Lori Wolfe/The Herald-Dispatch
Mike Grady, CEO of Autism Services Center, speaks during a reception celebrating the passage of H.B. 2693 on Monday, April 18, 2011, in Huntington. H.B. 2693 requires insurance companies to cover autism services for children in West Virginia.
Apr. 24, 2015 @ 11:30 PM
HUNTINGTON - Ritter Park will be filled with encouragement and support on Saturday, April 25, during the 2015 Rally For Autism. That's good, officials say, because the percentage of people with autism continues to grow and more work is needed to spread the word about promising therapies that can help.
This is the 14th annual rally in Huntington, and includes a 25-mile bike ride that starts at 8:50 a.m. and a 5K run/walk that starts at 9 a.m.
The 2014 event attracted 1,200 people and raised more than $85,000 for the support of individuals living with autism spectrum disorders. Proceeds stay local and are divided among the Autism Society River Cities, Autism Services Center and the West Virginia Autism Training Center.
As of Thursday evening, more than 1,200 people already had signed up for this year's event. It's grown exponentially, from just 220 participants in its first year, as incidence of autism has continued to rise. The latest information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate one of 68 children is diagnosed with autism today. The CDC reports it's almost five times more common among boys, with incidence being one in 42, and incidence being one in 189 for girls.
"When I started working at this agency 30 years ago, it was four or five for every 10,000," said Mike Grady, CEO of Autism Services Center. In 2004, it was one in 125, the CDC reports.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Each child on the spectrum has a unique set of characteristics. The cause is the subject of ongoing research. According to a recent study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the largest-ever study of its kind, researchers again found that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine did not increase risk for autism spectrum disorder.
Another new study released this month focused on treatment. That study, also released this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that providing comprehensive training for parents on strategies for managing challenging behavior, as opposed to just giving them information, had a significant impact on their children's behavioral outcomes.
"What's really helping the most at this time is applied behavioral analysis - working with children to learn new skills, using tried and true methods of just sitting down with the child and having a therapist who knows what they're doing ... to work the child through skill sets," Grady said. "The earlier you can get to a child, the better chance you have of making some progress. Every child reacts differently and progresses differently.
"It's important that autism be identified as early as possible in children. It's the reason we worked in this state ... to get insurance companies to pay for therapies for children."
His center is working on coordinating efforts among a child's parents, teachers and other staff helpers.
"If you can have the school system, parents, and any staff working with children all working the same program and working the same prompts and working the same skills, you're going to have positive results," Grady said. "We're working with school systems and training parents and staff so there's a continuum there. It's really rewarding because you can see a change. We have a contract with the schools right now. It's been a real joy to get involved in that."
His hope now is to increase research and programming for adults with autism, because once they turn 18 and leave the school system, there's not much in the way of help.
"After kids age out of school and out of insurance, for a majority of them there are no entitlements. There is nothing," Grady said. "Nationwide, over 80 percent of children or adults with autism live with their parents."
With more than 50,000 people with autism graduating yearly from high school, "that's just going to have the multiplier effect," he said. "The vast majority of research goes to finding a cause and a cure, genetic research. Very little is on treatment for adults. That's a real problem nationwide. Our agency started a national association of providers who work with adults with autism because of that fact, and we're working with the Autism Society and Autism Speaks to put some focus on that ... Parents worry about what's going to happen to their children."
Parents are tremendous advocates. And they're among the volunteers and participants who make the rally a success each year.
Danielle Wilson, of Glenwood, is heavily involved in the rally in honor of her 11-year-old son, Nathaniel. With the help of Pleasant View Church in Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia, which has a spaghetti dinner and ice cream social to raise funds, Team Nathaniel has 34 members strong.
"The rally is a great way to raise awareness. The school even sent out fliers," Wilson said.
Inspired by his 7-year-old son with autism, Jonas, St. Mary's nursing instructor Joey Trader helps organize the more than 300 volunteers who participate in the rally.
"My wife has a team of family, friends and members from church. They're supporting his team, but in essence they're supporting the whole cause," he said.
Volunteer organizer Rebecca Pack said she got involved not because of a specific loved one with autism, but just because. Now, she has a whole new family, she said.
"Everyone has become like friends and family," she said.
Participant Theresa Johnson is an employee at Autism Services and likes seeing her clients out and about.
"I like to see clients out there walking. It's fun," she said.
It's a wonderful day to meet up with old friends and make new ones, said Elaine Harvey, president of the Autism Society of the River Cities and chairwoman of the rally. She does her best to introduce families with a new diagnosis to the chapter and what the area has to offer. Huntington has a wonderful array of services for those with autism, but awareness is always an important issue, Harvey said.
"The reason we want people to become more aware is, if a child has a meltdown, we don't want people to think, 'Why can't that parent control that child,' but instead to think, 'Oh, that child might have autism,'" said Harvey, who is the mother of a 48-year-old son with autism. "When you're in that situation, you want compassion, not someone judging you."
Registration for the event begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The entry fee is $25.
