Monday, October 29th, 2007
Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge
“One smile erases a hundred tantrums.” A quote said by one of the parents taken from Dr. Barbara Firestone’s new book. Barbara Firestone, PhD., founder and CEO of the Help Group, recently published a wonderful book, titled “Autism Heroes: Portraits of Families Meeting the Challenge.”
Autism Heroes is a touchingly honest book bringing awareness and a new perspective on how autism is touching a plethora of families from all walks of life. This 240 page book, filled with beautiful black and white photography, takes a profound look at thirty-eight families and how autism has impacted their lives. These personal narratives explore the victories and challenges these families face; it gives inspiration and hope to the readers, especially parent’s who have children newly diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. In addition to these narratives, insightful essays written by Dr. Firestone about dignity, hope, opportunity and love are dispersed throughout the book.
Whether you are a person who has been touched by autism or an individual who wants to learn more about this prevalent disorder, Autism Heroes is a book to read.
For more information about:
Dr. Barbara Firestone- Click on her picture!
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Wednesday, October 17th, 2007
The Autism Speaks walk in Seattle was a big success! Thanks to the 2,000 individuals and 171 teams involved, a quarter of a million dollars was raised for autism research!
The day started out a little foggy and crisp as crowds of volunteers made their way to the Dempsey Center located below the University of Washington’s main campus. Many of the walkers arrived at the center around 9am, as the sun began to slowly emerge from the clouds. Individuals were greeted with fresh bagels and bottled water prior to entering the Dempsey Center. Once inside, the walkers and teams registered, received their T-shirts and were free to peruse the resources and enjoy the entertainment. A stage located at the center of the field featured a rock band, a high school cheer and dance squad, and several speakers with their own inspirational words and anecdotes. The indoor track and field at the Dempsey Center was lined with booths from different organizations and companies devoted to autism research, programs, and interventions. Parents traveled up and down the track collecting countless literature, brochures, and even some samples from the different organizations supporting the cause. Not only was the morning insightful and fun for the parents, the kids had a great time as well getting their face painted, sliding down the gigantic blow up slide, bouncing inside the bounce house, blowing bubbles, and enjoying the ARC’s sensory station.
After the opening ceremony, walkers filed out of the center in clusters, while others chose to linger behind and take full advantage of the resources available. A caravan of families, parents with strollers, and individuals besieged the bike riders on the Burke Gilman Trail as they traveled from Dempsey Center to the main campus. The campus proved to be a gorgeous choice for the walk. The participants walked under a canopy of fiery fall leaves and were met halfway through the walk by a mariachi band. In addition to the park-like setting, the walk route was littered with signs filled with information regarding autism and how prevalent it has become within the last few years. With the growing numbers of children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, the importance to make people aware continues to increase, which is why supporting events such as the Annual Autism Speaks walk is crucial!
Pictures of the event can be found on the Alison Jensen Photography website: Alison Jensen Photography
For more information about the walk, check out the Autism Speaks website: Autism Speaks
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Monday, October 15th, 2007
Seattle, WA – TeachTown, a privately held autism research and technology company, was named a winner of the 2007 Tibbetts Awards for excellence in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs. Individuals and companies selected for these national awards are recognized as having provided outstanding SBIR leadership.
Teach Town, founded in 2003, provides an education and language learning platform as well as services specifically designed and developed for children with autism and other cognitive impairments. It was conceptualized by Chief Scientist Dr. Christina Whalen, licensed psychologist, and certified behavior analyst, and developed with Eric Dallaire, and Lars Liden, Ph.D., cognitive and neural systems. Dr. Whalen will accept the award on October 10, 2007 in Washington, DC, and attend the congressional reception on Capitol Hill.
With recent increases in autism prevalence, estimates are now 1 out of 150 births, “We have a rapidly growing school-age autism population that is severely under-served.” says Dr. Chris Whalen, “Our goal is to provide affordable, available, and effective treatment.”
TeachTown received an SBIR (Department of Education) grant in 2004 to develop its first product TeachTown Basics, which was released to the market in March 2006. They also received a “Stepping Stone” grant in June 2007. The company has built up a science advisory board which includes some of the most prominent autism researchers in the US. The results of the first Teach Town: Basics study was published in the Journal of Speech and Language Pathology and Applied Behavior Analysis in March 2006.
SBIR support for product development and research has allowed Teach Town to become the only evidenced based autism treatment technology solution available which provides online synchronization and communication of the child’s activities and progress data. This addresses the main area of pain for service providers and parents which is the ability to; track, report and communicate on a child’s progress. The program includes both on and off computer activities using scientifically-based treatment approaches which are needed to be successful in teaching children with autism. TeachTown allows service providers to serve more children at one time and exceeds mandated education data reporting requirements in all 50 states.
TeachTown is now embarking on a 2 year project and will conduct research studies which will include children with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, parents, and professionals from the autism community. This research will guide the development of a new education and treatment program targeted at grade levels 2nd – 5th. This innovative treatment will build on the success of TeachTown: Basics, which is now helping hundreds of younger children and being adopted by major school districts across the U.S.
Christina Whalen, PhD, BCBA
(206) 336-5585
chris@teachtown.com
About Teach Town
www.teachtown.com
TeachTown is a privately held company based in Seattle with offices in San Francisco, and is funded by the Washington Research Foundation and private investors led by Richard Fade, founder of the Autism Treatment Network.
For more information about the Tibbetts Award Click Here
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Friday, October 5th, 2007
It’s time again for Autism Speaks’ annual “Walk Now for Autism” fundraiser in Seattle, WA. In addition to raising money for autism research, the fundraiser’s purpose is to increase awareness about the growing number of individuals being diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The walk in Seattle is taking place on Saturday, October 13th. If you can’t make it to this event, sign up to join one of the many walks taking place in various locations across the country, as well as in Canada and the United Kingdom.
Hosting these events is Autism Speaks, the nation’s largest non-profit organization devoted to helping the autistic community. In 2006 alone, Autism Speaks raised over $33 million dollars and committed $25 million to scientific research that helped fund multiple projects, including innovative research studies that could potentially advance autism treatment and therapies.
The “Walk Now for Autism” fundraiser is Autism Speaks’ signature fundraising and awareness event. Families and friends of those affected with Autism Spectrum Disorders are the primary participants, in addition to numerous volunteers that make this event possible. It’s not necessary to have a child with autism or work for an autism research organization to join the fun. Everyone is welcome to participate in the walk or even create their own fundraising team. Help spread autism awareness, while raising money for further research.
For more information, check out the following links:
Click Here for a list of locations and dates for the various walks!
Click Here to join TEACHTOWN’s team for the Seattle Walk on October 13th
Click Here to obtain details for the upcoming Seattle Walk
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