Autism JAM or Burst Advocacy

Autism JAM or Burst provides consultation, education, and helpful merchandise services to Families with children or adults on the autism spectrum. Our services include seminars, blogs/vlogs answering questions, sharing experiences and products. There will be a heavy advocacy push for families when attending school meetings; this will help families know if their child is in the right placement by observing the data and evaluations. Often, a family is unsure if their child can soar, and having them in the least restrictive environment makes soaring possible. Seminars and parent education in classes will give parents tools at home to use when navigating their day-to-day. This is a difficult, sometimes unbearable task that doesn’t need to be a fracture to the bond in the family. The education established throughout these years was initially for my own children. Discovering that I have been blessed and need to give the same peace, I feel to other families that don’t know what they don’t know. A common one to hear about is the mess made by children with autism, not toilet trained, and the messes they can make. Frustrating for parents and siblings, and I have found that with the right tool’s parents can change the behavior with some help.  The products being manufactured address serious concerns of parents with specially produced items that come from the experience of my own children. These products include many different sensory items. For example, sensory bottles are uniquely designed with all the senses. Stuff animals with different textures that are specially ordered for a child’s specific sensory need, also a traveling sensory book made to stimulate a child to keep calm when on a long trip or traveling to a destination non-preferred. We are designing and creating specialized pajamas that lock with the toileting concern, looking at both snaps and zippers as an option. In the AmmonProof line coming later, it is a project that will make available special locks for parents of runners. Those that can evade and escape from most “childproof” hardware, and we found it needs to be “AmmonProof” to work. (my son is Ammon, and he laughed at all locks) The business has phases of services and products that will keep us busy with a clientele searching the internet for years with nothing. I know this because I was one of those parents. There is a need for these products and services that needs to be filled. There will also be a fingerprint lockbox for the hardware that can hold all tools and keys used in a small that can be placed outside the room or anywhere really. All the lock options are great until a tool is misplaced, and then it becomes a nightmare. The lockbox will help to mediate any frustration that can come from misplacing things. It’s hard enough to handle the different problems without including tools easily lost and meant to help.

 

There is a heavy need for technology that will make this a project available to everyone. At the moment, there is an app development occurring with apple development. We have set a goal for three separate apps to be developed. The first is an app that will have the website and online shop available on their phone. This app will also have video and blog access so that the moms that have zero time to sit at a computer will have support at their fingertips. It may take time to fix the bugs with the Beta phase to make it viable for customers to buy and use. This will be a possible financial step if we need to go back in and revamp the app if it has a bad start to prevent that; we are needing the funding necessary to swiftly get it made and will be well built if the focus is on the app itself and not the other factors that could derail what we are hoping to achieve. When in the Beta phase, we will work on the app to help future behavioral analysts prepare for their big exam. Since this is the last of my current education, I see the benefit. Universities are highly competitive to have the greatest passing percent so once the videos, notes, and practice quizzes are set up for the app, it will beta tested by the local students at the university here, and the final product will be packaged and offered to any BCBA program that wants to buy the app to help improve their numbers. This is an expected business transaction that will bring in large numbers if done swiftly and with total focus. Adding in the in-app purchases will be an added extra possible financial waterfall. If the number is negotiated high enough by a University, there is always an option to sell all rights and reinvest that money into other app ideas that would follow. The last app would be a sensory app for parent’s phones and their children’s tablets that will offer a digital option for their sensory if stuck places without the fidgets and sensory items. For example, balloon blowing and popping, digital bubble wrap, and light switch that a child can flip on and off create noise and light, which is a sensory need for many on the spectrum. This would be the beginning goal once my son and I have this down; it will become his job to create and develop apps that will compete with the market to fill the need. Since he is in software developing classes in high school, it is wise to have him a part of this business. He is on the Autism Spectrum, and truthfully is the reason I am doing this big venture. We both are goal-oriented and provide the necessary skills or discipline we need from each other to be successful. The business will be primarily based online with some brick and mortar for local needs. It is not financially wise to throw money at hosting companies when the money can go to further innovation in developing fresh technological ideas. An IT man can build the websites, build the server and network to fit the company's mission statement, and plan for future roll-outs. There are four domains purchased and waiting for the different phases before building on them. Technology, especially coding, is where things are going. It is imperative that when offering the services and products not technology-driven, we also develop a greater digital footprint that will be a great contribution to what we can offer these families with children on the spectrum. If the growth of this company goes as it is visualized to grow and mature, this will be a complaint that can give people on the spectrum a chance to work in a field of study that is the future with internships and scholarships. My large goal is to have my own son run that part of the company when the time is right.

