Officer urges autism training for first responders

Akron Police Sgt. Mark Farrar knows the facts of autism in his head and the pain of autism in his heart. With the incidence of autism rising rapidly — 1 in 88 children (and 1 in 54 boys) are born with some form of it — law-enforcement agencies are being affected because, Farrar says, the autistic are seven times as likely as others to come into contact with first responders such as police, fire ...

A hidden epidemic

NEW JERSEY - For some years, autism has been a full-blown public crisis in America. The sense of emergency increased at the end of March, when

Low Incidence, High Results

The school day had barely begun Monday morning at South Point Elementary School in Washington when a student in Ann Heinrich’s “low incidence” classroom for children with intense special needs was lying face down on a soft rug, wood blocks strewn around him.

Language and Social Communication Services: A Must for Children with Autism

Amidst rising rates of autism, speech-language pathologists can help—early intervention is key, states the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). In the wake of a new Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that states the incidence of autism has risen dramatically, speech-language pathologists (SLPs) can play a critical role helping children with autism who have ...

Moran's News Commentary: The Autism Educators Act

In March, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released updated statistics on the incidence of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the U.S. They are staggering. Now the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States, one in 88 children is on the autism spectrum by age 8, and boys are five times more likely to have ASD. Read more...