Sue RK
Dear Sue,
I wanted to welcome you to the Autism One.
By becoming an active participant you can support and inspire others. Your sharing experience can lift other parents to help them move forward on this path. Autism can be challenging and puzzling. You can make a difference; together we can effectively resolve issues in a collaborative manner by addressing questions and providing feedback.
My son Jordan has made remarkable progress so please don’t ever give up hope!
Feel free to share your thoughts, stories and wisdom for we are all in this together.
To quote, Brandi Snyder: “To the world you may be one person, but to one person you may be the world.”
Should you need any further assistance or information, please do not hesitate to contact me.
rbrunett@autismone.org
Sincerely,
Rhonda Brunett
Autism One International Inc. Chicago Liaison
Hi Sue
Let me extend to you my personal welcome (although belated) to our AutismOne Social Network. First let me say that's a beautiful family picture you've included.
AutismOne is now the “one-stop-shopping center” for information about autism. We have the annual conference in Chicago, AutismOne radio, the Elizabeth Birt Center for Autism Law and Advocacy and now the AutismOne Social Network (and more to come).
Thank you for filling in your profile entries as these help people with common interests find you.
Helping you interact with others is one of the many things we can do for you. Now here’s something you can do for us. Log in on a regular basis and read the blogs and articles then write a blog yourself. It can be on any subject of interest to you, preferably with some relevance to autism but not necessarily. It can be short or long, whatever it takes for you to express your thoughts. If you have a question then ask it in a blog--people read then they respond. If you see something with which you agree or disagree then please add a comment with your thoughts. This is an open community designed to help and support. We like to hear all sides.
I am looking forward to reading your opinions in future blogs and/or articles.
With my best regards
Will Price, CFO
AutismOne
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About Me
My husband and I are working to gather as much information as possible to help recover our son from ASD.
We have been GFCF for more than a year and are also using the bio-medical approach with numerous supplements, speech therapy, occupational therapy and behavioral therapy. We are seeing steady progress.
My main motivation is my son's smile - and watching the light in his eyes get brighter all the time. We are fortunate to have found excellent teachers, therapists and DAN practitioners in our area. It took a long time to build our team - but it has been SO worth the effort.
I have a deep love and passion for working with children & adolescents with Autism. Over the last 11 years, I have spent countless hours dedicating myself to several children and their families. After working in a variety of settings, I noticed a common trend between conventional therapeutic modalities that I found problematic. Most programs for children with autism only focused on the child with the diagnosis, ignoring an essential dynamic of the child’s life: their family. I wondered what life might look like for these families if services expanded beyond the child with Autism to include support for parents, siblings and others who played important roles in the child’s life. I made it my goal to create a program for children with Autism that would embrace the entire family system in the therapeutic process. Earlier this year, that goal came to fruition with the opening of S.M.I.L.E. Autism Services, LLC a small private practice, serving children with Autism near Denver & Boulder, CO.
However, the instant and incredibly high demand for services from S.M.I.L.E. made me realize that my small business could only help a tiny percentage of the families in Colorado who desperately need assistance. According to the Center for Disease Control, a new case of autism is diagnosed every 20 minutes. Currently 1 in 110 individuals are diagnosed and this number is continuing to rise. Colorado currently ranks 48th in the nation in funding and treatment for Autism and right now there are close 1000 children on various wavier waiting lists, hoping for services (Children’s HCBS Waiver Interim Committee Report to Legislative Council – November 2009).
Considering these facts has made me dream big. Clearly changes need to be made nationwide, but ESPECIALLY here in Colorado. I asked myself what I could do to provide services to a larger number of the children and families who cannot get help simply because there is not enough services available to meet the demand of the population.
I am happy to say I have an opportunity for us to work together to radically change the landscape of Autism treatment in Colorado!
Recently, I applied for a $250,000 grant through Pepsi’s Refresh Everything Program to open a Cutting-Edge, Comprehensive Family-Based Autism Therapy Clinic and it is now one of the finalists being considered. Beginning April 1 and ending April 30, the general public will be able to vote for the proposal they like the best, with a winner to be announced May 1, 2010. It is my hope that we will not only impact the state of Colorado, but that the idea of a family systems approach to Autism here will be the starting point to changing Autism services throughout the country!
All you have to do is log on and vote! You can vote once EVERY DAY!
Today I am asking you to join with me in dramatically changing the lives of many children and families. Every Day, Every Person & Every Vote Counts!!
1.Please go to: www.refresheverything.com
2.Click on: Join Refresh Everything
3. Enter in your information- this will only take a minute
4.VOTE!!! You can go directly to my page and idea at:
www.refresheverything.com/smileautismservices
5. Pass on my idea and information to your friends & family
6. VOTE EVERY DAY FOR THE MONTH OF APRIL!!!!
TOGETHER WE CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!!!
Thank you so much for your help, care and support.
Sincerely,
Andrea Fasula, MA
Certified Autism Specialist
www.smileautismservices.com
~Supporting, Mentoring, Including, Loving & Educating Children with Autism & Their Families~