1Power4Autism to form "power grid" of supporters this April

The Autism Society of America recently launched its “1Power4Autism” campaign, a public awareness and fundraising effort that will, through an interactive Web tool, enable everyone to make a difference in the lives of those affected by autism. As the nation’s largest grassroots autism organization, ASA hopes the new tool will create a “power grid” of communities across the country that can join together to help others during National Autism Awareness Month this April.

1Power4Autism is the first grassroots fundraising Web site for the autism community. It gives people an opportunity to “turn on their power” by starting an event online and then using ASA’s Web platform to register and recruit their friends and family. Anyone can walk, run, race, golf, cycle or row for autism - the possibilities are endless and the potential for engagement limitless. For those who would like to support autism through joining events, 1Power also allows people to search for and support other events already being organized in their community. The tool also harnesses the power of the Internet to spread awareness of the condition, which now affects one in every 150 people in America today.

“The Autism Society of America recognizes the power that one person, one organization, one idea or one event can have on autism,” said ASA President and CEO Lee Grossman. “We hear from many people who want to honor their neighbors, classmates or others affected by autism in their community by giving back. 1Power4Autism gives people a very powerful tool to really engage with their community to help ASA improve the lives of all affected by autism.”

The site also features event ideas from people who have already taken up the cause, like John Lose and his Rock the Boat for Autism Team, who are rowing from Boca Raton, Fla., to Wildwood, N.J., this summer to support ASA, or Missy Lybrand, who started Harley-Davidson Ticket to Ride in her Jacksonville, Fla., community, an event that has grown by leaps and bounds over the years.

Turn on your power today - visit http://www.1power4autism.org/!

The National Health Council and Autism Society of America will sponsor a town hall meeting and news conference on Thursday, July 10, 2008, in Orlando, Fla., from 10:30 a.m. to noon.

Presidential candidates and their staff have been invited to participate and share their views on this important topic. Happening in conjunction with ASA’s 2008 National Conference, the event will feature patients' personal stories on this important topic. A "town hall" meeting will follow the news conference and highlight how you can become more involved in this effort.

People and families affected by disease and/or disability are strongly encouraged to attend. A statement signed by 48 CEOs of the nation's leading patient groups will be released. The statement highlights the lack of coverage for millions of Americans and seeks to educate political candidates about the need for solutions.

The event will take place in the Sun Ballroom of the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center. The hotel is located at 6000 W Osceola Parkway in Kissimmee. For more information, contact Joseph LaMountain at joseph.lamountain@gmail.com.

To say that first-responder training for autism is a personal issue for Jim Holohan is putting it lightly. The retired NYPD captain has a teenage son with Asperger’s, and his efforts helped bring that training to the largest police department in the world.

“When my son was first diagnosed at the age of 5, I knew zero about autism,” Holohan said. “New York police come into contact with someone on the spectrum at least once every day and have no idea about it. Training is absolutely essential and it’s never been done before.”

Holohan made contact with first-responder training expert Dennis Debbaudt after he presented to a local New York autism and Asperger’s group. The retired captain brought Debbaudt’s work to the attention of NYPD training commissioners, and Debbaudt and award-winning videographer, editor and producer David Legacy established a seven-minute training video for the department on behalf of ASA’s Safe and Sound Program.

“We got a heck of a lot in seven minutes, that’s for sure,” Debbaudt said. “I’m just happy that through ASA we were able to get NYPD the most top-quality program designed for their needs with the best materials available.”

The instructional video was presented to a group of training officers on February 29; participants then went back to train the officers under their command. As a result of this one short training session, approximately 25,000 members of the New York Police Department will receive a background in interacting with individuals on the autism spectrum.

 “ASA is honored to be a part of this historic endeavor,” said ASA President and CEO Lee Grossman, who attended the February training. “Thanks to the efforts of these dedicated advocates, the biggest police department of the world will now be able to learn more about autism and the special challenges facing children and adults on the spectrum.”

Future training sessions are still in the works. The program is easily adaptable, and Debbaudt hopes to replicate it elsewhere.

“It’s kind of like a dream come true, to know that people like my son may get treated with more dignity and respect that they deserve when they have an encounter with members of law enforcement,” Holohan said.

