The following announcement was sent out by the Autism Research Institute.

Help Mark Rimland’s School Win Oprah’s Big Give

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For more than 41 years, St. Madeleine Sophie’s Center (SMSC) - a non-profit non-denominational organization in the San Diego area - has helped people with developmental disabilities, their families and communities, discover, explore, and nurture potential - giving thousands a chance to live life to the fullest.
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I received this email today and am passing it on to the readers of Autism News Direct.

This email contains a link to a national survey about autism in Army families. You are invited to participate in this survey and to distribute this email and information about the survey to members of your group and other individuals or organizations you think might be interested in participating.

The survey is for Soldiers and spouses associated with the Army National Guard, Army Reserve, or Active Duty Army who have a family member on the autism spectrum. There may be military members within your organization that you may not know about. Please consider distributing information about this survey to your entire constituency.

The survey contains 25 questions and takes approximately 10-15 minutes to complete. Individual responses will remain anonymous and will be combined with the responses of other families in considering what supports would be useful to Army families with a family member on the autism spectrum.

Both the Soldier and spouse, if applicable, can complete separate surveys. If a family has more than one member on the autism spectrum, a separate survey can be completed for each family member.

The survey has been reviewed by both civilian and military parents of children along the entire autism spectrum; military parents were affiliated with both the Active and Reserve Components.

Click here to take the Autism and Army Families survey.

–
Barbara Hall
Community Development Director
Citizen Soldier Support Program
Odum Institute for Research in Social Science
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
200 N. Greensboro St., Ste. D3
Carrboro, NC 27510
919.306.9336

If you know of a person or a support group that may find this information beneficial, please send them the following link:  Autism in Army Families Survey.

The following email was sent out by the Autism Society of America to help raise autism awareness.

The Autism Society of America is raising autism awareness around the nation during April for National Autism Awareness Month. What follows is our advocacy update prepared for our good friends like you, along with some suggestions on how you can help! Also, be sure to check out advocacy events this April.

Let Congress know you want more autism funding

The Autism Society of America hosted its Day on the Hill, with advocates from across the country storming Capitol Hill to support ASA’s legislative priorities.

The program included a rousing speech from the Chair of the Coalition for Autism Research and Education (Autism Caucus), Chris Smith (R-NJ), and legislative updates from Congressional staff, allies in the disability community and other supporters. Participants also received training on effective advocacy strategies, working with the media, and lobbying at the state and local levels. Armed with these tools, participants then took to Capitol Hill to build support for ASA’s legislative priorities.

Even if you weren’t able to travel to Washington for our Day on the Hill, you can still support ASA’s advocacy efforts by asking your legislators to cosponsor legislation to improve services for individuals with autism here at home, and around the world!

Support legislation to improve the lives of ALL individuals affected by autism.

Thank you for supporting our efforts to increase autism awareness, and promote early autism diagnosis and therapeutic research.

Sincerely,
Lee Grossman
President and CEO
ASA Member since 1991
Parent of a son with autism

April 2, 2008 has been declared World Autism Awareness Day by the United Nations.  In honor of World Autism Awareness Day, CNN has scheduled several autism specials to be aired on 4/2.  You will need to check your local listings for channel and time information.

9:00 am Eastern - “We Have Autism”

6:00 pm Eastern - Larry King Live will focus on the autism/vaccine debate

9:00 pm Eastern - Anderson Cooper 360 will focus on Life as an Adult with Autism

In addition to the above shows, CNN.com also has a special site dedicated to autism spectrum disorders.