Read Silverfish Longboarding article: Behind A.skate Founder - The Crys Worley Bio HERE

Kids we work with:

We provide one on one skate lessons for persons with autism in an environment that is appropriate to their sensory needs in order to learn. We provide this service at no cost to the families who participate.  We also provide the skateboard gear and safety equipment (helmets, skateboards, and pads) for the participants to use during their skate session. We strive to make the experience as incredibly successful for the participant as possible! We work with children ages 3 to adulthood. Please be sure to make a note of age and weight if your child is over 100lbs so that we can make sure to have 2 volunteers on hand to work with them! Anti-bullying is promoted and educated throughout our program in several forms. For persons with Autism and Aspergers, bullying may be difficult for them to identify, detect, and understand leaving them vulnerable targets for bullying. The impact of bullying can be significant for persons with high functioning Autism and Aspergers and can include lowered self-esteem, heightened anxiety, depression, fear, refusal to attend school, isolation, suicidal ideation, and suicide. Askate offers a "safe environment" for persons with autism on all ends of the spectrum to not only learn a therapeutic skill but to learn it in a place where persons are accepting.

1 in 68 children in America has a form of Autism according to the CDC, 1 in 54 of those are boys. Chances are a child in your classroom being picked on for odd social behavior could possibly have a form of Autism. Stand up and be a voice for those who can't, autism or not.

Awareness Mentor Program - Anti-bully education for Volunteers - Askate recruits volunteers via social networking and email list and has gathered a world wide team of over 8,000 persons. Our volunteers are mentored and educated to understand Autism and Aspergers, specifically language and social barriers, stimming, eye contact, "no-fear" syndrome :) and more. The age range for volunteers expands from pre-teen years into adulthood. They are educated on the common occurance of bullying within the autism community and learn to understand and accept the differences between the two worlds.  Askate volunteers often times keep in contact with the participants and their families offering mentouring and a life long friendship. Both programs not only focus on individuals needs but also focus on anti-bullying by helping those with autism learn appropriate social skills in a mixed developed environment as well as our awareness mentor volunteer program which introduces typically developed kids, teenagers, and adults to a world of social awkwardness allowing them to work one on one with persons with Autism and Aspergers. The awareness mentoring program allows those who are neurologically typically developed to experience and help high and low functioning persons with autism gain trust, confidence, social skills, and friendship. By mentoring the volunteers to work one on one/hand in hand with individuals with high and low functioning Autism and Aspergers, the volunteers are exposed to what life is like for persons who are prone to developing depression, suicidal thoughts, uninviting behaviors, and anxiety. They are also exposed to how their actions can easily have a negative, even deathly impact on persons prone to developing depression, suicidal thoughts, and anxiety.  We are honored to have a large database of individuals who request acceptance into our awareness volunteer mentoring program and take pride in changing the lives of persons affected by bullying, mentor kids and teenagers to avoid being a bully, as well as changing the hearts of those who bully.  To inquire about volunteering please email us at info@askate.org

Autism Society of America - Anti-Bully Information

Who we are:

The A.skate Foundation is an organization that allows children with autism to be a part of our social world through skateboarding.  We hold clinics for children with autism at no cost to the families, give grants to children with autism for skateboard gear, as well as promote awareness and educate families about the skateboard industry.  Five years ago 1:150 children were diagnosed with autism. Today 1:68 children are diagnosed with autism.

Here are a few of the things that we do:

• hold clinics nationwide for children with autism at no cost to the families
• give "Grants for Gear" for kids to purchase skateboard gear
• hold fundraisers and events to promote our cause

Autism, like skateboarding, can be unpredictable and often times unruly. We embrace the parts of autism that are hard to understand and give these kids an outlet that is free of rules or judgment, and allows them to be social without being “social”.

 

Why not the multi colored puzzle piece? We do not follow the trend... and we created our own!
The A Skate Foundation is constantly searching for clues and cues to answers in the complex structure of Autism.  In the complex structure of the universe we use symbolism and association to do everything from teaching, navigation, contemplation, worship, and even branding.  These are methods to think, steer, and connect.  It is communing with the familiar to potentially open doors to the unfamiliar.
We have chosen the image of the moth for our talisman.  Traditional traits given to the moth are INTUITION, HEIGHTENED AWARENESS, PSYCHIC PERCEPTION, KNOWLEDGE OF OTHERWORLD, SECOND SIGHT, INFLUENCE, CLARITY, VULNERABILITY, PERSISTENCE, DETERMINATION, CONCEALMENT, and FAITH.  The skulls become images of the brevity and sacrament of life; the urgency to connect those dots for answers.  These traits are easily be attributed to the struggle of Autism.
In the sometimes hard to understand world of a person facing Autism there lies that mysterious list of traits and above all FAITH and DETERMINATION to rise above their situation.
We thank you for your support and hope that you move beyond awareness to ACTION. Artist - Amos Oaks 

