What is Sooner SUCCESS?

Sooner SUCCESS is a project of the University of Oklahoma Health & Sciences Child Study Center. Currently the project has local coalitions in 9 counties including Garfield.

The Garfield County Sooner SUCCESS coalition is a group of parents and professionals who care about children that have special needs or are “at risk”. We meet once a month to identify unmet needs within our county and find positive, local solutions.

Here's what we did last year:
1. Provided individual families with information and resources to help them access:

• Inclusive recreation & leisure activities
• Advocacy Support
• A Parent Support Group (Down syndrome, Autism, Fathers)
• Evaluation Services (learning disabilities, ADHD, physical therapy, occupational therapy, behavioral, developmental)
• Counseling/Mental Health Services
• Autism/Asperger syndrome information
• Special Education Parent Handbooks/IEP Information
• Tutoring services
• A County Resource Guide
• A Parent Mentor program
• Early Intervention services
• Respite
• ADHD information
• Guardianship/Estate planning information
• Transportation support
• Independent Living Skills Training
• Parent Training
• Teen Mentor programs
• Organize a Child Care Notebook
• Cerebral Palsy Information
• Sensory Processing Disorder Information
• Spina Bifida Information
• Paraprofessional training
• Physical Therapy Services
• Ketogenic diet information
• Learning disabilities information
• Legal services
• Hearing impairment information
• Visual impairment information
• Down syndrome information
• Home schooling information

2. Raised awareness about the challenges and concerns of special needs families by participating in:

• The Systems of Care Community Team and Referral Team
• The Regional Transition Task Force
• The Walk 4RKids Information Fair
• The Disability Employment Awareness Art Contest Project
• The Public Library Summer Kick Off Event

3. Completed the following Special Projects:

The Elementary School Disability Awareness

• Visited 14 county elementary schools
• Trained 10 volunteers puppeteers in partnership with 2 local high schools.
• Provided Puppet programs and follow up activities to 33 classrooms.
• Received a $1000.00 grant from 4Rkids to provide chapter books and professional resources to schools and classrooms promoting inclusion.
• Provided story sessions to 3 schools that requested a continuation of our 2005 awareness activity.

Distribution of Recreation & Leisure Info Packets in partnership with Special Olympics, DDSD, 4Rkids, public library, and our county schools.

4. And provided or facilitated the following training programs:

• Introduction to Autism Presentation-New Discoveries Childcare Group
• Basic Rights/Writing a Successful IEP- Christ United Methodist Church~Enid
• Inclusive Childcare-Advocates for Children Conference
• Positive Behavior Support-Christ United Methodist Church~ Enid
• Transition from School to Adult Life- Christ United Methodist Church~Enid
• Regional Workshop on Autism with Dr. Bonnie McBride~Kingfisher

If you are excited to make a difference for kids with special needs and their families, then we want YOU to join us!

Stop by for a visit: We meet the 2nd Thursday of each month from noon to 1 p.m. in the Northeast Conference Room at the Integris Bass Health Center (600 S. Monroe, Enid OK). Both parents and professionals are encouraged to participate. We hold "brown bag" meetings, so if our meeting time falls on your lunch hour, don't be shy. Bring your lunch & join us....others will be eating as well.

To learn more contact Garfield County Coordinator, Lisa Simmons.