Outdoor climb at Extreme Sports Camp summer program

On February 15, 2015, Aspen Colorado will celebrate its annual Light It Up Blue Aspen for Autism fundraiser to benefit the Extreme Sports Camp (ESC), a non-profit organization headquartered in nearby Carbondale, Colorado. ESC taps into the region's extraordinary outdoor opportunities, making winter skiing in Aspen and Snowmass, hiking and rock climbing in the spectacular Rocky Mountains, and kayaking and rafting in the Roaring Fork River possible and accessible for people with autism. By teaming up athletes, outdoor educators and professionals in disability services, ESC has developed proven adult, summer, weekend and winter programs, serving approximately 200 adults and children on the spectrum both in Colorado and nationally.

Founder, Sallie Bernard, and her leadership team are gearing up for the Light It Up Blue fundraiser and their formal renaming of Extreme Sports Camp to Ascendigo, a name that reflects the breadth of services the non-profit organization is now offering in addition to their signature sports program. They are becoming, by necessity, a powerful web of opportunities and options for adults with autism in employment, housing, daily living, and community involvement. ESC/Ascendigo staff attribute this growth not only to the urgent national need for infrastructure to support adults on the spectrum, but also to the welcoming, community-minded residents of the Roaring Fork Valley.

By developing key partnerships with such organizations as the Aspen Ski Company and the Aspen Valley Ski and Snowboard Club, ESC/Ascendigo provides expert 1:1 support on the ski slopes, completely redefining the traditional approaches of adaptive sports programs to include people with autism. "We touch a lot of the valley; we see so much improvement with the families," says Ashley Singiser, manager of the winter ski programs, adding, "that's where I find my passion." The sheer enthusiasm of the team is evident in the office where Ashley works alongside Ascendigo's Interim Executive Director, Ron Rash, with a flurry of ski instructors and program staff rushing in for their schedules and rushing out to the slopes to work.

"We go through a lot of training," says one of the instructors, Gerard Beattie, describing the fine social balance he was recently able to achieve on the slopes while supporting an adolescent named Brandon who was snowboarding for the first time. "My main purpose is to be there for him," says Gerard. "I made sure we didn't lose the ski school group but also made sure we separated from them for a while in the beginning so that Brandon could practice some basic skills without the additional social pressure."

Wakeboarding action

The summer months are no different when ESC/Ascendigo provides 8 weeklong camp sessions for youth and adults with autism who travel there from around the country to attend. Living in the dorms on the campus of Colorado Mountain College in Spring Valley, participants experience sports activities each day that include wake boarding, water skiing, tubing, biking, rock climbing, white water kayaking, climbing on a ropes challenge course, hiking, hut trips, horseback riding and swimming. Activities are repeated throughout the week to build skills and confidence and are supplemented with social activities such as yoga, games, movies, music in the park, and visits to the farmer's market. Participants work one-on-one with instructors during sports activities and are part of a team with skills trainers during other times.

The organization invests deeply in its staff, providing significant training prior to opening up the first camp session in June. Monthly professional training with autism experts leads up to the summer months and weekly follow-up training continues once the program gets underway. Staff is trained on autism-friendly approaches that utilize the principles of the Early Start Denver Model, combining elements of ABA with relationship-based interactions, positive supports, leveraging of autism-specific learning styles, and respect for developmentally-appropriate activities. The staff members are young, vibrant and athletic, and many who have journeyed to the valley to work at the camp for just a summer end up staying there, becoming managers and developers of new programming for Ascendigo. In the stories that follow, you'll learn more about these very committed experts and how a rural community in Colorado has become a leader in adult services for people with autism.

Zach and Carly working out at the gym

Carly Knauf is the Adult Day Program Manager of Ascendigo, a Medicaid-certified agency located in Carbondale, Colorado that provides services to adults with autism and related developmental disabilities. I'm sitting with two young adults with autism, Carly and her staff in the program headquarters, an office share space that is also used by local business people and professionals. As I entered it for the first time, the mood of the center exuded positivity and active community involvement. Carly and her staff make sure of this all day long, as they move through the schedule of activities with their clients.

What makes this day program stand out most for me is the emphasis on physical activity and the joy and general well-being that results from being fit. This goes for the support staff as well as for the clients who are participating today, Bill and Zach. The morning began with a trip to the Olympic size hot springs pools in Glenwood Springs, Colorado. There the two young men warmed up for the day by treading water in the deep end of the outdoor springs and jumping off the diving board, an invigorating treat in snowy mid-January with outside temperatures holding steadily at 15 degrees.

