Autism Awareness

Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida offers a free, monthly autism spectrum disorder screening. Medical consultants say that an early autism diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families.

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.

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.

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.

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.

The inaugural season of Players Circle Theatre continues with the company’s upcoming production of the “The Curious Incident of the Dog in the…