Local Support Groups
Page
Index: Apraxia Parent Group,
Autism Support Center(ASC),
Baskets
Support Group (Explosive kids),
Concord Family and
Youth services(CFYS),
Family Ties,
Landmark school,
LD / NVLD suppost Group,
Metro West
CHADD,
Wayside's Parent
Partnership Program
(WPPP),
The Parent Professional Advocacy
League (PAL),
Personal Advocacy and Lifetime
Support, Inc. (PALS),
Parent
Support Group for Children with Challenges (PSGCC),
Suicide Survivor Support Group,
Parents
Helping Parents and
links to other resources.
Apraxia
Parent
Group
This
support group meetings are held in Saugus, MA and are for adults only.
(No
childcare available at this time). Contact: Beth
e-mail:
philipandmarysmom@yahoo.com
Meeting Location: Saugus Public Library, Saugus, MA
Meeting times/frequency: every other month during school yr, 4-5x/yr,
www.ApraxiaKids.org
NE
Aprxia yahoo email list
Autism Support Center (ASC)
Support
parents
and professionals who expressed a need for assistance finding
information and
support about autism, pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and
Asperger’s
Disorder. It is directed by a Parent Advisory Policy Committee
comprised of
parents of children with autism/PDD. ASC is a program of the
North Shore
ARC with funding from the Massachusetts Department of Mental
Retardation.
The
Autism Support Center (ASC)
6 Southside Road, Danvers, MA
01923
978-777-9135, 1-800-7-AUTISM (MA only)
978-762-3980 (Fax)
asc@nsarc.org
www2.primushost.com/~nsarc
Baskets
Support Group
A
support group for parents and
professionals involved in the
care of inflexible-explosive kids.
Meets
typically, the first
Monday of every month, to provide networking and education.
Andover
Chapter of P.T.E.K. (Parents
and Teachers of Explosive Kids)
Holds informal meetings,
occasionally with speakers, open to parents, relatives, and teachers.
Based
on the methods used in Ross
Greene's program, which is described in his book, The
Explosive Child.
Contact:
Beth Edelstein at: beth@explosivekids.org
Concord
Family and
Youth
Services
(Formally
called: Carlisle
Educational
Institute)
A Division of Justice Resource Institute
offers two residential therapeutic schools for girls, a therapeutic
high school, a transitional independent living shelter for young
adults, a group home for boys, parenting and adoption services for all
residents and a day program for local high school aged girls and
boys. Parenting support is for ages birth to age 3.
380
Massachusetts Avenue
Acton, MA 01720
Phone: (978) 263-3006
Fax: (978) 263-3088
www.cfys.org
Family
TIES
Parent
support groups to help access to useful information to assist with the
issues parents of children with a disablities.
Family
Ties collects support group information and maintain a database of
these groups throughout the state.
http://massfamilyties.org/parenttoparent.html
Landmark
School
Outreach Program
Offers courses to parents and
teachers.
P.O. Box 227
Prides Crossing, MA 01965
(978) 927-4440
http://www.landmarkschool.org
The
Learning
Disabilities Parent Support Group
(formerly our local NLD Support Group)
Meet at local cafe's and bakeries in
Concord, they usaually meet on the weekend, in the morning aound 8am.
Any parent who would like to connect with other parents who
are navigating through the special education maze are invited
to come.
Topics for discussion include taking care
of ourselves, strategies for coping and other topics.
Everyone is welcome -- the group is dynamic, warm, and
supportive.
For more information, email:
Ruth Bell: rebell9000@aol.com
Bonnie Polakoff: bonnieboop@comcast.net
Metrowest
CHADD
CHADD
national non-profit organization serving indivuals with
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disdor (AD/HD).
Our local chapter, support group has meeting held every second Tuesday
of the month,
7:00
- 9:00 pm.
(No
meeting during the month of August.)
Their
meetings are open to parents, relatives, and teachers, and often with
speakers.
Metrowest
CHADD meeting are held at
The Morse Institute Library
14 East
Central Street
Natick,
MA 01760
(Route 135, one block east of the intersection of Routes 27
and 135).
508-655-2590
- Wendy Peverill-Conti, Coordinator
email:
metrowestchadd@verizon.net
You
can find this chapter listed on CHADD website.
Metro
West CHADD Yahoo
email list
Parent
Partnership Program, Parent Support Group
Wayside's Parent
Partnership Program
(WPPP)
A free group
for parents of youth
affected by mental health challenges.
The group meets in Arlington the 1st and
3rd
Thursday of each month, 7:00-9:00 pm
(The group used to meet in Acton, as of Dec. 2005, due to low
attendance has moved back to Arlington)
Many topics and areas of
interest will
be explored. Supportive environment for parents.
Occasional guest speakers, coffee
is avaible.
For
addational information or
questions, call Anne Sullivan, Parent Support Coordinator:
Wayside
Youth & Family Support
Network
406 Massachusetts Avenue (Opposite
Fire Station)
Arlington, MA 02474
Email: anne_sullivan@waysideyouth.org
781-643-2580 x 123
The Parent
Professional Advocacy
League (PAL)
PAL is the statewide chapter of the
Federation of Families for
Children's Mental Health.
They provides support, education, and
advocacy
around issues related to children's emotional, behavioral and mental
health.
PAL is
an organization of more than 4,000 Massachusetts families and
professionals.
They advocate
for supports, treatments and policies that enable families to live in
their communities in an environment of stability and respect.
PAL
59 Temple Place
Suite 664
Boston, MA 02111
617-542-7860
Personal Advocacy and Lifetime
Support, Inc. (PALS, Inc.)
A non-profit organization started by a
group of parents with adult sons and daughters with special needs.
Their mission is to assist parents and other care givers establish and
maintain a lifetime plan for a safe and secure future for their loved
one with special needs. They provide advocacy and friendship in the
present, and in the future, when primary care givers are no longer able
to do so.
PALS, Inc.
130C Baker Ave Ext.
Concord, MA 01742
978-369-0025
pals.inc@verizon.net
Parent
Support Group for Children with Challenges (PSGCC)
The
primary goal of our support group is
to connect parents with others confronting similar issues.
By sharing
concerns, experiences, resources and ideas with each other.
They strive to form a community of parents who can provide mutual
support
and comfort.
Meetings are held monthly in
Acton, at Acton-Boxborough
Regional High School or
in the school library at the Parker
Damon Building off Rte. 111.
If you can’t come but would like to be
a part of this group, or for
further information,
please contact either:
Suicide Survivor Support Group
Meets at First Chruch Unitarian
The second and Fourth Monday
Alliance Room
19 Foster Street
Littleton, MA 01742
Barbara 978-486-4928
Nancy 978-425-6654
Parents
Helping Parents
Their office is listed below, they
have support groups all around
Massachesstes.
For a list of the groups closest to
you please see their website.
Parents Helping Parents
140 Clarendon Street
Boston, MA 02116
(800) 882-1250
(617) 267-8077
email:
php.ma@verison.net
www.parentshelpingparents.org/links.html
Resources
Acton/Boxborough SpEd PAC - List
of Local Area Support Groups for Parents of Special Needs Children web
page
Massachusetts SPED PAC's On-line
Free Parent workshops and information, Federation
for
Children with Special Needs