The target audience for Autism JAM or Burst are parents and guardians of children/adults on the autism spectrum, professional advice on parent rights, help with support for parents that are unsure how to navigate, solutions for common behaviors that create messes or dangerous situations, A professional expert and mom with three boys on the spectrum offering supports and assistance. Specifically, we specialize in parent education and helpful products for parents. These are the services provided to the local families that need assistance with the school and behaviors at home. With the plans for technological advancements, it will be offered to parents through video conferences and other forms of collaboration. There are customers all over. It is simply tapping to where they are with current plans for an advocate and parent educator. I will train in Utah, and I will be in Arizona. This will be the start by finding the support groups and offering further options for them in person. The online stores will be the main place to sell the merchandise. There is a plan for a shop if the space is available that will be priced to enhance the money instead of draining all the financial resources.  This is a provided service to offer options on keeping clothes on and preventing messes at bedtime, specialized locks, or safety hardware to keep kids safe and keep them from running or escaping from home.  The merchandise will be tested extensively and cover areas of concern for families everywhere and anywhere with online connections. These families are experiencing common concerns and frustrations that are hard to eliminate or at least effectively minimize. The customer base is a type of customer that shows loyalty when provided results that work. This also opens the possibility of a huge increase because the Autism community is just that, a community that talks and shares notes. When they find a life-changing resource, they share it everywhere and become a part of companies forever when treated well and given solid, well-built products. The best part of building a company around Autism support and education is that it is something that I understand from a parent, teacher, and now advocate perspective. There is no learning curve on the types of customers that will need this company. They are my family, my prior student’s families, and they will be the company’s family as we continue to make the direction, we are going in the right direction. The direction of the company will be based on evidence-based practices, current interventions, and current laws. Falling the most current information will keep the customers and clients continuing to come to fill the need that is so great. If the expansion of this company is great enough. Further expansion will happen following the customer base and where there is a greater number of them that would pay for the services and make establishing the location viable. As long as the online supports are working for all involved,  be used to have greater coverage of areas.  These families will always have their family members with this neurological disorder, and that means there will always be the most current and accurate help made available.

 

Eventually, the company is heading in direct consults and personalized assistance or help for parents that need specific needs addressed. This is not to say that we will slow down the digital footprints being left. Contrary this direct consult will be supplied in an online option and, of course, in-person support. Eventually, the people trained to be advocated in meetings and preparation will free things up to do my final step, which is law school to obtain a law degree in disability law. Then I will be the one that will go in if and only if a lawyer is necessary to get the school to step in line. The table is always on the table to create and produce products that will specifically help a family with their individual need to keep their loved one on the spectrum safe and secure. This means special orders will be frequent and will be addressed and executed accurately so families will find use immediately. As we bring in the next phases, it will be received well and keep us relevant in this fast pacing, constantly changing life events. Having a frequent schedule of seminars or group support to help a family learn coping skills and identify they are not alone in their struggles and frustrations. This will be a chance to retain people to participate again if the lecture is fresh and updated, reflecting any changes made for every event they will return, with the option for an individualized meeting to discuss their individualized needs. These meetings will also be available not in person but through the technology as it develops and changes. Lastly, I am doing any of this is a book that I am writing with the stories of watching my son grow up and all the struggles we all combated against the school resulting in a lawyer and \ advocate that helped us take them to court and win. It is only natural for me to want to offer someone else that same story to write and pay forward. That to be followed by my own journey as the mom and what I did to secure my children and their futures through education with some trial-and-error moments of growth. The books are being written as a validation that they will cry and fight. It just doesn’t have to be alone.

 

You don’t know what you don’t know. Let me help you learn from my own struggles, failures, and pain. A child has a spectrum, and a spectrum doesn’t have a child. The only way to secure a family’s success is to offer the tools necessary to succeed. I am in a prime position. 

Rachael Thomas, M.S.Ed — owner, professional in the field, and primary educator 

 

Autism JAM or Burst Advocacy LLC. 

