03-28-2005, 03:52 PM
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvg/health/0324_autism.html
Quote:
New task force to address standards for screening children
A task force appointed by the governor is moving ahead with efforts to create standards for schools to screen and identify children with autism. Anyone who works with autistic children, or has an autistic child, will tell you the earlier the diagnosis the better.
The Ohio department of education reports about 5,400 autistic kids in Ohio, numbers that have tripled in the last five years, and that still may be an undercount. Linell Wienberg, executive director of the Autism Center of Northwest Ohio, says, "We know that is an underrepresentation because in Ohio all the preschoolers, for example, are a preschooler with a disability. They're not identified as autism diagnosis until they are age five."
Mudhens manager Joe Napoli is very interested in the task force recommendations. He's the president of the board for the Great Lakes Center for Autism. That's because his 8-year-old son is autistic. Danny was diagnosed at about three years old, and his dad says he's doing very well, but they wish doctors had caught it earlier.
The task force has dozens of proposals it's passing on to Ohio state legislators, including earlier screening and better health care coverage for treatment. We asked Joe what he thinks should be a priority. He replied, "If anything on that list gets done, it's a step in the right direction to prioritize them. Selfishly speaking, the early diagnosis would be key."
Danny is one of many preschoolers to benefit from SAIL: the school for autistically impaired learners. At this specialized school in Toledo, children get the one-on-one attention from teachers that's proven so beneficial... And with more and more children getting diagnosed with autism, parents, educators, and advocates say it's critical kids have access to programs like this, and families have help paying for therapy.
There are some very specific red flag warning signs of autism, including a child who's not speaking by age two. for more red flags, and other information,
# http://www.firstsigns.org
# CDC on Autism
For more information on the SAIL program, call director Marion Boss at 419-537-SAIL.
A task force appointed by the governor is moving ahead with efforts to create standards for schools to screen and identify children with autism. Anyone who works with autistic children, or has an autistic child, will tell you the earlier the diagnosis the better.
The Ohio department of education reports about 5,400 autistic kids in Ohio, numbers that have tripled in the last five years, and that still may be an undercount. Linell Wienberg, executive director of the Autism Center of Northwest Ohio, says, "We know that is an underrepresentation because in Ohio all the preschoolers, for example, are a preschooler with a disability. They're not identified as autism diagnosis until they are age five."
Mudhens manager Joe Napoli is very interested in the task force recommendations. He's the president of the board for the Great Lakes Center for Autism. That's because his 8-year-old son is autistic. Danny was diagnosed at about three years old, and his dad says he's doing very well, but they wish doctors had caught it earlier.
The task force has dozens of proposals it's passing on to Ohio state legislators, including earlier screening and better health care coverage for treatment. We asked Joe what he thinks should be a priority. He replied, "If anything on that list gets done, it's a step in the right direction to prioritize them. Selfishly speaking, the early diagnosis would be key."
Danny is one of many preschoolers to benefit from SAIL: the school for autistically impaired learners. At this specialized school in Toledo, children get the one-on-one attention from teachers that's proven so beneficial... And with more and more children getting diagnosed with autism, parents, educators, and advocates say it's critical kids have access to programs like this, and families have help paying for therapy.
There are some very specific red flag warning signs of autism, including a child who's not speaking by age two. for more red flags, and other information,
# http://www.firstsigns.org
# CDC on Autism
For more information on the SAIL program, call director Marion Boss at 419-537-SAIL.