Recent Graduates from the Transition To Life Course!

Alexandria Asselbergs

Alexandria is a vivacious young woman with a lust for life! This exceptionally bright individual was a Transition to Life All-star! She embraced learning new skills but the key to her success was that she practiced them in the context of her home and job/s. Alex has truly found her passion at the horse barn where she works and rides daily. Her entrepreneurial spirit is alive and well and evident in her daily farm sitting duties. She works tirelessly to achieve her goals of one day being a coach for children learning horseback riding and of expanding her farm sitting business. Watch out for this gal- she’s going places! Alex was a pleasure to work with!

Testimonial from Alex

Thank you for all you have helped me with during my time with you Pat. I am sad to see it end (albeit likely temporarily). You have given me confidence and the ability to tackle nearly anything with a system to deal with nearly anything. I am able to discuss things with my parents in new ways that none of us become overly emotional or upset (given we aren’t totally exhausted). I feel more capable than ever and I owe it to you and the wonderful program you are running. I cannot imagine where I would be if my parents hadn’t found you.

Thank you for everything!! Alex

Alex’s mom: Holly

Alexandria has just completed the 12 week Individualized Transition to Life Course through Integrated Autism Consulting. Although it was frustrating at first in that expected successes were not immediately evident, time and patience would be rewarded with a beautiful outcome. Putting aside a personal agenda and allowing progress to take place at its own pace and in its own fashion opened the door for Alexandria to excel in areas that have enhanced her ability to develop more fully as wonderful young woman as well as to cope in a world that is foreign to her existence. She has developed communication skills that have enhanced her world of work in a positive way and has given her confidence to express herself without the attachment of emotional anxiety, both professionally and personally. Alexandria has not only been given a “Tool Box” of strategies to employ in her daily living, but has also been given the opportunity to practice the strategies and then discuss the outcome in a positive and constructive manner. The change it has created for her personal development has been phenomenal – her understanding of herself, how others perceive her, and how she perceives others has been an invaluable success. Most noteworthy is that Alexandria no longer feels alienated in a world that is not constructed with the inclusion of Aspies in its structure. For anybody, knowing how to navigate the surroundings and the social cues within which we live is vital for success in all its forms. The Transition to Life Course has given Alexandria equal opportunity to achieve that success.

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Mitch Kodama

A big congratulations goes out to Mitch on working so hard to complete the Transition to Life individualized course this Summer! This young man is motivated to complete his program at Georgian College this year and knew that he needed a little extra help to improve his executive functioning skills in order to be successful. He worked tirelessly to train his brain to use schedules and reminders on his phone to keep a daily plan of activities and appointments. Mitch was hoping to improve on his social skills as well, and so jumped at the chance to join the Social Club. This has given Mitch many opportunities to practice the communication skills that he worked so hard with his coach to improve on. Mitch was also given a chance to interview for a position at The Kidney Clothes Foundation and impressed them with his fine tuned interview skills. Through all of this Mitch maintained a part-time position as a banquet server at the Barrie Country Club. Good luck at college this year Mitch, you are certainly very prepared for success!

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Jack Douma

Jack is our newest and youngest recipient of the Transition to Life completion certificate. This 16 year old’s goals were to work on his communication skills, prepare for his transition from high school to university and to gain independent living skills. He came to each and every session having all of his homework completed and was eager and willing to practice all of the social and life skills that were taught to him each week. We were able to set him up with an interview at the Kidney Foundation and so Jack’s most impressive achievement is acing his interview and getting a part-time job at as a data entry coordinator. Originally only a summer position, they have asked Jack to continue working during the school year. Well done Jack! We are looking forward to continuing to support you as work towards your goal to go to university for accounting.

Testimonial from Jenny Douma

I stumbled across the Integrated Autism Consulting Centre in search for help, and that is just what I received. Jack and I had the extreme pleasure of meeting with Pat and Vicky in the Spring for them to get to know Jack and I and to see if they would be able to provide services to Jack at this time in his life.

Jack is very much a young man of routine, not very social and keeps to himself. Jack was approaching the delicate age of 16 and I felt it was time to reach out and get some support in place to help Jack with some much needed life skills. I feel as if we received more than just that with Pat and Vicky.

After Jacks sessions he walked away with understanding his diagnosis and what the differences are between him and A-typical peers, and the effort that he needs to make on his end to foster connections. Jack learnt a lot about himself and about putting himself out there. He learnt to ride a city bus, a task that may seem simple to some but wasn’t simple to Jack. He talked to Vicky about his interests and about his future and Vicky helped map that out with him, and he now has a clearer picture of what that looks like.

He learned a lot about himself and was able to celebrate with Vicky all that he already had going for him and this made him feel proud about these accomplishments. He loved the weekly “homework”, and went right to work to complete these assignments for Vicky.

With the help of Pat and Vicky Jack was able to apply for a job, interview and successfully gain employment in a position that was perfect for him for the summer. He now has confidence that was not there before and is able to complete this process on his own because he knows what to now do and what to expect.

As a mom with a child with Autism, you worry and wonder what life might be like for your child as he/she becomes an adult. It is a scary thought at times about what the future will look like for your child. This program gave me hope. Hope, a simple four-letter word so small with such great meaning behind it.

We will absolutely be returning for more support and I would recommend this to others.

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Andrew Srinin

Andrew is a new graduated of the Transition to Life program! He is a funny, always well dressed, and smart young man who is interested in aviation and Olympic history. Andrew did a fantastic job during this course and managed to secure two volunteer placements. His first placement is at The Camphill Store where he is tending the cash, setting up displays, and keeping the space tidy and presentable. His second placement will begin in October at the Barrie Public Library. We are so proud of his accomplishments thus far, and cannot wait to see the amazing things he’ll be up to in the near future.

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Tyler Carey

Tyler graduated from the Transition to Life course in July 2019. He is a young man who is acutely aware of both his strengths and challenges. This knowledge allowed him to readily identify his areas of interest in seeking a volunteer position. Tyler has a love for animals and therefore sought and secured a position with the Burlington Humane Society, in their Cat Care and Socialization program. Tyler’s passion and compassion for animals shines through in his volunteer work.

Tyler’s commitment to his goals and strong work ethic will serve him well in securing employment in the future. Tyler is a champion of the Transition to Life course!

Update September 2019:

Tyler got a part-time job at Halloween City at the beginning of September.

He was able to sell himself at the interview and goes to work prepared for each shift. He rides his bike back and forth and still continues to work at the Humane Society.

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Tristan Cornish

Tristan graduated from the Transition To Life program in July 2019.Tristan is a happy go-lucky guy who enjoys video games, anime, puzzles, crosswords, and hanging out with friends. He worked on his goals to manage his money, social understanding and learning to be more independent. He then got the chance to put them into practice with his new volunteer job with the ReStore in Barrie two times per week. Congratulations Tristan!