The limited edition VH1 Classic Rock Autism t-shirt not only got its wearers noticed wherever they went this year sales of the shirt also raised $10,000 for the Autism Society of America. VH1 and rocker Sebastian Bach presented the check to ASA President and CEO Lee Grossman on April 29.

Shirts are still available at http://www.rockautism.vh1classic.com/. Each shirt comes with an informational card about autism, ASA and the Rock Autism initiative. The shirt is available in all men's, women's and children's sizes.

Hundreds of motorcyclists from around the region and beyond converged on Jacksonville, Fla., last weekend to make a difference in lives of individuals with autism and their families.

In its sixth strong year, Lex and Terry’s Ticket to Ride began the morning of May 3 at Adamec Harley-Davidson with an exhilarating 70-mile police-escorted ride through Duval and Clay counties. The city of Jacksonville supported the ride by closing off several major roadways; citizens lined the streets with banners in support of Ticket to Ride and autism. All proceeds from the sold-out event benefited the Autism Society of America. This year, supporters raised $100,000 (total cash and in-kind donations) to further ASA’s mission of improving the lives of all affected by autism.

Missy Lybrand, General Merchandise and Promotions Director at Adamec, has a 17-year-old son with autism and introduced the event in 2002. “As a parent, I’ve been dealing with autism before I even knew what it was,” she said. “It’s very touching to have the Adamec family and all the sponsors step up and be so passionate about this issue.”

This event would not have been possible without the generous support of its sponsors, especially Mark Adamec, owner of Adamec Harley-Davidson, who for six years has shown a passionate commitment to the event and the cause; Clear Channel radio personalities Lex and Terry, who have given their names and support to the event from the beginning and without whom it would not be the national event it is today; and JaxHOG Harley Owners group, who come out every year to volunteer. Miller Lite was a first-time sponsor this year and has stepped up to be a continuing national sponsor in the future. Other sponsors include Venus, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Starbucks, Planet Radio, Xing Tea, Duncan Donuts, Bagel Bagel Cafe, Vital Water, Dagher Printing, and Superior Framing.

An estimated 30 million people in the world have an autism spectrum disorder, 1.5 million in America alone. Every day in America, 60 families learn their child has autism. These families face challenges of care, support, education, financial hardship, and medical and health-care issues that make autism a national public health issue, costing the U.S. economy $90 billion a year. Though there is no cure, autism is treatable and individuals with autism have tremendous potential.

“We are honored to be a part of a great event that brings us together to support each other and raise funds that will help families today,” said Lee Grossman, President and CEO of the Autism Society of America. “Missy’s dedication demonstrates the power that one person has to motivate an entire community to respond and help those affected by autism.”

View all of the pictures here - use Guest Username: AdamecHarleyDavidson Guest Pass: events.

ASA is introducing a special web-only article about extended school year services (ESY). The author, David Sherman, a special education attorney in California who consults nationally with parents of children with ASD, urges parents who are interested in summer services for their children to begin the process now.

ESY can include intensive Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) or other type of program, tutoring, home programs, life skills, speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, vocational programs, summer camp and other services. Requests for ESY should be in writing. It is generally best to request an IEP meeting to be scheduled for the early spring to allow enough time for the school to consider the request, time for negotiations, and time for mediation or due process, if necessary.

Read the article: http://www.autism-society.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=11067&news_iv_ctrl=-1

ASA and Pump It Up held the first “Bounce for Autism” April 1 at Pump It Up in Elkridge, Md. A crowd of friends, family, professionals and people on the spectrum turned out to run, jump, laugh and play on Pump It Up’s giant inflatable playground in support of autism.

Lee Grossman, ASA President and CEO, and Denise Smith, franchise owner of the Elkridge Pump It Up, addressed the crowd on the warm early spring day.

“We love to bounce, and our kids love to bounce,” said Grossman. “One of the great things about this event is that it gives the autism community a chance to come together in a supportive environment.”

Grossman could also be spotted inside later, taking his turn on the inflatable slide with a group of raucous youngsters and excited grown-ups.

In preparation for “Bounce for Autism,” participants formed “Sock Squads” - teams of bouncers committed to raising funds to help improve the lives of all affected by autism.

The Autism Society of America, the nation's leading grassroots autism organization, and Pump It Up, the nation's largest and fastest-growing franchise of giant indoor inflatable playgrounds for private parties, hope to energize families affected by autism and their friends to raise funds and awareness of autism today.

