Easter Seals Disability Services

Autism Services

Why Easter Seals and Autism?

Until There’s a Cure, There’s Easter Seals

More than a generation ago, Easter Seals was front and center during the polio epidemic, working tirelessly to help children and adults with polio gain the skills they needed to live independently through medical rehabilitation and various therapies. And now, Easter Seals is the country’s leading provider of services for people with autism today.

Help and Hope for 85 Years

Easter Seals has been providing services and support to children and adults with disabilities, and to the families who love them, for more than 85 years.

Over the last 20 years, Easter Seals has seen a dramatic increase in the number of people with autism the organization serves—both through its services developed specifically for people with autism and through services that include children and adults with autism among other service recipients.

As Many as 1 in 150 Children Now Diagnosed

The Centers for Disease Control’s (CDC) new findings on the prevalence of autism validate what many have believed for some time* – autism is an epidemic of our time. The fact is, many families are living with autism today and there is an urgent need for increased funding, services and supports for individuals with autism.

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 2007

Autism is Treatable

While there is no known cause or cure, nor one single effective treatment – autism is treatable. People with autism, at any age, are capable of making significant progress through personalized interventions and therapy; and can and do lead meaningful lives. That’s where Easter Seals comes in.

Getting the right support at the earliest stage in life can help a child gain the skills he or she needs to be successful—but it’s never too late! Easter Seals autism services support people at any age:

• Providing early diagnosis and early intervention for very young children with developmental delays and autism.
• Working with children with autism, encouraging families to find treatment approaches that deal with the whole child.
• Helping young adults, supporting them through transitions from school-to-meaningful work and independent living opportunities.
• Teaming up with adults with autism in employment and day programs across the country.

Until There’s a Cure, There’s Easter Seals

While there are a number of organizations researching to find the cause and cure for autism, Easter Seals is unique as the nation’s leading provider of services and support for children and adults living with autism and their families. We’re working nationally to provide children and adults with autism individualized treatment plans and comprehensive services.

Easter Seals also advocates in Washington, DC, encouraging Congress to finance research to improve services and supports and pursuing public policy solutions for the challenges families with autism face.

It Takes a Village...

Easter Seals is working closely with other autism organizations—such as the Autism Society of America (ASA)—to identify solutions, share knowledge, seek breakthroughs, improve training and professional development, and learn how advances in research can be applied to therapy, as quickly as possible.

Family Support

Autism generates more stress on families than any other disability.* As children and adults with autism usually find it difficult or impossible to relate to other people in a meaningful way, by nature, this “affect” of autism can contribute to the increased stress on a family.**

Parental and family involvement is pivotal. As parents are their children’s life-long advocates and social partners, children with autism benefit by having their families actively involved in their treatment. Easter Seals trains parents as interventionists and treatment partners to work alongside its autism service professionals. And, the organization also provides recreation and respite programs to give the entire family a little time for play or a small break from intensive care giving responsibilities.

Help for Kids and Adults Living with Autism Today

In general, research on autism is sparse, funding for research, therapy and services are inadequate, quality services—especially for adults—are limited, unemployment among adults with autism persists, and general knowledge and understanding gaps prevail. Easter Seals wants to change this, to make a difference for families living with autism today.

* Bromley, Hare, Davison, & Emerson, 2005; Dumas, Wolf, Fisman and Colugun, 1991; and, Holyrode and MacArthur, 1976

** Hobson and Harris, 1994

Autism 101

Autism an epidemic?

You might be surprised to learn that a new case of autism is diagnosed every 20 minutes. Some may even describe autism as the epidemic of our time.

• As many as one in 91 children are diagnosed with autism.
• Once considered a rare disorder, autism now occurs in two to six individuals per 1,000.
• Autism is the fastest growing developmental disability in the world, increasing at a rate of 10 – 17 percent a year.
• 12 to 17 million Americans have a family member living with autism.

Centers for Disease Cintrol and Prevention, 2007
National Institues of Health, 2004
U. S. Department of Education, 1999

What exactly is autism?

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) or autism is a developmental disability considered the result of a neurological condition affecting normal brain funtion, development and social interactions. Children and adults with autism find it difficult or impossible to relate to other people in a meaningful way, may show restrictive and.or repetitive patterns of behavior or body movements, and ofetn have some degree of mental retardation.

