“Behavior Basics: Getting the Services You Need” will be the topic of the June session of a new Special Needs Community Education Series co-sponsored by the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s new Department of Special Needs Services, and the Jewish Association for Residential Care (JARC). The program will be held on Tuesday, June 30, from 6:00-7:30 pm, in the JARC Living and Learning Center on the Federation’s campus west of Boca Raton, at 21160 95th Avenue South.

The Special Needs Community Education Series is free of charge and includes supervision and activities for participants’ children or other family members, as well as refreshments.  To RSVP, contact nancyf@jarcfl.org or 561-558-2550.

	Dr. Michelle LaRocque, Federation's new Director of Special Needs Services

Dr. Kyle Bennet, Director of the FAU Center for Autism and Related Disorders, will speak at the June 30 session on common problem behaviors and steps to resolve them. Dr. Michelle LaRocque, the Federation’s new Special Needs Director, organizes and moderates the series with Nancy Frewald, JARC Outreach Coordinator. Future programs, to be held the last Sunday of each month, will feature topics in response to participants’ needs, such as the IEP, Employment, Recreational Opportunities, etc.

“Participants will gain information on how to advocate for their family members to ensure that they get the services they need to lead independent and productive lives,” explained Dr. LaRocque, an Associate Professor of Exceptional Student Education at Florida Atlantic University with 23 years experience in the field of special needs, who is currently on sabbatical.

“Any individual who knows or cares for someone with a disability from birth to adulthood will benefit from this series,” LaRocque continued. “With child and adult care available, we have worked to make our programming as accessible as possible.”

The Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County’s Department of Special Needs Services works with families, agencies, congregations, and schools to obtain and enhance services for children and adults with disabilities, providing training and resources to assist families in securing the knowledge they need to become better advocates.

Dr. LaRocque’s position was recommended as a vital first step by the Federation's Special Needs Task Force, a group of agency representatives, family members and professionals who convened last year to research and make recommendations toward improving financial and professional services and support for residents with special needs and their families. With learning disabilities and special needs in the Boca Raton and Delray Beach areas even higher than the 15 percent national average, the Jewish Federation of South Palm Beach County was eager to increase its commitment to help.

“As Jews we are commanded to care for the entire community and to repair the world. So we studied local populations with special needs, including children and adults with a wide range of disabilities – developmental, learning, intellectual, mobility, sensory, emotional, and behavioral – and the impact on their families,” explained Task Force Chair Dr. Carol Smokler.

“We are so pleased to have brought Dr. LaRocque on board,” continued Dr. Smokler. “She is an expert in the area of special needs education and has already worked with many of our synagogues, schools and agencies.  We could not have found a more capable person to begin this initiative."

The job is an extensive one, supporting existing community resources, assisting agencies to create programs and increase their effectiveness in providing services, and identifying and coordinating and developing responses to critical gaps. Dr. LaRocque is already consulting and training on special needs in Jewish community institutions such as the Adolph & Rose Levis JCC, Jewish Association for Residential Care, Ruth Rales Jewish Family Service, day schools, preschools and synagogue religious schools. She is also working on raising sensitivity and acceptance throughout the area, and on community special needs planning.

“The Jewish community does have resources, but knows there is much more to be done. So I’m here to help our agencies increase their capacity and coordinate with each other,” explained Dr. LaRocque. “We’ll soon release a comprehensive Community Special Needs Directory both in print and online. I’m also available to help families navigate the complicated systems to access benefits.”

For more information, contact michellel@bocafed.org or 561-852-3175.