Bobby Pendry, sophomore neuroscience major, and Megan Pruitt, senior psychology major and child development minor, combined their efforts with Naomi Ekas, assistant psychology professor, to bring "Autism Speaks U" to campus, making the university the third college in Texas to host the national organization.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which encompasses autism, Aspergers and other mental disorders, are disorders that affect brain development, according to the official website. When referring to the range of disorders encompassed by ASD, it is called the spectrum.

The university chapter will focus on advocating and creating awareness of the disorder on campus, said Priutt, the president of the university's chapter of "Autism Speaks U". The group will have monthly meetings and fundraisers to create one big event each semester, she said.

Pruitt became interested in autism when she began working as a lab assistant for Ekas. She said her interest peaked because she was able to work with younger children with autism.

Pendry, vice president of the chapter,said he wanted to create an autism awareness group, similar to one he started in high school, because his brother is on the autism spectrum. Because the university does not allow more than one of certain kind of group, he decided to join the organization.

Robbins said she wants the group to be the "megaphone" for the metroplex.

Upcoming events:The first "Autism Speaks U" event will be on Oct. 19 at the Hope Center for Autism in Fort Worth. Students will babysit children while their parents have a night to themselves.

More:
"Autism Speaks U" advocacy group establishes on campus

Bobby Pendry, sophomore neuroscience major, and Megan Pruitt, senior psychology major and child development minor, combined their efforts with Naomi Ekas, assistant psychology professor, to bring "Autism Speaks U" to campus, making the university the third college in Texas to host the national organization.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD), which encompasses autism, Aspergers and other mental disorders, are disorders that affect brain development, according to the official website. When referring to the range of disorders encompassed by ASD, it is called the spectrum.

The university chapter will focus on advocating and creating awareness of the disorder on campus, said Priutt, the president of the university's chapter of "Autism Speaks U". The group will have monthly meetings and fundraisers to create one big event each semester, she said.

Pruitt became interested in autism when she began working as a lab assistant for Ekas. She said her interest peaked because she was able to work with younger children with autism.

Pendry, vice president of the chapter,said he wanted to create an autism awareness group, similar to one he started in high school, because his brother is on the autism spectrum. Because the university does not allow more than one of certain kind of group, he decided to join the organization.

Robbins said she wants the group to be the "megaphone" for the metroplex.

Upcoming events:The first "Autism Speaks U" event will be on Oct. 19 at the Hope Center for Autism in Fort Worth. Students will babysit children while their parents have a night to themselves.

More:
"Autism Speaks U" advocacy group establishes on campus

LITTLE ROCK (Oct. 6, 2012) - Every 11 minutes, another family receives the devastating news that their child has an autism spectrum disorder.

The third annual Arkansas Walk Now for Autism Speaksseeks to raise more than $105,000 for autism research and advocacy work. The event is today, October 6, at the Clinton Presidental Center.

"We continue to be pleasantly surprised and grateful to fellow Arkansans for the outstanding community support this event receives," said Dawn Itzkowitz, Autism Speaks co-chairwoman. "Not only is the walk a fundraiser to benefit the national Autism Speaks organization, the walk funds local grants to autism providers and introduces Arkansas families to each other and to resources in their area. We hope to see walkers from across the state at this event."

Searcy native Joe Aaron, perhaps best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series Doug, joins the walk as a special guest. Aaron is an autism awareness advocate and is raising funds to film Guttersnipes, a feature film addressing autism, homelessness and race relations, in Arkansas. THV's own Ed Buckner and Craig O'Neill will serve as event emcees.

On-site, day-of registration begins at 8:30 a.m. The walk begins at 10 a.m.

The 2011 walk raised more than $99,000 for Autism Speaks and had more than 1,700 participants. This year's goal is to raise $105,000 from 1,800 participants and 140 teams.

The money raised funds autism research and advocacy work. Learn more at WalkNowforAutismSpeaks.org.

Autism Speak's goal is to change the future for all who struggle with autism spectrum disorders. They are dedicated to funding globalbiomedical research into the causes, prevention, treatments, and cure for autism; to raising public awareness about autism and its effects on individuals, families, and society; and to bringing hope to all who deal with the hardships of this disorder.

(Source: Walk Now for Autism Speaks)

Read more from the original source:
Clinton Center hosts 2012 Walk Now for Autism Speaks

TUESDAY, Oct. 2 (HealthDay News) -- Parents should not worry that proposed changes to the criteria for diagnosing autism might leave their child ineligible for care, a new study indicates.

