The Gray Center News

Visit our office to speak with our staff or peruse our bookstore or resource library. Please check our online calendar for a listing of our summer hours. Click here to access our GRAY CENTER CALENDAR. (If you would like to arrange to visit at another time, please contact annmary@thegraycenter.org or call 616-954-9747. If you wish to return library materials when our office is closed, you may use the box located outside our office door).

LOCATION: 4123 Embassy Dr. SE, Kentwood, MI  49546


We’ve added several NEW resources to our ONLINE STORE! Click here to shop. You can also download our order form to be printed here.
If you have benefited fromThe Gray Center's programs and resources, we encourage you to show your support by making a tax-deductible donation! Click here to donate safely and quickly online.
Do you ever SHOP ONLINE? Now your purchases can benefit The Gray Center! Join at NO COST at www.iGive.com/graycenter, and up to 25% of your purchases will go directly to The Gray Center to enable us to provide information and support to those affected by ASD! (Don't forget to log on through that page whenever you do your online shopping!) First-time purchases (made within the first 45 days after registering) through this program enable The Gray Center to receive an additional $5.00!

 
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Welcome to The Gray Center!

The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding is a non-profit, 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and those who work alongside them to improve mutual understanding. We approach the social impairment in ASD as a shared impairment. We work to improve social understanding on both sides of the social equation, helping individuals with ASD to communicate and interact more successfully with the people with whom they live and work.

(Sign up for our e-mail newsletter, SUN NEWS, above, to receive weekly articles by our Executive Director, Laurel Hoekman, along with updates on sales and other valuable information!) The Gray Center will never share your e-mail addresses with others. This information is solely for the purpose of receiving our weekly newsletter. To read some past issues of the SUN News, along with other articles pertaining to autism and/or social understanding, click here.


 

 Find out how YOU can help The Gray Center! Opportunities include donating books and supplies, and volunteering your time and skills. 

 

 

A member of our Boys' Group made this impressive rollercoaster out of K'Nex. If you have Legos, K'Nex, or other building materials that you'd be willing to donate, the boys would love to have more supplies!

 

 

Do you ever SHOP ONLINE? Now your purchases can benefit The Gray Center! Join at NO COST at www.iGive.com/graycenter, and up to 25% of your purchases will go directly to The Gray Center to enable us to provide information and support to those affected by ASD! (Don't forget to log on through that page whenever you do your online shopping!)

 

You can also shop through this link: http://www.shopforcharityday.com/shopping.asp?sorgid=182001 to have online sales benefit The Gray Center.


GRAY CENTER NETWORKS: Opportunities for information and support and to meet others living with autism spectrum disorders.  *Please note our new NETWORK CANCELLATION POLICY


*Other Gray Center Resources (including conferences, workshops, social coaching, and more!)


THIS WEEK'S FEATURED RESOURCE:

Being Bullied (DVD)

By Nick Dubin (Click here to read more about--and by--Nick Dubin!)

Bullying is a serious problem in schools and children on the autism spectrum are particularly at risk of being victimized if they display “different” behavior, such as not understanding rules, having bad handwriting or flapping their hands.

Being Bullied describes the various types of peer abuse – taunting, nicknames, damaging property, stealing, and cyber bullying – and the devastating consequences, such as poor self-esteem, low academic achievement, depression, or even suicide.

Narrated by Nick Dubin and featuring footage of his own childhood that illustrates behaviors that made him an easy target for bullies, the film also includes the stories of three individuals with Asperger's Syndrome who talk about their experiences of being bullied.

The DVD outlines practical strategies for parents, professionals, schools, and individuals being bullied on how to prevent bullying. It stresses the importance of peer intervention, empathetic teachers, and verbal self-defense and shows how lack of teacher support, condemning of “tale telling,” or even blaming the victim reinforces bullying.

This DVD offers children and young people who are being bullied a chance to see that they are not alone, and will be a valued source of advice for parents and professionals.

Click here to view other materials by Nick Dubin. Click here to purchase this DVD.

Click here to download our new order form. Please note that not all items are listed on the form--the most complete listing of our resources can be found in our online store at www.thegraycenter.org/shop.


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