Sponsored by the California Department of Developmental Services Service Access and Equity Grant Program.
What is Project AFECT?
Project AFECT is a program for parents of children just diagnosed with autism.
AFECT stands for Autism Family Empowerment Coaching and Training.
The Project AFECT team would like to:
- Help families get the right treatments for their child.
- Help families better understand their child.
- Understand the experiences of families after their child's diagnosis of autism.
Who is eligible for Project AFECT?
Families may be elibible to join Project AFECT if they have a child who:
- Was just diagnosed with autism,
AND
- Is at least 1 year old, but less than 5 years old,
AND
- Is Hispanic/Latino,
OR
Is Black/African-American,
OR
Has Medi-Cal as his or her primary health insurance,
AND
- Lives in the greater San Francisco Bay Area
- Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Monterey, Napa, San Benito, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Solano, or Sonoma County.
What happens when a family joins Project AFECT?
Families will meet with a Coach from Project AFECT at least 3-6 times over 6 months. The Coach will:
- Guide families on how to get treatments for their child.
- Help families learn about autism.
The meetings can be virtual or in-person, based on what is most helpful for the family.
We will also ask families to complete surveys.
These Surveys will tell us about:
- Their experience after their child's diagnosis of autism.
- Parental confidence and stress levels.
- Their child's progress in language development.
Why should families sign up?
Through Project AFECT, families will:
- Get information about autism.
- Get help connecting to autism treatments.
- Increase their knowledge and skills about how to support their child's development.
- Receive information about their child's language development.
- Improve our understanding of the experiences of families whose children have autism.
How do families sign up?
Families interested in Project AFECT can talk to their doctor or clinician at Stanford Medicine Children's Health who diagnosed their child with autiism or send a message via MyChart.
Families may also contact the Project AFECT team by calling 650-725-0555 or email projectafect@stanford.edu.
Project AFECT Team
Heidi Feldman MD PhD
Project Director
Ingrid Lin MD
Project Manager
Melisa Deras MS ABA
Family Coach
Nadia Lopez
Family Coach
Abbey Herringshaw
Clinical Psychologist
Resources
Regional Centers for AFECT Counties
Golden Gate Regional Center
Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo Counties
intake@ggrc.org
(888) 339-3306
North Bay Regional Center
Napa, Solano, Sonoma Counties
intake@nbrc.net
(707) 256-1180
Regional Center of the East Bay
Alameda and Contra Costa Counties
Intake for Birth to Age 3: earlystartreferrals@rceb.org
Intake for Ages 3 and Older: intakeoverthree@rceb.org
(510) 618-6195
San Andreas Regional Center
Intake for Birth to Age 3
Monterey County: (831) 443-1279
Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito Counties: (844) 700-9889
Intake for Age 3 and Older
intakeinquiry@sarc.org
Santa Clara County: (408) 374-9960
Santa Cruz/San Benito Counties: (831) 900-3737
Monterey County: (833) 900-3636
List of Family Resource Centers (FRCs) for AFECT Counties
Alameda County
Family Resource Navigators (FRN of Alameda County)
101 Callan Ave., Ste 200
San Leandro, CA 94577
(510) 547-7322
Contra Costa County
CARE Parent Network
1340 Arnold Drive #115
Martinez, CA 94553
(925) 313-0999
Marin County
Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center- North Bay FRC
2400 Las Gallinas Ave, Suite 100
San Rafael, CA 94903-1454
(415) 884-3535
Monterey
Special Kids Connect (formerly Crusade)
1900 Garden Rd., Suite 230
Monterey, CA 93940
(831) 372-2730
Napa
Parents CAN
1909 Jefferson Street
Napa, CA 94559
(707) 253-7444
San Benito
Special Parents Information Network (SPIN)
P.O. Box 2367
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
294 Green Valley Rd., Suite 313
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 722-2800
(831) 535-3969
San Francisco County
Support for Families for Children with Disabilities
1663 Mission Street, 7th Floor
San Francisco, CA 94103
(415) 282-7494
San Mateo County
AbilityPath (formerly Family Resource Center at Community Gatepath)
1764 Marco Polo Way
Burlingame, CA 94010
(650) 259-8543
Santa Clara
Parents Helping Parents, Inc.
1400 Parkmoor Ave., Suite 100
San Jose, CA 95126
(408) 727-5775
(866) 747-4040
Santa Cruz
Special Parents Information Network (SPIN)
P.O. Box 2367
Santa Cruz, CA 95063
294 Green Valley Rd., Suite 313
Watsonville, CA 95076
(831) 722-2800
(831) 535-3969
Solano County
Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center- North Bay FRC
2400 Las Gallinas Ave, Suite 100
San Rafael, CA 94903-1454
(415) 884-3535
Sonoma County
Matrix Parent Network & Resource Center- North Bay FRC
2400 Las Gallinas Ave, Suite 100
San Rafael, CA 94903-1454
(415) 884-3535