Researchers assessed the impact of the proposed changes, which were developed by an expert panel appointed by the American Psychiatric Association and are expected to take effect in May 2013.

Previous research had suggested that 45 percent or more of children who currently qualify for a diagnosis of autism would not under the new criteria. Those findings caused widespread concern among parents who depend on state-financed health services for their children, The New York Times reported.

However, this latest study concluded that only 10 percent of these children would be excluded under the new criteria.

"I know that parents worry, but I don't believe there is any substantial reason to fear that children who need to be diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, and provided with vital services, will not be included in the new criteria in this updated manual," said study senior investigator Dr. Catherine Lord, director of the Center for Autism and the Developing Brain at New York-Presbyterian Hospital's Westchester campus, along with its affiliated medical schools Weill Cornell Medical College and Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons.

The study is the largest to date to try to determine the effects of the new diagnostic criteria for autism. It was published in the Oct. 1 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

Lord and her colleagues looked at 4,453 children currently diagnosed with autism and found that 91 percent of them would still qualify for the diagnosis under the proposed new criteria. Many of the remaining 9 percent would likely qualify with additional input from their doctors, the study added.

The proposed changes are designed to better identify autism and to distinguish it from other conditions, the researchers said.

The overall issue with the current criteria is "not that a lot of people are diagnosed with autism who shouldn't be, but that there is a lot of confusion because the criteria were not very accurate," Lord, who was a member of the panel that proposed the new criteria, said in a hospital news release.

She explained that in developing the new criteria, the panel "deliberately added and organized things to try to bring in and better address the needs of people with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) of all developmental levels and ages -- including girls, who were not represented as well as they should be in" the current criteria.

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New Autism Criteria Will Have Minor Impact: Study

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30 September 2012 By Jonathan Munshaw, News Editor One Comment

Abby Murphy/ The Towerlight

After receiving a $1.25 million gift from the John P. Hussman Foundation, the Towson University Center for Adults with Autism has constructed a life skills center inside the Towson City Center. The skills center includes a fully-functional kitchen, living room, bedroom and bathroom that students on the spectrum of autism use to gain social and life skills that are often impeded by autism. The autism center used to only exist in a 150 square-foot space, Ray Stinar administrative director for the Center for Adults with Autism said. Last year, we had a student who would not come out of his room for eight hours, because he couldnt decide what shirt to put on, Stinar said. For us, thats not that big of a deal, its something that we do every day, but for him, it was a huge task and eventually he got it, but those are the types of things that adults on the spectrum need help with. With help from the Baltimore County Government as well as the gift from the Hussman Foundation, the center was able to move into the Towson City Center and open several classrooms, including an animation lab and the life skills center. In addition to the faculty members at the center, student mentors also assist the students and adults on the spectrum. Since weve moved, weve seen a huge increase in interest to volunteer with us, Rhonda Greenhaw, director of the center for adults with autism, said. Its really exciting because we keep expanding every year. Greenhaw said that the students and adults are learning practical skills and that in the near future, some of the students with autism will also work in dining halls. We just really hope that students can learn these skills so they have something to contribute, and could hopefully turn these skills into a job, she said. The gift came out of a mutual understanding between the University and the Hussman Foundation, Greenhaw said. [The Hussman Foundation] is the largest funder of autism research, so it was a huge vote of confidence to us because they are putting their faith in our program, she said. The center has a lease in the City Center for the next 10 years, according to Greenhaw, and staff wants even more students to volunteer. Autism is really an internal experience, she said. Thats why its important to have a program like this, because it allows the adults on the spectrum to work these things out for themselves. We want them to build up these experiences, and take them outside of the center and revolutionize the community.

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Autism Center receives gift from Hussman foundation

Olga Chinchilla, then 18 and pregnant, sat glued to the television screen, intrigued by a report on a developmental disorder that impairs social skills.

"I remember sitting there and had never heard about the disability before," said Chinchilla. "Little did I know that in three years my son Anakin was going to be diagnosed with autism." Initially, she said she ignored signs that her son potentially had autism a developmental disorder that is exhibited in impaired comprehension, language barriers, and repetitive behaviors because she was in shock and did not quite know what to expect. "I was the one in denial," she said. Her family's reaction did not help. "Being Hispanic, the typical thing they tell you is that 'it's okay, he's a boy. Boys develop a lot slower than girls do.'"

