Photo submitted to the Times Observer Mandie Englert founder of HEROES, with her son, Nolan Flatt.

It didn’t take long for Mandie Englert to see there was a void when her son was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome.

So, Englert stepped into the void by creating HEROES in 2018. Over the past seven years its mission has been to support parents, provide socialization for their children and do what it can to help the community have a better understanding of disabilities. That includes providing sensory friendly events.

Parents appreciate the efforts made through the group. One comment on the Facebook page reads: “A HUGE thank you to HEROES-Warren Pa organizing the “sensory swim”. My kids had an absolute blast! This is an opportunity that we don’t get too often.”

Englert has a masters degree in special education, so it was easy for her to spot the behaviors her son was exhibiting. There are different things that overstimulate people that have autism spectrum disorder. Asperger’s syndrome specifically is a milder end of the autism spectrum. A person with Asperger’s may be very intelligent and able to handle their daily life. They may be really focused on topics that interest them and discuss them nonstop. But they have a much harder time socially.

Pervasive developmental disorder, not otherwise specified (PDD-NOS) is a diagnosis including most children whose autism was more severe than Asperger’s syndrome, but not as severe as autistic disorder.

Autistic disorder is an older term that is further along the autism spectrum than Asperger’s and PDD-NOS. It includes the same types of symptoms, but at a more intense level.

Childhood disintegrative disorder is the rarest and most severe part of the spectrum. It described children who develop normally and then quickly lose many social, language, and mental skills, usually between ages 2 and 4. Often, these children also develop a seizure disorder.

Englert wanted to provide kids in the community with events and activities that these children typically struggle with. Over the years, she and her group have had a hand in helping with different projects such as the Lacy Playground project, a local playground on Madison Avenue with sensory friendly equipment. Some other activities have included sensory swims, trunk or treats, inclusive Easter egg hunts and safety tours with the Warren Fire Department. The group has also given back to the community by participating in the Fourth of July parade, Walk for Autism, local fundraising dinners and Warren’s Christmas Walk.

There is also a monthly support group meeting held at the Kinzua Youth Development Center, a reformation of the previous bowling alley on the west end of Warren on Struthers Street. The HEROES meeting often hosts speakers from the area that offer support for families with children with disabilities. During these meetings the parents attend, their children are welcome to join an activity coordinator who is a special education teacher in the windowed conference room of the center. This is convenient as the room looks out onto the mat area, where typically wrestling practice takes place, and children can access while the parents are listening to the speaker in the seated area, making it suitable for parents to keep their eyes on their children in every area of the center.

The next meeting is Saturday, Nov. 8, with Lindsey Brown, director of blended case management for Beacon Light, discussing services Beacon Light offers. December’s speaker is Jenna Miller, an outdoor occupational therapist from Well & Well Child LLC, followed by Tammy Hawke from Forest-Warren Human Services in January and Dr. Paul Benserd, who specializes and specifically offers counseling for children on the spectrum, in February. .

HEROES will be having its fourth annual holiday craft show on Saturday, Nov. 15, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. held at the Warren County YMCA. All money raised will support HEROES events throughout the year.

A Lego social group is offered at the YMCA with 45 minutes of structured time and a theme. It is open to all ages, and a YMCA membership is not required. The meetings take place every other Monday from 6 to 6:45 p.m. The remaining dates for this year are Nov. 17, Dec. 1 and Dec. 15.

While the Christmas Walk takes place this year on Friday, Dec. 5, HEROES will be offering a safe space during the walk, located in the community building next to the Northwest Savings Bank on Second Avenue across from the antique store.

Also in December, the HEROES group gets together for an annual Christmas party at the YMCA. This is a sensory friendly outlet that will be held on Friday, Dec. 12, from 5 to 7 P.M. in the YMCA’s exercise room. This includes a sensory friendly Mr. and Mrs. Claus who will be available for family photos.

For more information, find HEROES on the Facebook page called “Raising My Heroes” and Instagram, or email heroes.warren@gmail.com