Following this, the team drives to nearby Redstone, a small town nestled in the White River National Forest and the Maroon Bells Wilderness area, where they take a winter hike. After this excursion, they're back at the Ascendigo office in Carbondale. It's late in the afternoon, and the sun is low in the sky. The mood is mellow in the afterglow that results from such physical activity. Bill is working on a creative writing project, while Zach, who is non-speaking, practices his typing skills with Carly. Only two and a half months ago, Zach moved from his parent's home in New Jersey to Carbondale, his graceful transition to his new home in Colorado made possible by the quality programming of the Ascendigo day program. In fact, during his short tenure here, Zach has already lost several pounds, which he needed to shed. This fact inspires me, knowing that a majority of adults with developmental disabilities experience significant weight gain when they transition out of their family home to a new living situation. In fact, the CDC reports that obesity rates for adults with disabilities run 58% higher than for adults without disabilities.

Zach and Joseph typing

In this way, Ascendigo goes against the grain of traditional day programming, turning the tables on the serious health, social and employment issues that are faced by adults with autism today. Interim Executive Director of the agency, Ron Rash, has brought significant experience to the table as former Senior Field Instructor of the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and co-owner of Aspen Alpine Guides, a professional backcountry guiding service. With a degree in theology, Rash has the keen ability of tapping into the Roaring Fork Valley's culture of health and community-mindedness, inspiring his young staff of athletes and support providers, and combining these elements into an exciting model that many of us can learn from for our own community-based programs for adults with autism.

When Bill is done with his creative writing project and Zach has completed his keyboarding practice, Carly recaps the day and previews tomorrow's agenda. Visual schedules are posted for clients to see, including skiing at Snowmass and shopping for ingredients to make homemade, organic granola, an entrepreneurial endeavor Ascendigo clients have decided to test out after completing a market study for potential buyers in the area. Carly ends the day with some music, turning on one of Bill's favorite songs by the Doors. Bill begins to sing along, and we all join in. The sun is setting, and it's time to go home. Bill and Zach put on their coats and walk with staff a few blocks away to the shared residence where they live. It has been a good day.

The Yellow House in Carbondale

In October 2014, a new home in Carbondale, Colorado designed specifically to support the sensory, social and communication differences of people with autism spectrum disorder opened its doors. Situated right across the street from this friendly mountain town's community park, the Yellow House promises to be a model for innovative residential options and services. The renovation of the house alone-which is occupied by three autistic residents, two house managers and their baby-is pioneering in its use of materials and design principles, both aimed at reducing sensory stress while providing a rich variety of choices for socializing with others (including solo time) and maintaining safety.

Jim and Jill Pidcock, co-owners of High Mark Construction, a family business that specializes in construction of quality homes in the Roaring Fork Valley, completed the renovation. As parents of an 11-year-old son on the autism spectrum, much of their community life in the valley is focused on developing supports for the region's families. Jill serves on the board of directors of the Arc of Colorado and is the director of the Roaring Fork Autism Network (RFAN), a satellite program of the statewide, Denver-based organization, The Living Spectrum, a nonprofit that provides unbiased support to families of children with ASD through mentorship, community meetings, resources and education. 

Working on the Yellow House was a natural extension of Jill's rich and varied community development activities. "I could see my 11-year old son living in that house one day," she says, commenting on the special features it provides. These include the open space design that provides easy visual and auditory connection between the residents and house staff at all times, while still maintaining a sense of private space. In the remodeling plans, says Sallie Bernard, founder of Ascendigo, "we emphasized both safety and freedom." A staff office on the ground floor, for example, is outfitted with windows on all sides that look out on the shared living spaces and kitchen. All windows throughout the house are made of tempered, double-paned glass, reducing sound as well as eliminating the possibility of injuries due to shattering.

Upstairs, all the bedrooms have soundproof walls and blackout shades to seal out excessive noise and light during sleeping hours. Each resident has a punch key combination to enter his room, making them private but also impossible to get locked into. Around the beds in each bedroom is a green zone, meaning the area is electrical-free, thereby reducing EMF exposures.

Bathrooms are beautifully yet practically designed, with drains in the floors for easy cleanup and flat cabinets that require no dusting. All appliances, including the toilets, are mounted off the floor on the walls, and the water tanks for toilets are embedded inside the wall. Bathrooms also feature automatic faucets, so that water is never left turned on or wasted. Additionally, lights turn on and off automatically as you enter or exit.

The house is energy efficient. The soundless LED lights throughout the rooms were chosen among many options for their efficiency, but also to eliminate distracting background noises. The floors offer radiant heat and the entire house is highly insulated. It's a "sealed box," says Sallie, adding that they have also added a clean air exchange system to the building ensuring fresh, filtered air is always present.

The house and its spaces provide a feeling of calm and safety, and there are dedicated spaces for sensory up- and down-regulation too, including an exercise room and a trampoline outside in the yard. When the renovation was planned, "we wanted to take the issue of sensory stress right off the table," says Sallie, remarking that her son Bill in his recent move from his family home to the Ascendigo Yellow House, "is much calmer and has fewer behavioral difficulties." She attributes this to the mindful planning of the environments created in the house. "It has a lot of bells and whistles," says Jill Pidcock remarking on the construction, "It is our work in progress, and we see it as a model for future homes that can be achieved on lower budgets, too."

To learn more about the Yellow House, send an email to [email protected]