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Apr. 24, 2015 @ 11:30 PM
HUNTINGTON - Ritter Park will be filled with encouragement and support on Saturday, April 25, during the 2015 Rally For Autism. That's good, officials say, because the percentage of people with autism continues to grow and more work is needed to spread the word about promising therapies that can help.
This is the 14th annual rally in Huntington, and includes a 25-mile bike ride that starts at 8:50 a.m. and a 5K run/walk that starts at 9 a.m.
The 2014 event attracted 1,200 people and raised more than $85,000 for the support of individuals living with autism spectrum disorders. Proceeds stay local and are divided among the Autism Society River Cities, Autism Services Center and the West Virginia Autism Training Center.
As of Thursday evening, more than 1,200 people already had signed up for this year's event. It's grown exponentially, from just 220 participants in its first year, as incidence of autism has continued to rise. The latest information from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate one of 68 children is diagnosed with autism today. The CDC reports it's almost five times more common among boys, with incidence being one in 42, and incidence being one in 189 for girls.
"When I started working at this agency 30 years ago, it was four or five for every 10,000," said Mike Grady, CEO of Autism Services Center. In 2004, it was one in 125, the CDC reports.
Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Each child on the spectrum has a unique set of characteristics. The cause is the subject of ongoing research. According to a recent study released in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the largest-ever study of its kind, researchers again found that the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine did not increase risk for autism spectrum disorder.
Another new study released this month focused on treatment. That study, also released this week in the Journal of the American Medical Association, suggested that providing comprehensive training for parents on strategies for managing challenging behavior, as opposed to just giving them information, had a significant impact on their children's behavioral outcomes.
"What's really helping the most at this time is applied behavioral analysis - working with children to learn new skills, using tried and true methods of just sitting down with the child and having a therapist who knows what they're doing ... to work the child through skill sets," Grady said. "The earlier you can get to a child, the better chance you have of making some progress. Every child reacts differently and progresses differently.
"It's important that autism be identified as early as possible in children. It's the reason we worked in this state ... to get insurance companies to pay for therapies for children."
His center is working on coordinating efforts among a child's parents, teachers and other staff helpers.
"If you can have the school system, parents, and any staff working with children all working the same program and working the same prompts and working the same skills, you're going to have positive results," Grady said. "We're working with school systems and training parents and staff so there's a continuum there. It's really rewarding because you can see a change. We have a contract with the schools right now. It's been a real joy to get involved in that."
His hope now is to increase research and programming for adults with autism, because once they turn 18 and leave the school system, there's not much in the way of help.
"After kids age out of school and out of insurance, for a majority of them there are no entitlements. There is nothing," Grady said. "Nationwide, over 80 percent of children or adults with autism live with their parents."
With more than 50,000 people with autism graduating yearly from high school, "that's just going to have the multiplier effect," he said. "The vast majority of research goes to finding a cause and a cure, genetic research. Very little is on treatment for adults. That's a real problem nationwide. Our agency started a national association of providers who work with adults with autism because of that fact, and we're working with the Autism Society and Autism Speaks to put some focus on that ... Parents worry about what's going to happen to their children."
Parents are tremendous advocates. And they're among the volunteers and participants who make the rally a success each year.
Danielle Wilson, of Glenwood, is heavily involved in the rally in honor of her 11-year-old son, Nathaniel. With the help of Pleasant View Church in Gallipolis Ferry, West Virginia, which has a spaghetti dinner and ice cream social to raise funds, Team Nathaniel has 34 members strong.
"The rally is a great way to raise awareness. The school even sent out fliers," Wilson said.
Inspired by his 7-year-old son with autism, Jonas, St. Mary's nursing instructor Joey Trader helps organize the more than 300 volunteers who participate in the rally.
"My wife has a team of family, friends and members from church. They're supporting his team, but in essence they're supporting the whole cause," he said.
Volunteer organizer Rebecca Pack said she got involved not because of a specific loved one with autism, but just because. Now, she has a whole new family, she said.
"Everyone has become like friends and family," she said.
Participant Theresa Johnson is an employee at Autism Services and likes seeing her clients out and about.
"I like to see clients out there walking. It's fun," she said.
It's a wonderful day to meet up with old friends and make new ones, said Elaine Harvey, president of the Autism Society of the River Cities and chairwoman of the rally. She does her best to introduce families with a new diagnosis to the chapter and what the area has to offer. Huntington has a wonderful array of services for those with autism, but awareness is always an important issue, Harvey said.
"The reason we want people to become more aware is, if a child has a meltdown, we don't want people to think, 'Why can't that parent control that child,' but instead to think, 'Oh, that child might have autism,'" said Harvey, who is the mother of a 48-year-old son with autism. "When you're in that situation, you want compassion, not someone judging you."
Registration for the event begins at 7:30 a.m. Saturday morning. The entry fee is $25.
Comments
The Herald-Dispatch welcomes your comments on this article, but please be civil. Avoid profanity, obscenity, personal attacks, accusations of criminal activity, name-calling or insults to the other posters. Herald-dispatch.com does not control or monitor comments as they are posted, but if you find a comment offensive or uncivil, hover your mouse over the comment and click the X that appears in the upper right of the comment. If you do not want your comment to post to your personal Facebook page, uncheck the box below the comment.
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