ASA and ARI Announce Partnership To Address Epidemic

[Guest guest]

Dear Friend of ASO:

Exciting announcement from the Autism Society of America and the Autism Research Institute. FYI - please share.

Sincerely,

Barbara C. YavorcikPresidentAutism Society of Ohio701 S. Main St.Akron, OH 44311(330) 376-0211fax: (330) 376-1226email: askASO@...home: byavorcik@...web: www.autismohio.org------------------

October 31, 2006Autism Society of America and Autism Research Institute AnnouncePartnership To Address EpidemicTwo organizations founded by Dr. Bernard Rimland join together topromote cutting-edge research and service delivery in the autismcommunity.The Autism Society of America (ASA) and the Autism Research Institute(ARI) today announced a strategic partnership to collaborate onconferences, publications and services that will improve the lives ofall those affected by autism in the United States. By joining forces,ASA and ARI aim to continue the important stewardship of theirfounder, Dr. Bernard Rimland. A pioneer in the area of autismdiagnosis and treatment, Dr. Rimland transformed the prevailingpessimistic view of autism in the medical and scientific community andbuilt the largest parent support organization in the United States."Bernie Rimland was among the first to realize the importance ofcombining a focus on medical interventions with treatments, supportsand services," stated Dr. Pratt, ASA Board Chairperson."There is not one parent or professional who has not beenimpacted by the knowledge, dreams and thinking of Bernie Rimland. TheASA/ARI partnership is our way of ensuring that Bernie's visionwill continue to guide the autism community for the long-term."A major purpose of the ASA/ARI partnership is to promote awarenessthat autism must be treated as a whole body condition. Projects in2007 will include biomarker conferences, distribution of scientificjournals and collaborative efforts to serve over 100,000 members andsupporters of these two organizations."I founded ASA in 1965 as a parent advocacy organization to workon behalf of autistic children and their families at local, state, andnational levels," said Dr. Rimland. "I founded the AutismResearch Institute in 1967 to conduct and sponsor scientific researchon the cause and treatment of autism. ARI, through its Defeat AutismNow! (DAN!) project, has made enormous progress in the past few years-- hundreds of the DAN! doctors and thousands of parents world-widehave reported bringing dramatic improvement, and sometimes recovery,of formerly autistic children. It is clearly time for ASA and ARI tocapitalize on the progress that has been made. My colleague, Dr. SteveEdelson, with whom I have worked for 25 years, will play a major rolein these efforts." Lee Grossman, President and CEO of ASA, andEdelson, Associate Director of ARI, will oversee this strategicpartnership.ASA is the largest parent-based, autism organization in the U.S., withover 100,000 members and supporters and 200 local chapters. ARI, withover 70,000 supporters nationwide, has pioneered the study of medicalproblems of individuals with autism and effective treatments.ASA is dedicated to increasing public awareness about autism and theday-to-day issues faced by individuals with autism, their families andthe professionals with whom they interact. For more information onautism or ASA, visit http://www.autism-society.org/ or call1.800.3AUTISM. For more information about the Autism ResearchInstitute, visit http://www.autismresearchinstitute.com/.