North Carolina will soon expand START crisis services to children and youth with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities (IDD) and autism. Many of these children with complex mental health or behavioral needs have not been served by current crisis services due to a lack of space, and are held in emergency rooms or transferred to…
Speak Out on NC Budget Proposals
This article was contributed by Jennifer Mahan, Director of Advocacy and Public Policy at ASNC. On June 1, the NC Senate released its version of the budget adjustments bill for this year. Despite advocacy directed at the Senate to improve on what the NC House budget offered, the Senate includes no funding for federally required…
Have a Happy Mother’s Day – Really!
This article was contributed by Judy Clute, an ASNC Autism Resource Specialist in Raleigh and mom to a son with autism. In the month of May, our thoughts turn to Mother’s Day and how we will celebrate Mom and all that she does all year. On this one day, moms are often given gifts…
New Online Resource Directory! Tips for Use
ASNC’s Resource Directory is a new web-based listing of the most often requested or recommended resources from Autism Resource Specialists that ASNC employs throughout the state. We are pleased to be able to make the Resource Directory available to the public in the hope that we can reach more people with information as well as…
What Would Acceptance Mean to You?
More than anything, the Autism Society of North Carolina’s IGNITE program is a community where young adults on the autism spectrum find the acceptance and friendship they want and deserve. For the first time, they are going out with friends, driving, and dating. They are embarking on new educational journeys and landing jobs. The…
AmeriCarna LIVE Volunteer Uses Passion to Give Back
The Autism Society of North Carolina relies on volunteers to help carry out our mission. In honor of Volunteer Week, we share a story about one valued volunteer. When Larry Grossflam moved to North Carolina from New York in the fall of 2014, he began looking for volunteer opportunities. Through his employer, United Health Group,…
Governor Proposes New Funding to Assist Autism Community
Today Governor Pat McCrory announced new initiatives that will be included in his proposed 2016 budget to be presented to the legislature before this year’s short session. The Autism Society of North Carolina (ASNC) and other partners have worked with the governor’s office and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) to include these…
Strategies for Solving School Challenges
This article was contributed by Katie Holler, an ASNC Autism Resource Specialist in the Eastern Region and mom to five daughters, four of whom have autism. Any parent can attest to facing difficulty at one time or another with their student’s IEP (Individualized Education Program). Perhaps you have disagreed with the other members of the…
Taking a Look at the CDC Numbers
Yesterday, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released an update to its ongoing surveillance study of autism prevalence. The study involves eleven states and began in 2000. Much of the prevalence data that we read about (1 in 68 8-year-old schoolchildren nationally, or up to 1 of every 58 8-year-old schoolchildren in North…