05-01-2008, 01:21 AM
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/3612...own01.html
A high-tech way to lower the cost of autism
By PAUL NYHAN
P-I REPORTER
Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and powerful groups including Autism Speaks often dominate the battle over autism treatment. But a 10-person Seattle software firm is quietly working on one of the biggest problems in treating autism: the sky-high cost of therapies.
Tucked into a bland Eastlake office building, Jigsaw Learning creates a high-tech option for families desperate to find and afford expensive behavioral therapy, which is one of the most popular autism treatments. Around Seattle and the nation, demand often outstrips the supply of trained and qualified autism therapists.
With therapists in short supply and expensive, children instead can log onto Jigsaw's TeachTown computer network for behavioral therapy. They can't do everything they would do with a live therapist, but they can work on social and cognitive problems.
The software holds the potential of saving families tens of thousands of dollars. Seattle parents report spending $30,000, $40,000 and $50,000 a year on applied behavior analysis because few health insurance plans cover the costly treatment. Microsoft Corp. is one of the notable exceptions.
"It's expensive, very expensive, to raise a child with autism," said Jigsaw co-founder Christina Whalen.With TeachTown, families pay about $40 a month to subscribe to its system, which promises some -- though not all -- of the elements of popular behavioral therapy.
TeachTown also offers more than therapeutic help.
Backed by concepts co-founder Lars Lidén learned while earning a doctorate in cognitive and neural systems, the software allows speech therapists, psychologists, teachers and parents to connect virtually and check on a child's progress without passing around binders packed with charts and test results. Today, roughly 1,000 parents, school districts and treatment centers use TeachTown software.
The child, meanwhile, can log on from home or school to work through exercises targeted to his stage of development. To begin work, a student moves through an online town, clicking on icons of red, yellow and blue houses, a playground or a zoo to begin exercises.
Founders stress their software program doesn't replace therapists and doctors. Children with autism need human therapists and often a wide range of services. Instead, TeachTown allows children to work on their own, cutting down expensive hours spent with therapists, who charge from $25 to $50 an hour.
It's still an emerging business and is in the process of merging with California-based Animated Speech. It already has offices in Seattle and San Francisco.
Currently, it provides autism software to 30 school districts. The software is used locally in Thornton, Bainbridge and Everett schools.
It's an ambitious enterprise that began eight years ago over pizza and beer at a restaurant in Del Mar, Calif.
Whalen told her then-boyfriend Eric Dallaire and Lidén she wanted to create a video game for children on the autism spectrum. Because Dallaire and Lidén were both in the gaming industry, before long they were sketching a town that would become TeachTown's animated landscape.
Whalen and Dallaire strengthened the bond between gaming and autism when they married in 2002.
The idea blossomed six years later when Lidén's brother, Sven Lidén, placed second in the University of Washington Business School's annual business plan contest. The prize was a little seed money for the company.
Since then, the business has drawn top local autism talent to its advisory board, such as Geraldine Dawson, former head of the University of Washington's Autism Center.
Over the years, the idea generated a lot more money -- an initial $100,000 from one former Microsoft executive, $500,000 in federal grants and roughly another $1 million in subsequent investment. TeachTown hasn't made a profit yet, but its founders hope to see a bigger return in the coming years.
The company continues to grow with a program for younger children and another in development for grade-school students, which is backed by a fresh $400,000 Education Department grant.
TO LEARN MORE
For more information about TeachTown, check out web.teachtown.com or call 206-336-5585.
P-I reporter Paul Nyhan can be reached at 206-448-8145 or paulnyhan@seattlepi.com.
A high-tech way to lower the cost of autism
By PAUL NYHAN
P-I REPORTER
Celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey and powerful groups including Autism Speaks often dominate the battle over autism treatment. But a 10-person Seattle software firm is quietly working on one of the biggest problems in treating autism: the sky-high cost of therapies.
Tucked into a bland Eastlake office building, Jigsaw Learning creates a high-tech option for families desperate to find and afford expensive behavioral therapy, which is one of the most popular autism treatments. Around Seattle and the nation, demand often outstrips the supply of trained and qualified autism therapists.
With therapists in short supply and expensive, children instead can log onto Jigsaw's TeachTown computer network for behavioral therapy. They can't do everything they would do with a live therapist, but they can work on social and cognitive problems.
The software holds the potential of saving families tens of thousands of dollars. Seattle parents report spending $30,000, $40,000 and $50,000 a year on applied behavior analysis because few health insurance plans cover the costly treatment. Microsoft Corp. is one of the notable exceptions.
"It's expensive, very expensive, to raise a child with autism," said Jigsaw co-founder Christina Whalen.With TeachTown, families pay about $40 a month to subscribe to its system, which promises some -- though not all -- of the elements of popular behavioral therapy.
TeachTown also offers more than therapeutic help.
Backed by concepts co-founder Lars Lidén learned while earning a doctorate in cognitive and neural systems, the software allows speech therapists, psychologists, teachers and parents to connect virtually and check on a child's progress without passing around binders packed with charts and test results. Today, roughly 1,000 parents, school districts and treatment centers use TeachTown software.
The child, meanwhile, can log on from home or school to work through exercises targeted to his stage of development. To begin work, a student moves through an online town, clicking on icons of red, yellow and blue houses, a playground or a zoo to begin exercises.
Founders stress their software program doesn't replace therapists and doctors. Children with autism need human therapists and often a wide range of services. Instead, TeachTown allows children to work on their own, cutting down expensive hours spent with therapists, who charge from $25 to $50 an hour.
It's still an emerging business and is in the process of merging with California-based Animated Speech. It already has offices in Seattle and San Francisco.
Currently, it provides autism software to 30 school districts. The software is used locally in Thornton, Bainbridge and Everett schools.
It's an ambitious enterprise that began eight years ago over pizza and beer at a restaurant in Del Mar, Calif.
Whalen told her then-boyfriend Eric Dallaire and Lidén she wanted to create a video game for children on the autism spectrum. Because Dallaire and Lidén were both in the gaming industry, before long they were sketching a town that would become TeachTown's animated landscape.
Whalen and Dallaire strengthened the bond between gaming and autism when they married in 2002.
The idea blossomed six years later when Lidén's brother, Sven Lidén, placed second in the University of Washington Business School's annual business plan contest. The prize was a little seed money for the company.
Since then, the business has drawn top local autism talent to its advisory board, such as Geraldine Dawson, former head of the University of Washington's Autism Center.
Over the years, the idea generated a lot more money -- an initial $100,000 from one former Microsoft executive, $500,000 in federal grants and roughly another $1 million in subsequent investment. TeachTown hasn't made a profit yet, but its founders hope to see a bigger return in the coming years.
The company continues to grow with a program for younger children and another in development for grade-school students, which is backed by a fresh $400,000 Education Department grant.
TO LEARN MORE
For more information about TeachTown, check out web.teachtown.com or call 206-336-5585.
P-I reporter Paul Nyhan can be reached at 206-448-8145 or paulnyhan@seattlepi.com.