Our Sarah Dooley Center for Autism students had a great time at The Steward School's Field Day held on May 25th. A fun-filled morning playing kickball, volleyball, baseball, and ping pong, as well as face painting, cookie decorating, and exploring science stations made it a day to remember. Community partners enable us to help students engage with their community and develop lifelong social skills. We're grateful to The Steward School for providing this ...Read More
In partnership with the VCU Department of Psychiatry and Virginia Treatment Center for Children, St. Joseph's Villa will present a two-day clinical training workshop on using the Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule-2 (ADOS-2). The workshop will be held April 25-26, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. each day at St. Joseph's Villa (8000 Brook Road, Richmond, VA 23227), during Autism Awareness Month. Click here to register. Through instruction and live demonstration, you will: Learn ...Read More
Autism Awareness Month is an especially important time for us. St. Joseph’s Villa has provided education and care to children and families facing autism for more than 30 years. Our programs are designed to help students with autism build life skills that will enable them to engage with their community, and live as fully and independently as possible. Adam Dreyfus, a board-certified behavior analyst and director of the Villa's Sarah Dooley Center ...Read More
Collegiate School's Community Engagement Week turned out to be a very special time for our Sarah Dooley Center for Autism students. From February 8-12, thirteen Collegiate School freshmen volunteers spent five full school days assisting our students from kindergarten all the way up to high school. Collegiate students split up among Sarah Dooley's grade levels and chose to stay with one classroom for the entire week in order to really get to know ...Read More
Reneé was diagnosed with autism when she was four years old. Not long after she began kindergarten at public school, her mother, Kimberly, recognized that Reneé’s behaviors were interfering with her ability to learn. Reneé had no means of communicating, and would often lash out and hit her teachers and classmates when her wants or needs were not met. Kimberly’s search for a school that would provide her daughter a ...Read More
Adam came to the Sarah Dooley Center for Autism in 2013 after serving the Commonwealth of Virginia as a Technical Assistance Associate at VCU’s Autism Center for Excellence. He graduated from the University of Connecticut with a Bachelor’s degree in Language and Child Development and went on to earn his Master’s degree in Special Education/Applied Behavior Analysis from Columbia University’s Teachers College. A Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Adam is a ...Read More
At St. Joseph's Villa our staff never stop believing in children and their families -- or each other! On August 31st the staff of the Sarah Dooley Center for Autism went to Richmond Ropes Course (http://richmondropes.com/) located in Fulton Hill as part of a team exercise. Through a series of physical and mental challenges we learned how to overcome fears, work as a team and remain focused on complex goals. ...Read More
The following post was made by Adam Dreyfus, Director, Sarah Dooley Center for Autism at St. Joseph's Villa. Science adds anxiety to parents, then says ‘we were wrong.' A study claiming that children born by c-section were 21% more likely to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder found that, upon further analysis, that there was no causal connection and that the original conclusion was likely the result of ‘residual confounding.' ...Read More
St. Joseph's Villa's developmental disabilities services are focused on helping individuals successfully transition to adulthood and live as fully and independently as possible. In the same vein, a new online resource is now connecting individuals with autism and other disabilities to employers in their community. The Spectrum Careers, launched by Rangam Consultants in partnership with Autism Speaks, is a free website where job-seeking youth and adults can upload video resumes and find career opportunities in ...Read More
14-year old Dylan Greene has a unique interest. Vacuum cleaners have fascinated him ever since he was 2 years old, about the same time he was diagnosed with autism. The story of his birthday present, a live demonstration from a vacuum salesman and company gift of a Kirby vacuum, has gone viral. NBC12 covered the story and included an interview with Adam Dreyfus, Director of the Sarah Dooley Center for ...Read More