 

 

Autism JAM or Burst Advocacy LLC. It is set up to provide supports and education for parents and grandparents of children on the autism spectrum. According to the census, the cognitive difficulty is most common among children 5 years and older in 2019. This means that there are many families in need of help with a child with cognitive difficulty. Sensory disabilities, which are associated with the Autism Spectrum, increases as a child gets older, which means the demand for products for sensory is growing and is a constant increase.  Cognitive difficulty in 2019 was 4.4% in 2019 and increased from 3.9% in 2008. For ages 5-17. This is not counting the number of early interventions at 3 are diagnosed with a developmental delay that can lead to the cognitive disability like the Autism Spectrum Disorder which is Neurological and can be genetic. This disorder is becoming an even more difficult concern for those aging into adulthood with self-care difficulty and independent living concerns for those on the spectrum that need more assistance and support. This is a disability that is increasing in numbers the more science advances on the understanding. This leads to more frequent diagnose and the need for help.

 

Customers do not know what can be done to help their child and often feel alone with no relief in sight. When there is isolation and frustration, it creates stress for the disabled family member that doesn’t have the skills or tools necessary to change the pattern of their difficult behaviors or routines. These added stresses take away from the parent’s role as an advocate over their child’s health, education, and future. We want to reach those who don’t know that there are many like them or that things are created or manufactured to help them with the difficult moments.

 

Autism JAM or Burst is created and managed by a mom with 3 boys (2 non-verbal) that have been through years of frustration and fighting that have since gone to college and graduate school with hopes to help her boys. It is a company that has experience and growth in both personal and professional. 

·      Constant growth in the newest strategies and interventions that are available

·      Developed and ran by someone that can offer whatever support is needed depending on the customer’s needs.

·      A company that will consistently research to know the most effective and efficient way to help parents that are frustrated and feeling defeated.

·      A company that sees any client/ customer as a reflection of themselves and will build relationships that don’t happen in other industries or field of study

·      Being in a circle of people kept up to date on emerging research studies making a difference.

 

 

Services Include:

·      Weighted Blankets with attached and removable fidgets 

·      Slipcovers for weighted blankets

·      Sensory covers for weighted blankets

·      Weighted lap belts

·      Weighted vests or shirts

·      Pressure vests

·      Labels or tags made with fusible ink

·      Lockable Pajamas

·      Sensory bottles including smell, touch, taste, visual, and sound options

·      Sensory or fidget books for travel and on the go entertainment

·      Mattress covers with locking snaps or zippers and with water repellent 

·      Sensory pillows

·      Fidget toys in fidget bags or keychains with an app of sensory fidgets in one place. 

·      Sensory for seating chairs or chair covers

·      Sensory boxes

·      Bike chain fidget

·      Sensory sock/ or bag

·      Sensory bands

·      Blog/Vlog

·      Group seminars or education events

·      Parents rights with education IDEA broken down 

·      Book written on a child’s journey from elementary to high school (my son’s story)

·      Book sequel a mom’s journey with her son (my story)

·      Ammon proof hardware with specially designed locks for parents

·      Ammon proof lockbox with fingerprint lock to hold any key to unlock an item or product.

 

Still being developed

 

All weighted and sensory items are offered on the Autism JAM website. Pajamas, bedding, and hardware released 6-12 months later on Ammonproof.com connected to the website and later release the books. 

 

Autism JAM or Burst will trademark, patent, or copyright anything that is not already and is available to be done. After speaking to a patent lawyer, we are good to move forward. When the AmmonProof phase is closer, it will be patented before release. The book will be copyrighted. The final phase is a clothing line I designed and will be trademarked before being marketed.

 

The company plans to keep up on new research and continually adjust services available based on research done. 

 

 

To grow this company, Autism JAM or Burst Advocacy will do the following:

·      Network with different groups and become a familiar face in this industry

·      Sell me as the brand to attract more customer/ clients by exposing myself and my knowledge on the topic to keep the business relevant on social media platforms and in support groups 

·      Constantly staying aware of business trends and changes in the direction of competitors to keep evolving with the current research and discoveries.

 

Autism JAM or Burst will communicate with customers by:

·      Meeting with local parent support groups 

·      Using different social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Pinterest

·      Providing contact information for direct communication through the company website.

 

Starting with Facebook and Website stores and as it grows, Autism JAM or Burst will broaden their accessibility based on the online sites' customer data.