Welcome to Putting the Pieces Together Support Group

PTPT is a support group that meets on Thursday evenings. We provide support and education to families by hosting speaker meetings and workshops because education is our best weapon against autism and other different needs. We are affecting children from every county in NNJ and no child is turned away. Our children range between the ages of 18 months to adult. We are not affiliated with a town or school so we rely strictly on donations and fundraisers. We are a non for profit organization with the sole purpose of serving families of children with autism and other different needs in every way we can. We are over 200 families strong.

The special needs community is growing. 1 in 95 children in NNJ are affected with autism. Our group also has children with Fragile X, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, ADD, ADHD and other different needs. We make sure that ALL children have the choices they deserve.

We are recommended by The Institute for Child Development at Hackensack Hospital, Arc of Bergen and Passaic County, many special education schools and  facilities that play a part in the life of a child with different needs. We are grateful for the referrals and want to continue to offer quality programs that have a proven success rateYou have nothing to loose and everything to gain by coming to meet us. Being a parent of a special needs child is not the end of the world, it’s just the beginning of a new journey. Let’s take that journey together and support each other each step of the way.

A Little About Us and What We Offer

Putting the Pieces Together was established on July 7th 2005 by Tara Banuls and Deborah Wertalik the Mother and Grandmother of Tyler a child with autism. Education is our best weapon to fight autism and the support group has educated hundreds of families by covering a wide range of topics and providing free speaker meetings and workshops.

In August of 2005 Tara and Deborah started Special Angels Recreation which continues to grow. We provide Flag Football, Football Cheer, Tee Ball, Basketball, Bowling, PTPT Exceptional Dance (ballet tap and jazz)and Soccer. Our leagues differ from any other special needs leagues by having age appropriate teams, and all the bells and whistles of a typical league. Our leagues are open to any child with different abilities and living in any town or county.
We also offer SPARKS the only coed 100% special needs cheer dance squad that enters competitions all over NJ and showcases their talent spreading the best kind of positive awareness to thousands and thousands of people and shows the world that our children have dreams too and if they follow them anything is possible. SPARKS has been to the Atlantic City and 6 Flags Great Adventure Nationals and has been invited to Disney to compete. Yes dreams really do come true! We have been feature in many newspapers and the front page of Our Meadowlands Magazine and you will see them soon in a documentary by Mary Olive Smith an Emmy award winning producer director that will be seen in film festivals and other venues to promote awareness and to educate communities.

We are advocates for autism in local and State government and make sure the districts understand the need for better education and therapy. We have created autism awareness so communities and law makers can see what our children are capable of. We will continue our plight to raise autism awareness.

To our merit we have organized annually our Breakfast with the Easter Bunny, Christmas Dinner with Santa, a Halloween Party with a trunk or treat ending, our Pumpkin Picking Hayride along with other leisure activities to ensure socialization and normalization.

We provide awareness, recreation, support, education workshops and more for the special needs community and professionals. Please keep in mind that in the State of NJ 1 in 50 boys are diagnosed with autism and in the US the numbers are 1 in 150. This is a lifelong disease which requires more therapy and more parent education then is out there at this time. Unlike other childhood diseases children with autism will live longer than their caregivers so it is important to provide our children with life skills to get our children through their golden years. We are not looking for sympathy we are looking to increase our children’s chances of becoming a functioning part of society. We are the “baby boomers’ of autism and can’t afford to be penny wise and dollar foolish with our children’s future.

We provide a place to go when no one understands how we feel or what we are going through and to vent our frustrations and fears. We provide a place to make a difference in our children’s lives. Finally, we provide a family to comfort you, cheer you on, socialize with and celebrate your children’s accomplishments. Welcome to our family!