PSA: As we come into the new school year, don’t be afraid to ask for IEP right away!

As a national organization, Autism Speaks can provide the structure and framework for new organizations coming into the community. Since one organization can’t be all things to all people, many organizations in Orange County work together, and one of today’s guests is passionate about spreading resources to the community. On today’s show, Amanda and Vickie chat with Tracey and Jackie from Autism Speaks. 

Tracey McDonald is the Executive Director for the Southern California chapter of Autism Speaks and shares her own personal journey with her son who lives with autism, her fierce determination as a parent, the resources that are available, and what’s on the horizon for Autism Speaks.

 

 

 

 

Show Highlights:

 

• Toolkits are available for parents, grandparents, and others through Autism Speaks. These toolkits answer many common questions, and teach you how to talk about autism and how to educate your teachers, dentists, and coaches, for example.
• Autism Speaks started out being about awareness, because there wasn’t that much information about it yet. The organization has also helped remove the stigma surrounding autism.
• Tracey shares her concerns for her son, who is 22.
• Autism is a huge spectrum, and there’s a multitude of needs. 
• The earlier the intervention, the better your trajectory.
• Tracie explains why the word “cure” has been taken out of the Autism Speaks mission.
• The 100 Day Kit is free of charge. You can think of it as the “100 Day Safety-Net”. It helps you set a game-plan over the next 100 days. 
• Autism Speaks has only been around for 15 years, but the impact it has made has been that of a much older organization.
• The ways in which autism can be very isolating. 
• Autism Speaks “Walk Day” - for a lot of people that’s the one day they get to celebrate their kids.
• Amanda talks about “Administrative Law”.
• Fundraising explained: the NIH provides a certain percentage of funding, and as the percentage of people with autism goes up, you have to advocate for even more funding based on the research and studies available.
• Insurance reform: insurance companies are paying for a lot more than they’ve ever paid for, and this came from advocacy.
• There’s still a lot of work to be done, but it’s incredibly meaningful. 
• Most people that aren’t affected by autism don’t even understand the struggles that families go through, so change won’t happen until we talk about it more.
• Autism Speaks is having a roundtable discussion for businesses and a public event on what autism looks like in the workplace.
• The Walk is happening December 8, 2019, at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Service Champions Heating and Cooling, and Pieology are the presenting sponsors.

 

 

Links/Resources:

 

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