Contact
12424 Research Parkway
Ste. 365
Orlando, FL 32826
Telephone: +1 407 823 6020
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
Adventures with Autism (AWA) Program 2025
Empowering teens and adults with ASD through social adventures and skill-building experiences across Central Florida.
Register on Eventbrite
About the Program
Adventures with Autism (AwA) is a social recreation program designed to target social and life skills by teaching teens and adults with ASD how to be flexible thinkers, problem solvers, and effective collaborators while developing friendships. The facilitated program will support participants in exploring an itinerary of opportunities one day at a time in different regions through the Central Florida Community.
Confirmation & Application
After you purchase your Eventbrite ticket, you will receive a confirmation email with a link and password to the full Adventures with Application.
Partnership with UCF-CARD
All participants must be registered with the UCF Center for Autism & Related Disabilities (CARD). CARD is an entirely free program with an immense resource network. Our partnership with CARD ensures that we (PALS) are creating programmatic experiences that serve all the full spectrum of ASD.
Transportation Focus
Across the “Adventure with Autism” offerings there is a goal to expose our participants to a variety of public transportation options: Public transit (Sunrail, city buses), hyperlocal transit (trolley system), personal transit (walking, biking, scootering) rideshare/technological transit (electric travel apps like Lime, and ride-share apps like Lyft and Uber), and paratransit like Access Lynx.
Tickets
To enroll for the program you must choose the event ticket for the SunRail station where you/your participant will begin and end your journey.
Using Sunrail
To encourage participation from across the greater Central Florida region we have built in the use of the Sunrail into our program model. Staff will meet participants at Sunrail Stations in Kissimmee, Maitland, Sanford, and Downtown Orlando (Church Street Station). The starting and end times will vary for each station location with the content of the program occurring between 9am–3pm each day.
Grounds for Dismissal from AwA
The effectiveness of the program will depend on cooperation of participants that can benefit from this higher-level social thinking curriculum. Not all individuals will be ready for this program at this time. Please read the description carefully and honestly consider if the individual meets the criteria stated. Dismissal from the Adventures with Autism program may occur for any registrant/child if the AwA staff, using positive behavior support strategies, determines that the adult-individual ratio cannot support the safety of the participant or group.
Participants must not bring the following items to the program: glass containers, personal toys, electronic games, or weapons of any kind.
*It is critical that your registrant/child is motivated to attend this program. Applicants who do not want to attend will not benefit from these services.
Adventures with Autism Summer 2025 – 5-Day Program
Full Week Cost: $300 per participant. All admissions, activities, and food are included in the price.
The Goal: Over the course of 5 days, participants will explore the region of downtown Orlando using a guided "scavenger hunt” model. Each day will have a provided itinerary, time schedule, and lunch budget. Trained staff will support the participants to navigate the region interdependently.
Primary Objectives:
- Participants will apply social skills in team building contexts
- Participants will apply life skills in budget & time management
- Participants will navigate a region using different forms of transit
Daily Itinerary
- Day 1: Scavenger Hunt at Orlando Public Library & Lake Eola Swan Boats
- Day 2: Orange County Regional History Center & Movie @ CMX Cinemas Plaza Cafe 12
- Day 3: Multiple activities at the Orlando Science Center
- Day 4: Behind-the-scenes workshop at a local business & tour at the Orlando Museum of Art
- Day 5: Tour of City Hall or Fire Station & Creative Hands-on Workshop @ a local business
Note: Exact itinerary details are subject to change based on availability, but offerings will be similar to what is noted above.
A Note on Refunds
If you need to cancel your participation, full refunds can be given up to one week before the program start on July 20, 2025. We cannot refund or discount the price for partial-day attendance.
In the event we have too low of participation to host this program, all participants will be notified and refunded on July 21, 2025.
Adventures with Autism Summer “Fun Fridays”
“Fun Fridays” Cost: $100 per participant, per adventure. All admissions, activities, and food are included in the price.
The Goal: Explore a different location over the course ONE day. Groups will be provided an itinerary, time schedule, and lunch budget. Trained staff will support the participants to navigate the location interdependently. *This option allows participants to pick and choose experiences that will work for their schedules by offering a variety of locations and different activity types.
Primary Objectives:
- Participants will apply social skills in team building contexts
- Participants will apply life skills in budget & time management
- Some opportunities have transit objectives such as bike riding (Winter Garden) or using a trolley system (I-Drive)
How to Register
After purchasing your Eventbrite ticket, you’ll receive a confirmation email with a link and password to access the full Adventures with Autism application.
Register on Eventbrite