FOCUS Launches Its New Website

FOCUS has a new website!

You're invited to check it out.

The website was redesigned to make it easier for you to navigate, offer updated information in a timely manner, and give clearer sense of what FOCUS has to offer you and your family. 

Features include ease of navigation. We've organized the information on the website in a simple and structured way.   The main function of the website is to convey relevant content to our visitors and help you understand our services and the support we can offer your family. We hope the site will encourage you to dig deeper for more information. 

We’re hoping our site can build a community. Interaction with the Autism community is essential to the site. The site has built-in links to social media including Facebook and Twitter. It also has space for a blog.  Creating and maintaining a blog is one of the most effective ways to build community and a great way to offer content that promotes dialog. Blogs are a great way to have a conversation with our visitors and families on a regular basis and improve the level of trust website visitors and families have over time.

While you’re there look at past episodes of FOCUS on Autism TV, get an update on the FOCUS Festival for Autism, find out where the next Unplugged Panel will be and, enjoy the photos from our programs.

FOCUS would like to thank Constanza Gowen-Segovia, Melissa Harris, Rich Hollant, and the Co:Lab team for all of their great teamwork and expertise.

We want to hear from you! Let us know what think and what you might want to see!

Autism Bill Proposed in Massachusetts

Update

The bill passed the Massachusetts House 151-0.According to masslive.com the bill "would also expand eligibility for developmental services to individuals with IQs higher than 70, a current rule that Bradley said excludes many people with autism who have other developmental challenges they must overcome."

A Greater Need

The increasing diagnosis of Autism among children is moving some legislators in Massachusetts to increase services. WCVB in Boston is reporting a bill is being proposed to develop training for schools and  teachers. The bill would also provide tax exempt savings account for extended care needs.

House Speaker Robert DeLeo says in a statement, "I believe this bill is the next, crucial step to make Massachusetts the leader in caring for residents confronting autism,"

Read more: http://www.wcvb.com/health/proposed-autism-bill-to-develop-training-for-schools-teachers/25479152#ixzz2yxnMeSg9

Serving Adults

In an acknowledgement that supports are needed for individuals on the spectrum after they age out of the school system, the bill would expand eligibility for IQ-based state programs to adults with Autism.

The bill is scheduled to be debated Wednesday.

Offering Hope  

At the FOCUS Center for Autsim we provide therapy for children and young adults on the spectrum on a daily basis. We're serving over 80 children and young adults a week. That only scratches the surface. It is estimated there are over 51,000 persons on the spectrum in Connecticut alone. For many families the cost of care is out of reach. More children will be diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder than AIDS, cancer, and diabetes combined. Intervention and treatment offer hope for the parents and a sense of belonging among the children we serve.

Autism, Like Race, Complicates Almost Everything

Autism...like race complicates everything...

There's an interesting and revealing essay by Alicia Montgomery about her experience caring for her Autistic son. Her situation is complicated by the fact that she and her son are African American. Her fear is her son's lack of social graces will get him in trouble. When her son acts out in anger...she fears he will become the next Travon Martin.

Through it all she feels lucky because of her support system but wonders about those who do not have support. Treatment is expensive and the costs most often fall entirely on the parents.

Check out her story and what she has been able to accomplish with her Autistic son at the NPR blog site
Frontiers of Race, Culture and Ethnicity.

http://www.npr.org/blogs/codeswitch/2014/04/12/301814519/autism-like-race-complicates-almost-everything