Autism

According to the latest available data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate at which kids in the U.S. are being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder has risen to one in 36 children. That’s up from 1 in 44 in 2018, and 1 in 101 in 2015. The increasing rate has driven a growing demand for education, therapy and other services for neurodivergent kids and their families — and for their entire support networks.

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with Ronald McDonald House Charities of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to five years of age.

According to the latest available data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the rate at which kids in the U.S. are being diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder has risen to one in 36 children. That’s up from 1 in 44 in 2018, and 1 in 101 in 2015. The increasing rate has driven a growing demand for education, therapy and other services for neurodivergent kids and their families — and for their entire support networks.

Dr. Temple Grandin grew up with autism in the 1950s when the disorder was not well-understood. She did not talk until she was three and a half years old and back then many children with speech delays were institutionalized. Dr. Grandin is now a professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, and her insights on animal behavior have revolutionized the livestock industry. Over her career she has written scores of scientific papers, and numerous books. She was even the focus of a semi-biographical HBO film called Temple Grandin. She joins us in advance of her talk on Saturday at the Christ Community Church in Fort Myers as part of the nonprofit Family Initiative’s ‘Redefining Autism’ speaker series.

A conversation with Southwest Florida Music Education Center Executive Director Jennifer Clark and the organization’s mission to provide comprehensive post-secondary music certificate programs for neurodivergent students, with a goal of preparing students for careers in the music industry.

One in every 44 children in the U.S. is diagnosed with some form of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). And while screening techniques have improved, diagnosis and cause are still far from straightforward.

As April marks Autism Acceptance Month, we talk with the founders of the Southwest Florida-based nonprofit Family Initiative about the broad scope of services they provide to empower ASD kids and their families.

We listen back to our 2012 conversation with autism advocate, speaker and author Temple Grandin. She’ll be the keynote speaker at the Promising Pathways: The Road to Best Practice in Autism Spectrum Disorder Conference at FGCU on Saturday, April 9.

Players Circle Theater is currently performing a production of “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time,” based on the best-selling novel of the same. We delve into the show with the director and Players Circle Theater co-founder Bob Cacioppo and the lead actor of this production Harvey Evans. We also explore neurodiversity and highlight resources available for families here in Southwest Florida with co-founder and Vice President of the nonprofit Family Initiative, Anjali Van Drie.

A Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time opens at Players Circle Theatre on February 16. Smart and sophisticated, it’s the coming-of-age saga of a 15-year-old British lad who struggles with Asperger’s Syndrome.