Easter Seals Disability Services

Easter Seals + Autism

Click here for Autism Fact Sheet

More than a generation ago, Easter Seals was front and center during the polio epidemic, working tirelessly to help children and adults with polio gain the skills necessary to live independently. And now, Easter Seals is working nationally to provide help, hope and answers to families living with autism today by delivering personalized services and treatments, as well as advocating in Washington DC to encourage Congress to finance research to improve services and supports for people with autism.

 “Easter Seals believes autism is an epidemic of our time,” adds Sinnott.

Easter Seals affiliates across the country together offer 45 different kinds of interventions to address the affects of autism.  For example, Easter Seals Volusia Flagler:

• Provides early intervention for very young children with developmental delays and autism
• Works with children with autism, supporting families to find an approach that deals with the whole child
• Supports young adults, encouraging them to find meaningful employment and live independent lives
• Offers Respite Care programs for families affected by Autism.

Visit Easter Seals Volusia & Flagler Autism Center of Excellence

Visit www.easterseals.com to learn more about autism, find services at an Easter Seals near you, or help Easter Seals change the lives of people living with autism by becoming a donor or volunteer.

Critical Need for Services

Every family living with autism faces unique challenges. And while the Combating Autism Act of 2006 calls for new funding for autism-related research, early detection and intervention, it’s a modest first step.

The fact is, individuals with autism face many road blocks that prevent them from getting the help they need today:

• overall research on autism is sparse;
• funding for research, therapy and services is largely inadequate;
• quality services—especially for adults—are limited;
• unemployment among adults with autism persists; and,
• general knowledge and understanding gaps about autism prevail. 

“Services for children with autism who age out of the school system are critical. There is an urgent need for increased funding and services especially for adults with autism,” adds Sinnott. “We want to help change all of this and make a difference for families living with autism today.”

There is Hope

While autism is a baffling, lifelong disability, it is treatable.

 People living with autism—at  any age—are capable of making significant progress through personalized interventions and therapy; and, can and do lead meaningful lives.

 A basic rule for treating autism is the earlier the intervention, the better. If parents are worried their child may have autism, they should follow their instincts, share their concerns with their pediatrician, get a diagnosis, and seek help from service providers such as Easter Seals. Autism is a lifelong spectrum disorder that affects each individual differently and in varying degrees getting the right help at the earliest stage of life can help a child gain the skills he or she needs to be successful.

  ^*Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2006

   http://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/faq_prevalence.htm

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities
   http://www.nichcy.org/states.htm    

Department of Education
   http://www.ed.gov/index.

National Institute of Mental Health
   Phone: 1-866-615-6464
   http://www.nimh.nih.gov/

State Health Insurance Program (SCHIP)
   Phone: 1-877-KIDS-NOW
   http://www.insurekidsnow.gov/

Useful Links

Research in the area of autism is an area of interest for many individuals with autism and/or their families. Kennedy Krieger has recently launched a web resource for connecting individuals with autism, their families and researchers called the Interactive Autism Network (IAN). Click here to visit http://www.iancommunity.org/. 

The goal of  IAN is described as: IAN’s goal is to facilitate research that will lead to advancements in the prevention, treatment, and cure of autism spectrum disorders. To accomplish this goal, we created the IAN Community and IAN Research

Websites to obtain information on Autism

Easter Seals Receives Grant to Fund
Autism Center of Excellence (ACE)

Easter Seals Volusia Flagler Counties got a big boost in its efforts to open the Autism Center of Excellence from the Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida. The Blue Foundation for a Healthy Florida awarded a grant in the amount of $80,000 over two years to fund Easter Seals Center of Excellence for Autism. The grant will allow Easter Seals to provide direct therapy, scholarships, family support and education to uninsured or underinsured clients with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Over the last 20 years, Easter Seals has seen a dramatic increase in the number of children and adults with autism the organization serves.

Easter Seals Notes April’s Autism Awareness Month with Campaign to Highlight
Nationwide Services Available to Families Living with Autism Today
Easter Seals Volusia Flagler  Providing Help, Hope and Answers

Easter Seals is shining the spotlight on its services for individuals living with autism, among the vast array of services the national nonprofit provides for people with disabilities and their loved ones.

Over the last 20 years, Easter Seals has seen a dramatic increase in the number of children and adults with autism the organization serves. Today, as many as one in every 166 children is diagnosed with autism^* that’s a new diagnosis every 20 minutes making autism more prevalent than Down syndrome, childhood diabetes, and childhood cancer combined. 

“Autism Awareness Month provides us with an opportunity to help raise awareness about autism services and treatments available to families today,” says Lynn Sinnott, president, Easter Seals. “There are a number of wonderful organizations researching and seeking a cause and cure for autism. Easter Seals is unique as the nation’s leading provider of services and support for children and adults living with autism. So, until there’s a cure...there’s Easter Seals.”

 
The PLAY Project, 

What is the PLAY Project? Click here for frequently asked questions.
Or visit the the PLAY Project website at http://www.playproject.org/