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By Joan Whitely In The Review-Journal
http://www.lvrj.com/lvrj_home/2002/Apr-28-Sun-2002/living/18601860.html
Southern Nevada families with an autistic child have a local
resource in Families for Effective Autism Treatment.
The group holds monthly support group meetings, operates
a lending library of parent-teacher materials and lobbies
public agencies for programs to serve this special population.
It also assists parents with newly diagnosed children.
The 6-year-old nonprofit organization recently moved into
its first official quarters at 408 S. Jones Blvd.
Autism, which also is called autism spectrum disorder, is
a neurological disability that usually surfaces by the time
a child turns 3. Autistic individuals have difficulty with
verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction and
imaginative activities, according to literature from the local
organization, which also goes by the shortened name, FEAT.
FEAT lobbied the Legislature in 2001 to establish two treatment
centers in Nevada, but the bill was shelved because of a state
budget crunch.
Early diagnosis, coupled with early intervention, can improve
the outcomes for people with autism. FEAT pushes for better
training of professionals, including pediatricians, to the
warning signs of autism. Sometimes it is incorrectly confused
with mental retardation or behavior disorders
"If you can't identify the kids early enough, then you
can't treat them early. And if you can't treat them early,
you can't get recovered kids," says Michelle Tombari,
a parent who is FEAT's director of communications.
Tombari and her husband, David Grant, grew alarmed when their
younger child, Alden, at 19 months, "wouldn't respond
to his name when we called his name. He had no eye contact.
He had repetitive behaviors, though I didn't know the name
for it then. He would spin. He would flap his hands."
They took Alden to a pediatric neurologist who made the diagnosis.
"We were `lucky' he was serious enough to get a diagnosis,"
Tombari recalls. "A lot of times they put you off and
say, `Let's wait till he's 3 and see what he's doing.' "
On the downside, Tombari says even the neurologist took a
dim view of Alden's chances for effective treatment: "He
said, `Bring him back when he's self-injurious and we'll put
him on medication.' "
But after five years of intensive home therapy, which has
been supervised by the University of California, Los Angeles,
Alden is able to attend public school, Tombari happily reports.
"He went from not talking at all. He had no words. Now
he's got spontaneous communication."
FEAT hopes to create a brochure to be included in packets
given by hospitals to new birth mothers. It also wants to
set up a postcard system for pediatricians to encourage clients
to return for an 18-month checkup if a parent observes any
early signs of autism.
The federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported
in a recent New Jersey study that the incidence rate of autism
may be as high as 1 child in every 149 children. Previously,
Congress reported the rate of children diagnosed with autism
has grown from 1 in 10,000 in 1989 to 1 in 500 in 1999.
"California is reporting a 273 percent increase in the
diagnosis of autism in the last 11 years. Maryland reported
a 513 percent rise between 1993 and 1998, and several dozen
other states have reported increases of 300 percent or more,"
according to FEAT's research summary.
Nevada has instituted no system to track autism in its residents,
FEAT notes. The group would like to be funded to serve as
the autism data clearinghouse for Nevada.
Ideally, once autism is diagnosed, a child should undergo
a so-called Applied Behavior Analysis program that is custom-designed
to overcome his or her developmental delays. FEAT's lending
library includes stimuli objects that can be incorporated
into an Applied Behavior Analysis program.
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