Inspired by families living with autism

Posted by Bob Glowacki on November 20th, 2009

A lot of people left comments to a New York Times article called Going to Battle Against Autism, and I found myself touched by what those comments said about the dedication of families with autism. I was especially moved by the stories of two parents who were not only stretched physically and emotionally, but also facing an uncertain future …Read More » »

Are autism service dogs smart?

Posted by Beth Finke on November 12th, 2009

A story in last Sunday’s New York Times ponders whether service dogs help humans because they are smart, or simply because the rigorous training they go through makes them want to please the person on the other end of the leash.

The matter of what exactly goes on in the mind of a dog is a tricky one, and until …Read More » »

Safeway and Easter Seals working together

Posted by Beth Finke on November 4th, 2009

An article in Reuters last week touts Safeway Inc. for the generous grants it gives to Easter Seals to empower children and adults with autism and other disabilities.

Safeway executives unveiled the 2009 Safeway Foundation’s Empowerment Grant award winners during Easter Seals’ annual convention in Washington, D.C., granting $1 million to expand programs across the country that measurably improve …Read More » »

Maurice celebrates autism services in Wisconsin

Posted by Bob Glowacki on October 29th, 2009

I am writing to give a huge thanks and “shout out” to our good friend Maurice Snell. Before I left for Capitol Hill Day and the Easter Seals National Convention last week, Maurice came to Milwaukee to share his story with …Read More » »

Study could prove whether human-animal interactions help with autism

Posted by Beth Finke on October 9th, 2009

A New York Times article this week reports that the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development will study the health benefits animals can provide to children. The article opens with a description of a yellow Labrador retriever who has been paired-up with an 11-year-old boy who has autism.

“Within, I would say, a week, …Read More » »

NJ law keeps autism on legislators’ minds

Posted by Kathy Patrick on October 7th, 2009

On August 13, 2009, New Jersey became the 15th state to enact a law requiring many insurance companies to cover the screening and therapeutic treatment for children up to age 21 who are diagnosed with autism and other developmental disabilities.

The law is scheduled to take effect in February, 2010. Under the legislation, insurance companies will be required to provide …Read More » »

New prevalence = increased demand for services and supports

Posted by Patricia Wright on October 6th, 2009

There has been a rumor for several months that the prevalence rate for autism was going to show an increase. Yesterday those rumors were confirmed.

A publication in Pediatrics indicates that 1 in 91 children between the ages of 3 and 17 has an autism spectrum disorder. The story in Pediatrics came out of a report from the National …Read More » »

Book Review: Clarissa Willis’ My Child Has Autism

Posted by Beth Finke on September 30th, 2009

Hearing a child has autism can be devastating for parents. After a child is diagnosed with autism, the parents are left facing something entirely new and unknown, which can be awfully scary. SHARETHIS.addEntry({ title: "Book Review: Clarissa Willis’ My Child Has Autism", url: "http://autismblog.easterseals.com/book-review-clarissa-willis%e2%80%99-my-child-has-autism/" });

National Standards Project: a resource for parents and professionals

Posted by Patricia Wright on September 25th, 2009

The other day I did a Google search on the word “autism.” The search resulted in more than 15 MILLION hits. With that plethora of information, it can be incredibly difficult for families and professionals to discern an appropriate treatment path.

The National Autism Center has released a great resource to help parents and service providers. It’s called the …Read More » »

ABA at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin

Posted by Bob Glowacki on September 22nd, 2009

Here at Easter Seals Southeast Wisconsin we are moving toward adding Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) to our list of services so that we can give children with Autism the best outcomes. Our first objective was to hire the right person to serve as Autism Services Manager and organize the program. We found that person in Paul Messling, and …Read More » »