serving the unique needs of these
kids by providing them opportunities to practice and develop
social skills and communication strategies in a safe and nurtur-
ing environment.
You will also read about how some of our wonderful volun-
teers have been working to help us to usher in the spring and get
ready for the summer. From laying out a soccer field and helping
in the garden, to donating items for the children to use during
our summertime Camp Connections Program, volunteers have
always made tremendous contributions to Marillac and this sea-
son has been no exception.
In closing, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks and
appreciation to all of our supporters and donors. Thank you for
continuing to support our efforts to provide brighter futures for
the children and families we serve.
Mark S. Richards John L. McCarthy
President and CEO Chairman of the Board

at 816-508-3322.
Robyn Inzerillo at robyn.inzerillo@marillac.org or
mentor for our kids, please contact volunteer coordinator
For more information about volunteering or becoming a
or talents in service to the children of Marillac?
Are you interested in giving some of your time

juliet.carpenter@marillac.org.
To donate, contact Juliet Carpenter at 816-508-3290 or

•• Trivial Pursuit Junior from Horn Abbot

Creative Therapeutics
•• The Talking, Feeling, and Doing Game from
•• Wii Sports Resort for four players
•• FaceSay - Computer Game
•• Comfy couches and chairs for our therapy sessions

some of the following items:

sider helping support this valuable program by donating
dren during their therapeutic group sessions. Please con-
covery Team Leaders have indicated they need for the chil-
have very unique needs. Below are some items that our Dis-
Overland Park, KS 66213
The children that participate in our Discovery Program 8000 W. 127th Street
Discovery Wish List