A New Distinct Website For Families Living With Autism

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 5, 2005

CONTACT:Wanda Brown
ASD Concepts, LLC
info@autismconcepts.com
www.autismconcepts.com

A NEW DISTINCT WEBSITE FOR FAMILIES LIVING WITH AUTISM

Middletown, NY (BlackNews.com) - With 1 in 166 children diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder, and 1 in 6 children diagnosed with a developmental disorder and/or behavioral problem, many families may not know what to do or where to go for help. A new website AutismConcepts.com created by an African American family raising an adolescent child with autism, shares credible and relevant information with other families.

The Internet is an easy and convenient way for parents to meet, share their experiences and other information. In addition to the usual facts found on autism-related websites, AutismConcepts.com also shares information, research and resources related to African Americans, directly linking to the source.

Research has revealed disparities in early detection of autism, treatment and special education:

-- African American children with autism are diagnosed nearly two years after children of all other ethnic groups. Black autistic children received more misdiagnoses than Whites. Early diagnosis and intervention leads to a better way of life for children with autism. Excerpts from Race Differences in the Age at Diagnosis Among Medicaid-Eligible Children with Autism, David S. Mandell, Sc.D., John Listerud, M.D., Ph.D.

-- Minority children with disabilities all too often experience inadequate services, low-quality curriculum and instruction, and unnecessary isolation from their nondisabled peers. Moreover, inappropriate practices in both general and special education classrooms have resulted in overrepresentation, misclassification, and hardship for minority students, particularly black children.

-- African American and Latino students are about twice as likely as white students to be educated in a restrictive, and separate educational setting.

-- Among high school students with disabilities, about 75% of African Americans are not employed two years out of school. Three to five years out of school, the arrest rate for African Americans with disabilities is 40%. Minority disabled students also have much higher rates of school disciplinary action and placement in correctional facilities. Excerpts from Racial Inequity in Special Education, 2002, Daniel J. Losen & Gary Orfield, Editors, Cambridge, MA: Harvard Education Press.

"Serious changes for reform must be made so that all people with autism can live up to their fullest potential. Autism is not hopeless and parents are not helpless. We can learn about important issues and how to advocate for our loved ones to make immediate changes for a better outcome," says mother, Wanda Brown.

AutismConcepts.com is a large collection of basic information of vital interest to families to help empower, support, network and inform.

For additional information on the news that is the subject of this release, contact Wanda Brown at 845-978-3182 or visit www.autismconcepts.com

About ASD Concepts, LLCASD Concepts, LLC is a new business formed by a sibling of an individual diagnosed with autism, after identifying a need in minority communities for parent and sibling support, networking, information and practical strategies to help manage day-to-day living with autism, by way of AutismConcepts.com, a non-commercial website.
-END-