OUR MISSION

Mission Statement: TYA - The Gathering Place strives to provide a unique and meaningful social skills group where participants will experience friendship and gain the tools needed to socialize in varying environments and situations.

 TYA – The Gathering Place is where students can feel safe and secure in their ever-growing abilities. We encourage creativity and out-of-the-box thinking at our facility. We understand that every student is going to bring something unique to the table, and we love sharing that with everyone. Autism creates a different way of thinking, and instead of trying to hide that, we want to let it blossom. Social skills are a way for our students to feel that their ideas and thinking are not “weird” or “strange,” but just another way of looking at the world.

 We want to make sure that when our students decide to leave our group that they are prepared to have conversations with peers in TYA and in their community. We create several different lesson plans throughout each week for our students. These lesson plans provide a vast array of situations, learning experiences, and outings that are beneficial to engaging in and learning about social situations. By creating a space in which these kids, teens, and young adults thrive, we are building a place in which students feel confident and proud of their accomplishments.

WHY WE STARTED

My son, Luca Paparello, was diagnosed with autism in 1998 at the age of 4. Services and resources were not as accessible.  As a family, we learned the ups and downs of autism first-hand.  We understand that having someone with autism in a family is life-changing. Learning how to re-phrase sentences, so you are better understood, avoiding certain areas or environments that were once frequented, and often, the never-ending feeling of worry seems all-encompassing. However, as our family saw Luca grow up, we realized that there is a silver lining. Luca has taught us patience, empathy, understanding, and helped us enter a world full of caring and loving parents and service coordinators. We’ve met so many people who have helped us along the way, and we genuinely believe that TYA – The Gathering Place is our way to give back something meaningful.

 TYA – The Gathering Place is a way for those on the autism spectrum to get a piece of independence, to make friends, and to build confidence in their abilities through social skills. Often it is heartbreaking to hear kids say they will never be “normal” or independent. Here at TYA – The Gathering Place, we want to evoke change by building self-esteem through positive reinforcement during every lesson and every activity. By our students the tools that they need to become independent and confident, we hope to make a difference in the lives of our students and their families.

Ruby Paparello - CEO/Founder