The April 1 Elkridge “Bounce for Autism” kicked off a month of bounce marathons - several other locations are participation throughout National Autism Awareness Month this April, and there are more signed up for the months following. ASA and PIU hope to reach 30 million bounces throughout the year, one for every person with autism worldwide. To learn more, visit http://www.bounceforautism.org/.

For far too long, individuals with autism have not had a voice in the electoral process. ASA is working to change that by educating candidates about autism issues, offering solutions to the challenges facing our autism community, and empowering individuals with autism to make informed decisions. But ASA isn’t the one in the booth pulling the lever - we need YOU to go out and VOTE!

On Tuesday, February 5, 24 states are scheduled to hold Presidential primaries or caucuses - more primaries than any other day in American history. This is your opportunity to select Presidential candidates who care about the issues of importance to you. ASA has assembled as much information as we can find about the candidates’ positions on autism and other disability issues, but it’s up to you to decide. You can also visit individual candidates’ Web sites through http://www.vote-smart.org/election_president.php. This site also has information about voter registration in all 50 states.

Super Tuesday States: Alabama, Alaska caucuses, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado caucuses, Connecticut, Delaware, Georgia, Idaho caucus (Dem.), Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota caucuses, Missouri, New Jersey, New Mexico caucus (Dem.), New York, North Dakota caucuses, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Utah, West Virginia (GOP).

As part of its 2008 “Vote 4 Autism” initiative, ASA sent questionnaires in January to all Presidential candidates of both parties. ASA thanks former candidate John Edwards for being the first to submit a response to our 2008 presidential candidate questionnaire. ASA does not endorse any candidate or party and encourages all candidates to seek solutions to improve the lives of all affected by autism.

Candidates with Announced Autism Plans in their Campaigns:

• Hillary Clinton’s Plan to Help Children and Families Affected by Autism


• Barack Obama’s Plan to Empower Americans with Disabilities

Other information on autism and disabilities as part of the 2008 campaign:

• The American Association of People with Disabilities 2008 Presidential Election Action Center has a transcript of their Candidate Forum on Disabilities (with Clinton, Biden, Dodd, Kucinich, Gravel, McCain, and a representative for Edwards participating) and a candidate questionnaire with responses from Obama, Richardson, Edwards, Clinton and Dodd.


• A-CHAMP has questions for Presidential candidates and answers from Biden, Obama and Edwards, as well as details of their meeting with McCain in December


• Every Child Matters has a candidate questionnaire with responses from Clinton and Edwards, as well as analysis of all the candidates on children and family issues.

ASA re-launched its top-visited Web site, www.autism-society.org, today. Long the premier source for reliable information on autism spectrum disorders, our newly designed website provides an interactive visitor experience with a vibrant new design and easy-to-use navigation aids to help you quickly find what you’re looking for. ASA worked with Convio to create a design that would build on its strong constituent-driven (CRM) platform, with the goal of engaging and building the community it serves. New features include:

- “Imagine the Possibilities: What I Learned From My Journey With Autism” - personal stories from family members, professionals and people on the spectrum
- Tips of the Day - useful lessons learned in the daily journey with autism
- Vote 4 Autism - new space for our grassroots advocacy initiatives
- Life with Autism - information from top experts to help families and people on the spectrum through every stage of life

We will continue to build copy that matters to our community on a daily basis. In the next year, we will be launching more interactive features, such as a community board and social networking options.

We want to hear from you! If you’re interested in sharing the story of what you learned in your journey with autism to be featured on the centerpiece of our new home page, please e-mail editor@autism-society.org.

We hope you’ll visit www.autism-society.org at your earliest opportunity to start taking advantage of all the improvements we’ve made. And please forward this message of help and hope to others so they can join our online community of caring and compassionate individuals committed to addressing the rising incidence of autism in America and around the world.

Congressional leadership released the final version of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007 early on December 17. In it, Congress provided $37 million for the Health Resources and Services Administration autism program, which includes full funding under the Combating Autism Act. Additionally, Congress also provided full funding - $16.5 million - for the CDC’s program and $1 million for the Inter-Agency Autism Coordinating Committee.

Though Congress imposed a mandatory across-the-board cut of 1.7 percent for all programs under the bill, the funding levels for autism were not changed from the original Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill, which failed last November. Unfortunately, the $2 million appropriated to Lifespan Respite was not included in the final version.