Good Friend

Good Friend Academy Our new online resource platform, Good Friend Academy, took more than two years to come to fruition. In the fall, we launched a pilot program, during which 4 teachers, 1 school counselor, and 1 speech pathologist engaged 296 students from kindergarten through 6th grade in the curriculum. Good Friend Academy includes three courses one for those working with 5-8 year-olds, one for 8-11 year-olds, and one for 11-14 year-olds which have all the multimedia tools educators need to provide autism awareness, acceptance, and empathy training to K-8th grade students. This enables any educator anywhere (with internet access) to help students be more inclusive of their peers with brain-based differences. The Elementary School Educator Courses include We ALL Fit, a 20-minute long video in English or Spanish with subtitles for accessibility, and discussion guides that walk educators through the curriculum delivery step-by-step. The Middle School Educator Course centers on Choosing to Be a Good Friend, also a 20-minute long film but specifically produced for 6th-8th grade learners. As with the other courses, theres an instructive discussion guide that lays out the sequential steps to fulfill the learning objectives, listing the time each section of the curriculum should take. Each course includes additional complementary resources such as an online game for students, coloring sheets, and sample language schools can use to explain the curriculum to families. Good Friend Academy increases our program impact, as more people than ever will be able to deliver its autism awareness-acceptance-empathy message to students across the country.

Sibshops Good Friend, Inc.'s Sibshops engage participants who have siblings with brain-based disabilities, such as autism. Youth ages 8-12 and teens ages 13-17 participate in team building exercises, arts and crafts, and group discussion activities to facilitate bonding. The program creates a safe space where kids may share their unique experiences as a sibling to someone with special needs. We are fortunate to have 2 first generation facilitators planning and coordinating the program. Participants return year after year, proving that their interaction with peers in similar situations is valued and not replicated by other social experiences or programs. Sibshops run from September to May, serving 11 children in the 2022 fiscal year.

General Assembly Good Friend, Inc. presents autism awareness, acceptance, empathy education to children in grades 5k-8th grade. our developmentally specific general assemblies feature one of two original films, We All Fit or Choosing to Be a Good Friend, and incorporate empathy building activities and discussion to solidify learning. Our interventions are intended for the neuromajority peers of those on the autism spectrum using accurate language about autism, focusing on strengths and celebrating differences. Good Friend, Inc.'s general assemblies lay the groundwork for cultures of inclusion where all students can thrive. As previously indicated, general assemblies were limited due to staff capacity in developing and testing GFA. In this period we reached 183 participants with in-person assemblies.