Connecting Families to Lifelong Autism Resources and Support

Holly Ridge - Bremerton, WA

For more than 60 years, Holly Ridge Center has empowered children, adults, and families impacted by intellectual and developmental disabilities to reach their fullest potential. Through its Infant Toddler Program, Adult Employment Services, and Lifespan Inclusion Program, Holly Ridge Center provides coordinated support that promotes inclusion, independence, and opportunity throughout every stage of life.

Grant funding from the JTMF Foundation will sustain Holly Ridge Center’s Autism Resources Navigator (ARN), a unique, neurodiversity-affirming resource serving individuals with Autism and their families throughout Kitsap County. The Navigator provides a trusted point of connection for families who may otherwise face long waitlists, provider shortages, fragmented systems, and confusing transitions between healthcare, education, therapy, and adult services.

For many families, an Autism diagnosis is only the beginning. Parents may leave an evaluation with a diagnosis and a stack of paperwork, but little guidance about what comes next. The Autism Resources Navigator helps families understand their options, connect with appropriate providers and community resources, coordinate referrals, and navigate complex healthcare, educational, insurance, and developmental disability systems. Importantly, the program is available regardless of age or enrollment in another Holly Ridge Center service, allowing individuals and families to receive support when they need it most.

In 2024, the Navigator provided individualized consultation and navigation services to more than 30 families and 20 individuals. The program also extends its impact beyond individual families by bringing healthcare providers, educators, therapists, and community organizations together to strengthen Autism services across the county. Through the Kitsap Autism Partnership, the Navigator is helping improve referral pathways, expand diagnostic capacity, and advance more coordinated access to evaluations and services.

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