While great strides are being made, there is no known cause or cure, nor a know effective treatment for autism.

The common term of “autism” collectively represents a set of five closely related conditions that fall under the umbrella of Pervasive Developmental Disorders.

Opening the door to autism

There are five developmental disorders that fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorder umbrella and are defined by challenges in three areas: social skills, communication, and behaviors and/or interests.

Autistic Disorder

Occurs in males four times more than females and involves moderate to severe impairments in communication, socialization and behavior.

Asperger Syndrome

Sometimes considered a milder form of autism, Asperger’s is typically diagnosed later in life than other disorders on the spectrum. People with Asperger syndrome usually function in the average to above average intelligence range and have no delays in language skills, but often struggle with social skills and restrictive and repetitive behavior.

Rett Syndrome

Diagnosed primarily in females who exhibit typical development until approximately five to 30 months when children with Rett syndrome begin to regress, especially in terms of motor skills and loss of abilities in other areas. A key indicator of Rett syndrome is the appearance of repetitive, meaningless movements or gestures.

Childhood Disintegrative Disorder

Involves a significant regression in skills that have previously been acquired, and deficits in communication, socialization and/or restrictive and repetitive behavior.

Pervasive Developmental Disorder – Not Otherwise Specified (PPD-NOS)

Includes children that do not fully meet the criteria for the other specific disorders or those that do not have the degree of impairment associated with those disorders.

There is hope – autism is treatable

Autism is a baffling, life-long disability. And while there is no cause or cure, nor a known singular effective treatment it is treatable. People with autism—at any age—can make significant progress through therapy and treatments, growing to lead meaningful, productive lives. However, experts agree that early diagnosis and early intervention are critical – because the earlier people with autism get help, the better their outcomes will be in the future.

Did you know?

The annual cost of providing services for people with autism is $90 million dollars, in 10 years that number is projected to be $200-400 billion. With early diagnosis and intervention, the overall cost of treatment can be reduced by two-thirds over an individual with autism’s lifetime.

London School of Economics Study, 2001

Follow your instincts

Parents should get their child screened for autism if:

• They feel something might not “be right” with their child – 18 months or older.
• Their child isn’t meeting developmental milestones as identified by their pediatrician.

Living with autism

People with autism have challenges in the areas of communication, socialization and restricted/repetitive behaviors. A few examples:

Click Here to download a news release about autism and Easter Seals.

(MP3 format - Right-click or Option-Click link to download file.)

Easter Seals Announces Arrival of Director of Autism Services, Dr. Maureen Dunne

Easter Seals Central California proudly announces our new Director of Autism Services, Dr. Maureen Dunne.

Dr. Dunne is responsible for researching, developing and implementing expanded autism services throughout the organization.

Dr. Dunne brings an extensive background in autism to Easter Seals with several degrees including a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Master of Arts in Developmental Psychology from the University of Chicago; an MSc. Anthropology of Learning and Cognition from the London School of Economics and Political Science; a Ph.D. in Clinical Developmental Psychology from the University of Oxford and an fMRI Visiting Fellowship from Harvard University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

We are pleased to have Dr. Maureen Dunne join our team,” said Bruce Hinman, Easter Seals Central California President. “Dr. Dunne will bring tremendous support and expertise to our local communities. Easter Seals has a commitment to provide comprehensive services for children and adults with autism and their families. Dr. Dunne will be leading our efforts along those lines.”

Dr. Dunne brings extensive experience in Applied Behavior Analysis and other effective methods of treatment for autism. She will provide leadership for the Easter Seals P.L.A.Y. Project (a parent training program that is generating great results for young children and their families) and guide the expansion of Easter Seals services throughout our 10-county service area.

To learn more about our services for children with autism, including the P.L.A.Y. Project, call 559-241-7233 and ask for Dr. Dunne.

If you or someone you know would like information regarding Autism Services,
please contact Mark Wenzler at 831-684-2166 ext. 118 or Heather Pint, 831-684-2166 ext. 113.

If you would like to help support Easter Seals Autism Services,
please click on the button below to make a donation.

Make a gift today!

Your support makes it possible for Easter Seals Central California
to offer its services to adults and children of all ages and abilities regardless of financial situation.

Back to Programs and Services