But there was something alarming and oddly different about Anakin's behavior. At 12 months, he could not walk or talk. There were many times when Anakin could not even look his mother directly in the eyes. He did not like it when anyone touched him and he would often slam doors and spin objects in a repetitive manner warning signs that eventually prompted Chinchilla to seek help from a pediatrician, a health center and then a psychologist.

Chinchilla, now 24, has transitioned from initial disbelief and denial of her son's diagnosis, to struggling as a single mother to find the right resources for Anakin and later advocating and educating others about the rights of families of children with developmental disabilities in the Alhambra area.

Anakin was diagnosed with autism at 22 months and later began receiving funds for ABA therapies at age four at Alhambra's East Los Angeles Regional Center (ELARC), one of 21 resource and service centers in the state of California catering to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Gloria Wong, executive director of ELARC says that 38 percent of their clients are diagnosed with autism, the second largest diagnosis at the center, after mental retardation. Nationally, autism cases have spiked in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, a 23 percent increase from CDC's 2009 report. Additionally, more children are being diagnosed at an earlier age and the disability seems much more prevalent in boys than girls.

"There is really an unknown reason for that spike that continues to grow, but there have been studies in terms of what is spiking the ongoing growth in California," said Wong.

Olga Chinchilla and her son Anakin. Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Chinchilla recalls struggling to work as a full-time medical assistant while providing Anakin the special care he needed.

"I was in Rosemead at one point, and I tried two different daycares within a week," Chinchilla said. "I would get off work and get there crying....You try to make a living for your child, you go to work but the whole day, you wonder, 'how's my kid?'"

Chinchilla realized that Anakin needed more than just regular daycare service; he needed a place that catered to children with developmental disabilities. But the search for special daycares was a challenge, and as a single mother, she was not able to afford the cost many of which were well over $30,000 a year.

Read this article:
Autism on the Rise and a Young Mother's Struggle

Olga Chinchilla, then 18 and pregnant, sat glued to the television screen, intrigued by a report on a developmental disorder that impairs social skills.

"I remember sitting there and had never heard about the disability before," said Chinchilla. "Little did I know that in three years my son Anakin was going to be diagnosed with autism." Initially, she said she ignored signs that her son potentially had autism a developmental disorder that is exhibited in impaired comprehension, language barriers, and repetitive behaviors because she was in shock and did not quite know what to expect. "I was the one in denial," she said. Her family's reaction did not help. "Being Hispanic, the typical thing they tell you is that 'it's okay, he's a boy. Boys develop a lot slower than girls do.'"

But there was something alarming and oddly different about Anakin's behavior. At 12 months, he could not walk or talk. There were many times when Anakin could not even look his mother directly in the eyes. He did not like it when anyone touched him and he would often slam doors and spin objects in a repetitive manner warning signs that eventually prompted Chinchilla to seek help from a pediatrician, a health center and then a psychologist.

Chinchilla, now 24, has transitioned from initial disbelief and denial of her son's diagnosis, to struggling as a single mother to find the right resources for Anakin and later advocating and educating others about the rights of families of children with developmental disabilities in the Alhambra area.

Anakin was diagnosed with autism at 22 months and later began receiving funds for ABA therapies at age four at Alhambra's East Los Angeles Regional Center (ELARC), one of 21 resource and service centers in the state of California catering to individuals with developmental disabilities.

Gloria Wong, executive director of ELARC says that 38 percent of their clients are diagnosed with autism, the second largest diagnosis at the center, after mental retardation. Nationally, autism cases have spiked in recent years. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1 in 88 children have been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, a 23 percent increase from CDC's 2009 report. Additionally, more children are being diagnosed at an earlier age and the disability seems much more prevalent in boys than girls.

"There is really an unknown reason for that spike that continues to grow, but there have been studies in terms of what is spiking the ongoing growth in California," said Wong.

Olga Chinchilla and her son Anakin. Shortly after her son's diagnosis, Chinchilla recalls struggling to work as a full-time medical assistant while providing Anakin the special care he needed.

"I was in Rosemead at one point, and I tried two different daycares within a week," Chinchilla said. "I would get off work and get there crying....You try to make a living for your child, you go to work but the whole day, you wonder, 'how's my kid?'"

Chinchilla realized that Anakin needed more than just regular daycare service; he needed a place that catered to children with developmental disabilities. But the search for special daycares was a challenge, and as a single mother, she was not able to afford the cost many of which were well over $30,000 a year.

Read this article:
Autism on the Rise and a Young Mother's Struggle