News Update

Adult stem cells used in treatment for autism
Read this story about a south Florida family who found treatment for their autistic daughter in Costa Rica.

Information for Indiana Families

• Accessing the Indiana Family Involvement Fund
• Indiana Crisis Management Services

Shopping Day 2007
Click the photo below for more
details

Par for the Cause '07
Ben Did It!
Click Ben's photo for more details

Spring & Summer Classes for 2008
See a complete listing of new activities for Spring and for Summer 2008. Programming ranges from Tae Kwon Do to Cooking. Also check our calendar for class and activity dates and times.

Social Skills Classes for children with ASD, ages 5 - 13, will begin January 15. Classes will be held Tuesdays (4pm - 5pm and 5pm - 6pm) and Thursdays (4pm - 5pm) through March 8. From March 18 - May 17 classes will only be held on Tuesdays. Preregistration is required; placement of children will be based on skill level. Contact Leanne Suarez at LOGAN to register.

Parent Group meetings are held the second Thursday of each month at 6:30 pm at the Autism Center. Babysitting is provided. Contact Leanne Suarez for more information.

Autism in the News
Detroit Free Press - Earning a college degree with autism
Chicago Tribune - Autism series
Medications & autism
WNDU series on autism
Autism on CNN

Garden Party an Event to Remember
Exquisite landscaping at the home of Chris and Carmi Murphy set the perfect stage for the third annual Garden Party fundraiser for the Regional Autism Center. On a lovely July evening, 144 guests enjoyed fine dining, catered by Matterhorn, followed by dancing to the music of Soul Riders. Gary and Linda Seiber shared a humorous yet heartwarming account of life with their son Joe, who has an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Their story shed light into the challenges that many families face.

Notre Dame football tickets sparked an invigorating auction led by Tom Lowe and Dr. Rafat Ansari. Co-Chairs Mary Lowe and Janie Reese were instrumental in coordinating this event, which raised $62,000 for the Autism Center. Plans are underway to host next year's Garden Party at the home of Dr. Bilal and Shamaila Ansari.

President Bush Signs Autism Bill
President Bush has signed the landmark Combating Autism Act of 2006 (S. 843). The bill--which has the support of all major autism advocacy groups--authorizes nearly $1 billion over the next five years to combat autism through research, screening, early detection and early intervention. The new legislation will increase federal spending on autism by at least 50 percent. It includes provisions relating to the diagnosis and treatment of persons with Autism Spectrum Disorders, and expands and intensifies biomedical research on autism, including an essential focus on possible environmental causes.

The bill was sponsored by Senators Rick Santorum (R-PA) and Christopher Dodd (D-CT). The House version was brought to the House floor by Congressman Joe Barton (R-TX), Chair of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce. A companion bill was originally introduced in the House of Representatives by Congresswomen Mary Bono (R-CA) and Diana DeGette (D-CO)

Combating Autism Act of 2006 Highlights:
-- Allocates approximately $900 million in spending on autism over the next five years. This is approximately double what would have been spent with straight-line continuation of existing programs.

-- Authorizes a 50% increase in spending for biomedical research in autism from the $100 million which the NIH currently claims to be spending.

-- Creates a legal requirement for Centers of Excellence in Environmental Health and Autism, to research "a broad array of environmental factors that may have a possible role in autism spectrum disorders." These Centers are authorized with funding of $45 million over the five-year life of the bill.

-- Requires the director of NIH to develop and implement a strategic plan for autism research and a budget to fund this plan, taking into account recommendations of a public/private committee (the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee) which it requires to include at least one-third public members, including a person with autism and a person who is the parent of a child with autism. This new authority and accountability makes the director, in effect, the "autism czar."

-- Provides grant programs for states to develop autism screening, early diagnosis and intervention programs for children -- perhaps the most important thing that could happen, short of a cure.

Details about the Combating Autism Act of 2006 can be found at www.cureautismnow.org.

Regular Autism  license plates cost $25, vanity plates $50, plus a $15 BMV administrative fee. Five hundred people must commit to buying these license plates for the project to move ahead.

For further information on the Autism License Plate project, visit www.omalleytherapysolutions.com.

P.L.A.Y. Project

This intensive therapy approach, specially designed for children ages 3-6 on the Autism Spectrum, is proving beneficial for many children and their families. For more information on the P.L.A.Y. Project, click here, or contact Leanne Suarez, Resource Specialist at (574) 289-4831 or at leanne@logancenter.org.

Autism Featured in Time
Autism was the May 15 cover story of Time. Click the image to link to Time, Inc. and the opportunity to read the related articles.