July 9, 2008 (Return to News)

Autism Speaks provides $20,000 grant to University of Central Florida autism education program

[ORLANDO, FL] – Autism Speaks, a nonprofit organization dedicated to increasing awareness of the growing autism epidemic and to raising money to fund research leading to the discovery of effective treatments and a cure, has awarded the University of Central Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) with a grant of nearly $20,000 to support its “Real Experience in Autism Classrooms Helps (REACH) program.” The grant is part of Autism Speak’s Family Services’ Community Grants program, which funds local projects that improve education and community participation for people with autism.

Autism Speaks, the nation's largest autism advocacy organization, today announced that its board of directors has approved more than $450,000 in funding for twenty-one Family Services Community Grants, for a total of more than $1 million in such grants to date. These grants will help community organizations across the country expand existing programs to serve more individuals with autism, and create new programs that demonstrate true innovation in providing services to improve and enrich the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD).

A request for applications for the next round of Family Services Community Grants will be announced in late July with an anticipated deadline of late September.

The REACH project ultimately strives to provide high quality education programs for students with autism spectrum disorders by directly increasing the supply of teachers, psychologists, and speech language pathologists who are well prepared for facing the challenges presented by students with autism. During the 2008-2009 school year, the program will place 50 to 100 UCF undergraduate students planning to work in the areas of education or early intervention with10 to 20 autism teachers currently employed in local school districts. The final result will better education for the 50 to 150 autistic children whose lives these teachers touch.

“The grant will help the UCF students develop important teaching and therapeutic skills while becoming comfortable working with children with autism,” explains project leader and CARD director Dr. Theresa Daly. “Thanks to the funding from Autism Speaks, it will be possible to package the program for use in other areas, which will increase its impact on educating children with autism.”

Autism Speaks generates funds to support its research grants and educational programs through local events such as the annual Orlando Walk Now for Autism. This year, the event will be held on Saturday, November 15 at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex. For more information about participating in corporate/individual fund-raising activities or attending the free, family-oriented and sports-themed event, please visit www.walknowforautism.org/orlando.

About Autism
Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About Autism Speaks
Autism Speaks is dedicated to increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders, to funding research into the causes, prevention and treatments for autism, and to advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. It was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. Bob Wright is Senior Advisor at Lee Equity Partners and served as vice chairman, General Electric, and chief executive officer of NBC and NBC Universal for more than twenty years. Autism Speaks merged with the Autism Coalition for Research and Education (ACRE), the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR) and Cure Autism Now (CAN), bringing together the nation's leading autism advocacy organizations. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.