Askate is not a "school":

"Askate Foundation is an organization that organizes autism friendly skateboard clinic environment to teach the basic skills of skateboarding to new participants as well as help second time participants progress. Askate is not a "school". There are not a lot of options out there for children with autism to participate in activites other than organized sports. Often times the rules, pressure of being a team player, and the stress of following directions stands in the way of a child with autism being successful in an organized sport. Skateboarding allows them to learn on their own terms. There are no rules, you can stand, butt board, roll around on your stomach… get the feel of it and progress when ready. The demand in the autism community for an activity that can have long term benefits is enormous world wide. Askate is exactly what these kids need. Skateboarding is so much more than just skateboarding when we introduce it to kids on the spectrum. They are working on skills similar to that found in Occupational Therapy and they don't even know it. Skateboarding helps us work with the kids on vestibular, proprioceptive, and motor skills as well as social skills. It's more than just a "fun day at the skatepark".  Helping the kids learn the basics of skateboarding and basic skatepark ettiquette will help their parents be able to eventually take them to skateparks as a fun social outing after school or on a Saturday afternoon."   -Crys Worley 

Areas we have programs and events: 

United States:

Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Colorado, California, Oregon, Alaska, Hawaii, Texas

Other countries:

Ireland, Australia, and France

We have successful chapters in certain areas because those areas fundraise for ongoing events for their community. Without fundraising we can not expand and offer our events in new areas.

Contact us today!

Children with autism often struggle with the ability to follow directions, play on a team due to the lack of social skills, and many require activities to be performed on their own terms.  Skateboarding and autism just fit!  No team, no coach, rip solo. 

Out of State participants:

Please contact us today to see how you can have us come to your town for an autism skate clinic.  We will need information to contact your local autism society to help promote the clinic and will also need volunteers to help organize the event.  We provide the skate gear (skateboards, helmets, pads) as well as the snacks.  We will come up with a fundraising goal to host an event in your town and then set a date, place, and time.  This is a great way to gather the community and let the kids meet new friends!

Alabama participants:

We have ongoing clinics and events that we will keep you updated on.  Contact us for private clinics as well, such as groups of friends, kids from a special ed school, etc. 

Apply for the "Grants for Gear" program through The A.skate Foundation:

Click HERE to download the application as a PDF or click HERE to download the application as a Microsoft Word document to be considered for the Grants for Gear program. If funding is available and we are able to meet the needs of the applicant, we will contact them once we receive their application. If approved the applicant will then need to send in their payment for shipment.



National Go Skateboarding Day Campaign

 

Attention all skateboarders:

Skateboarding has always been counterculture. Even as it edges closer to the mainstream, skateboarding remains on the fringe. It’s still an emblem of rebellion, still a little outlaw. Skaters don’t follow the herd. They’re often thought of as different. Those of us who skate view skateboarding as an outlet to express our individuality and creativity. What better sport to represent kids who are too often thought of as outsiders?

Autism is a severe developmental disability that affects speech and social interaction. Children with autism have a difficult time communicating and relating to others socially. They may also suffer from a heightened sensitivity to sensory input--which can cause them to retreat even further into isolation.

The A.Skate Foundation is as non-for-profit that was created to introduce kids with autism to the world of skateboarding. It’s our belief that skateboarding can help autistic children connect with the greater world around them. Playing team sports is out of the question for most children with autism. They find it very hard to follow directions and because they struggle with language, communicating with coaches and teammates can be difficult. Skateboarding and autism are a great fit: no team, no coaches, no rules!

A.Skate Foundation holds free skate clinics for children with autism. Raising kids with autism can be expensive; A. Skate offers grants to those who can’t afford skateboard gear. We also help promote autism awareness in the skate industry.

One of our major initiatives this year centers on Go Skateboarding Day. On June 21, skateboarders around the globe will celebrate the pure joy of skateboarding by dropping everything to go skate. On that day, we would love to see skateboarders everywhere make the day even more special by taking a child with autism skateboarding. It’s a crazy idea, but one that’s perfectly suited to skateboarding.

Here’s where we need your help. We have a campaign in place ready to implement but we don’t have the means and resources to take this idea national. That is our ultimate aim—to see skateboarders in towns around the country invest part of their Go Skateboarding Day taking a child with autism skateboarding. Please take a moment to consider being a part of this fledgling but important movement.  You can contact your local Autism Society or you can contact us directly to find out how you can help.

Five years ago, approximately 1 in 150 children were diagnosed with autism. Today, the number has risen to 1 in 68 children. That’s an alarming number. Autism might even have touched someone close to you. For us, autism is a daily reality—both of us are parents of an autistic child.

Children with autism can flourish given the right circumstances--they are bright, creative and sensitive individuals who need venues where their uniqueness can be celebrated. Let’s help them find a place to express themselves through skateboarding.

Sincerely,

Crys Worley - Founder

crys@askate.org