Thursday, August 27, 1998
SonRise is a child-centered, parent-driven program offered by the Option Institute, a non-profit international learning center in Sheffield, Mass.
Founded by Barry Neil and Samahria Lyte Kaufman, SonRise is geared to children with autism or other neurological disorders. Instead of relying on outside therapy from educational specialists, SonRise trains parents to become the child's primary teachers by setting up a distraction-free room in the home for one-on-one parent-child sessions.
Parents determine how much time they can commit to the SonRise program, from minutes a day to 40 or more hours a week. The child's interests, abilities and skills form the foundation for interaction, activities and progress.
SonRise grew out of the Kaufmans' personal experiences in the early 1970s with their son, Raun, who was diagnosed as severely autistic at 18 months.
For three years, they worked with him using intense, supportive, loving encounters in their home. After three years, Raun's autistic behavior was gone. He developed into a highly verbal, extroverted, near-genius son who graduated from an Ivy League college with a biomedical ethics degree. In 1983, they formed the Option Institute to offer the SonRise program to others.
SonRise now has a staff of 60. A week-long Start-Up program, which introduces parents to the SonRise philosophy, is $1,225 per person. A week-long parent-child Intensive Program, which gives parents skills to begin SonRise at home (setting up a room, dealing with feelings about a disabled child, coordinating volunteers) is about $3,000 per person.
The next week-long SonRise Start-Up program begins Sept. 27 in Sheffield. For information, call (800) 714-2779 or visit the Web site at http://www.option.org.
The Fuller family is one of 10 Ohio families -- three in Greater Cincinnati -- who are using the SonRise approach with a child. Since 1983, SonRise has trained 1,350 U.S. families and more than 1,000 families in 24 foreign counties. It currently is establishing a training center in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Traditional "success rates" are not part of the philosophy; each family sets goals and evaluates progress for each child.
The Fullers are looking for additional volunteers. If interested, call 474-5505.
-- Sue MacDonald
