Community Health Promotion Plan

Geographical Description and General Information about Gaithersburg 

Gaithersburg is one of the suburbs of Washington D.C. It was incorporated as a town in 1878 and became a city in 1968. It is among the largest cities in Montgomery in Maryland, U.S.A. The last census indicates that the town has a population of 59,933 with an area of 26.78 km 2 . However, most of the city is arid. As a result, most of the land cannot support agricultural activities (Slaughter, 2017) . Gaithersburg city is one of the major cities in the United States of America that has managed to address emerging health issues in the society. One of the significant health problems that have proven to be a contentious issue in the city is the one about Autism. Over the past few years, it has come to the realization that many children in the city are being born with autism disorders. In this paper, an in-depth review of the health disorder is provided as well as the prevalence of autism in the city. Some of the means that can be used in addressing are also elaborated in the paper. 

Demographic Data Relating to Autism 

The prevalence of autism in Gaithersburg city has reached a historic high. The current data that is available shows that the number of children with autism has grown tremendously over the past few years. It is now estimated that about 1 in every 88 children is born with the condition (Moody, 2013) . The increased prevalence of the disease has prompted many teachers in educational institutions to adopt teaching methods that will be beneficial to autistic students in the long run. The teaching of kids with autism in general classrooms and the public education system will eventually need a paradigm shift. Indeed, it will be imperative for the government to adopt strategies and implement policies that will see autistic kids in schools of their own where they will receive individualized attention. 

Literature Review 

Autistic children have been noted to have a significant impairment in their social skills. Subsequently, such children find it extremely difficult to interact well with their peers as well as other members of the society. The reason as to why autistic children should be put in their educational institutions is because they may have difficulty in engaging effectively with other students in a typical classroom setting. Additionally, such kids may be disruptive to the rest of the class by tendencies such as running away and crying. They may not have the same motivation as the other students. They may also have problems learning with the new materials that are provided in the classroom. They may be slow or even unresponsive when they are given tasks that require an extensive application of cognitive skills and in-depth processing. They may have difficulty in completing the given assignment and on time and as required by their instructors. 

To tackle the challenge of autism effectively, the government needs to put in place structures that will enable the education system to handle such kids efficiently. One of the methods that may be adopted in tackling the issue is the adoption of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The main reason for coming up with this strategy is that it helps to accommodate students who have various abilities and disabilities without discrimination. It provides room for individualization and classroom extensive methods of learning. 

Some of the three cores of this system entail expression, representation, and engagement. For instance, tutors can use strategies that will make learning interesting and enjoyable to the students. This will make them motivated and broaden their scope of learning. Learning can be made more appealing when the content is made more attractive by making it hands on or via the use of visual material. Students are given a wide variety of means that they can use in expressing themselves. They may use means such as movies, photos, and poetry to demonstrate their knowledge. 

Availability of health resources 

The community of Gaithersburg has adequate sanitary facilities that are mandated to attend to the needs of the resident who has autism. The health centers also offer outreach services while at the same time supporting the education system. The community outreach programs ensure the financial wellness of the residents as well as providing them with emergency assistance. Additionally, they provide the city with the resources they need, among them including referral services. The city’s community service provides welfare services to the residents. 

Identification of Available Resources 

Children with autism and other health disorders that are related to their development are catered for by Community Support ServicesInc.This is a non-profit charitable organization that takes care of the needs of children living in Montgomery County, Maryland. This team was put in place in 1994 to collaborate with community members in providing efficient social services to the locals (Jones, 2013) . To achieve its mission, the organization has partnered with health practitioners, private businesses and human service providers in its quest to improve the well-being of residents of the city who have autism. 

CSS is also mandated to respond to areas of housing stabilization, mental health, homeless services, financial fitness, homeless services, and nutrition. CSS is mainly focused on health issues related to autism. To achieve their purpose and mission, CSS receives funding from various departments. Some of them are Montgomery County 6%, Maryland State Department of Education 7%, Autism Waiver 6% as well as from other departments (Bureau, 2017). The funding from these organizations ensures that they can carry out their functions effectively (Services, 2017) . 

Autism is usually discovered in early childhood. However, mild forms of the disease may take a long time to diagnose. In most cases, the condition is seen when someone shows impairment in both communication and social interaction. Children with autism usually take a long time to develop mentally. This is where CSS comes into place in ensuring that the affected individuals get the services that will enable them to live decent and improved lives. 

Since its inception, CSS has supported 107 people in the community/home services, 10 in non-public education services, 162 individuals in adult day services and 95 people in residential services (Gaithersburg, 2017) . People who are receiving residential support services usually live in upper Montgomery County with a housemate. During their training, people may either decide to engage in volunteer work or vocational training. Additionally, CSS provides assistance to provide coaching for jobs, customizing job task as well as helping in integration in community settings. By ensuring that the affected people are well integrated into the society, they can improve their interactions with other people. This further enables them to develop their interpersonal skills and know how to voice their ideas and thoughts to others in conversations. 

In all its undertakings, CSS ensures that it improves the lives of the residents of Montgomery County. Their primary focus is the people who are living with conditions such as Autism. Their principal focus is in ensuring that the affected individuals achieve proper development. By providing them with appropriate and efficient support, they can get over some of their daily challenges. This ensures that they provide a healthy support system that enables the people to participate in community life entirely. Furthermore, they encourage the members of the society to forward cases of others who may need help in coping with their health conditions, particularly those related to mental health. 

Recommendations 

All nations should ensure that they put in place the proper channels that will integrate all members of the community, regardless of their physicality. The city of Gaithersburg is one such place that has put in place the correct channels and programs to combat any forms of discrimination among people living with autism. By doing so, they can participate in the activities that are carried out in the community without discrimination. People, living with autism should be provided with the right resources that will enable the healthy lead lives that are devoid of discrimination. Health agencies in the city can come up with support groups that can enroll; members of the community who have autism. In this groups, they will interact with people with similar health issues upon which they will support each other. 

References 

Bureau, U. C. (2017). Quick Facts Selected: Gaithersburg City, Maryland. U.S. Census Bureau , 134-147. 

Gaithersburg, C. o. (2017). Community Services Grant. City of Gaithersburg , 112-119. 

Jones, B. (2013). Jim Henson. The Biography , 112-123. 

Moody, C. B. (2013). Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum. Electronic Journal of Inclusive Education , 134-147. 

Services, C. S. (2017). Annual Report. Community Support Services , 88-96. 

Slaughter, V. (2017). Autism Magill's Medical Guide. Autism Magill's Medical Guide , 76-89.