Touro University Nevada Pierce Autism Center Partners With City Of Henderson For Social & Emotional Learning Program

LAS VEGAS, NEV (September 13, 2024) --- Touro University Nevada’s Pierce Autism Center has partnered with City of Henderson Parks and Recreation department to offer a unique training program for part- and full-time staff members involved with city’s youth programs. The 90-minute course aims to teach employees specific skills when navigating behaviors that can occur during interactions with children enrolled in City of Henderson youth and after-school programs.

“We have a strong partnership with the City of Henderson, and this training emerged from their recognition of a need to enhance their staff’s ability to support the children they serve,” said Lisa Kunz, Director of The Autism Center. “We appreciate their acknowledgment that continuous learning and growth are essential, and that we can all improve in meeting people where they are.”

This program focuses on developing essential social and emotional skills, including self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision-making. By integrating these core competencies, the training aims to equip staff with the tools and strategies needed to support the emotional and social development of the children in their care, ultimately fostering a more supportive and effective environment. Due to the therapist’s background working with autistic and neurodivergent children this background helps to understand working with a child who is displaying challenging behaviors. Behaviors include yelling, screaming, not following directions, shutting down, and other emotional reactions.

“Younger children are still in the learning stages of moderating their own emotions and behaviors,” added Kunz. “How they act now becomes a habit they will carry throughout their childhood into adulthood. Having trained mentors’ step in to correct, support, and address these habits before they develop into negative consequences is crucial for fostering positive, lifelong behavior patterns.”

Touro Nevada has provided six training sessions for the staff who work in youth enrichment with kids. Training features a role-playing portion that allows staff to practice and gain confidence in these new

skills, helping them to effectively apply what they've learned in real-life situations and enhance their interactions with the children they serve.

“We’re so thankful for Touro University Nevada to customize the training to our program needs with behavior issues,” adds Rachel Perez, Recreation Services Coordinator at City of Henderson. “This information is very useful, and we will take these lessons back and apply it every day with all the children in our program.

Learn more about the Pierce Autism Center at pierceautismcenter.org

ABOUT TOURO UNIVERSITY NEVADA

Touro University Nevada College of Osteopathic Medicine and Health and Human Services (Touro College of Medicine) has the most medical school graduates in Nevada. Touro’s medical school is fully accredited, and a private, non-profit, Jewish-sponsored institution. Opened in 2004, Touro was established to help address critical needs in health care and education and as a resource for community service throughout the state. Its mission is to provide quality education programs in the fields of healthcare and education in concert with the Judaic commitment to social justice, intellectual pursuit, and service to humanity. Touro University Nevada is home to more than 1,500 students in a wide variety of degree programs including osteopathic medicine, physician assistant studies, education, nursing, occupational therapy, physical therapy, and medical health sciences. The University’s Henderson campus houses the Engelstad Research Complex for Biomedical and Human Performance Research that is committed to serving humanity and contributing to intellectual progress through insightful scientific research. The campus also includes a multi-specialty health center for the public that accepts all health insurance and the Sharon Sigesmund Pierce and Stephen Pierce Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities. For more information on Touro University Nevada, visit www.tun.touro.edu or call 702-777-8687.