Dr. Chris’ Autism Journal

 NEW YORK, NY (Dec 12, 2007) – Autism Speaks, the nation’s leading autism advocacy organization, today announced its Autism Treatment Network (ATN) would triple in size, expanding from five sites to fifteen sites across the United States and Canada. The ATN is a group of hospitals and medical centers dedicated to improving medical care for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and to standardizing the care those individuals receive.

The ATN’s multi-disciplinary approach includes collaboration among specialists in areas including, but not limited to, neurology, developmental pediatrics, child psychiatry, psychology, gastroenterology, genetics, metabolic disorders, and sleep disorders. The network aims to develop common clinical standards for medical care for individuals with ASD and to increase the pool of autism medical specialists through trainee mentorship and outreach to community-based physicians. As part of this effort, families receiving care at the sites can participate in a data registry that tracks children and adolescents receiving ongoing care at participating sites. The information in the database is a crucial part of developing the evidence to create and substantiate these clinical consensus standards.

“It is imperative that all children, no matter where they live, have access to excellent, evidence-based medicine,” said Autism Speaks President Mark Roithmayr. “The continuing expansion and funding of the ATN is a significant step in that direction.”

“This dramatic expansion of the Autism Treatment Network provides real opportunity to improve the quality of health care that children and youth with autism receive, and for more children to receive that care,” said Dr. James Perrin, Director, Clinical Coordinating Center, ATN, and Director, General Pediatrics, Massachusetts General Hospital for Children. “Developing common standards of medical care across fifteen sites will allow us to get answers to the questions parents ask about their children’s care much more quickly.”

The participating ATN sites are: University of Arkansas and Arkansas Children’s Hospital (Little Rock, AR); Kaiser Permanente Medical Care Program Northern California (San Jose, CA); University of Colorado Denver, School of Medicine and The Children’s Hospital (Denver, CO); Kennedy Krieger Institute and Marcus Institute (Baltimore, MD/Atlanta, GA); LADDERS/Mass General Hospital (Boston, MA); University of Missouri (Columbia, MO); Columbia University Medical Center (New York, NY); University of Rochester (Rochester, NY); Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (Cincinnati, OH); Bloorview Kids Rehab, Surrey Place Centre and The Hospital for Sick Children (Toronto, ON, Canada); Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR); University of Pittsburgh (Pittsburgh, PA); Vanderbilt University Medical School (Nashville, TN); Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX); University of Washington (Seattle, WA).

The ATN began as a collaboration between the Northwest Autism Foundation in Oregon and Massachusetts General Hospital for Children in Boston. In 2005, the network was established with five founding sites that came together to establish multi-disciplinary practices for the evaluation and treatment of the underlying medical conditions associated with ASD. These sites currently provide services to approximately 2,000 new cases of ASD each year, and all have taken critical steps to broaden the services available to all children in these centers. The Autism Treatment Network merged with Cure Autism Now in 2006. In February 2007, Cure Autism Now merged with Autism Speaks.

To find out more about the Autism Treatment Network, or to get connected to a site in your area, visit www.autismspeaks.org/science/programs/atn/index.php or email: atn@autismspeaks.org.

The above article is reprinted with permission and can be found in its entirety at http://www.autismspeaks.org/press/atn_network_expanded.php

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

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}