Wednesday was my son’s birthday. He turned 5. For most parents that is a time of joy, but for me it was a hefty reminder that there is a lot of work to be done.
You see, my son has autism, a bio-neurological disorder affecting ever increasing numbers of children born each year. Research suggests the best chance of recovery from the disorder happens with intensive intervention before the age of 6. The clock is ticking.
For quite a few months now I have been working on a Web site called American Military Families Autism Support. In all honesty, because of the important work so many military families do in trying to understand and treat their child and as a professional communicator, I felt an obligation to do what I could to help others. At this point I do not have a launch date.
Right now there are support groups families can go to in support of their questions and needs, helping our families.
I envision a platform for us to find, share and collaborate on things important to helping our children as military families beyond a forum, offering standard news and information availability, comprehensive database of all offices at every base, local support agencies in every state and all autism support groups available, just to name a few important offerings I’d like to see.
To help stay updated on its status and to keep me on track with my intent, you can follow news and information on Twitter @AMFASnews or on the site update page located at http://bit.ly/1bEMp
Professionals using LinkedIn are welcome to join the AMFAS group at http://tinyurl.com/lmd4vj
A Facebook page is also available at http://tinyurl.com/l9m97a
Feedback and ideas are critical to this endeavor being successful or just another Web site that wastes your time. If you know of someone with autism I’d like to hear from you.
July 6th, 2009 at 5:45 pm
I just listened to the audiobook version of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time” by Mark Haddon (http://is.gd/1peJi), a story told in the voice of a 15-year old with Asperger’s Syndrome. Without beating one over the head with it, this story brings out some of the ways intervention by sensitive therapists can help such children cope with their lives. I recommend it.