Undoubtedly Nancy Marks means well by establishing a new 30 million foundation at Mass General Hospital to reduce autism. However, sometimes it is not money that is needed. Nor another Chair established at Harvard.
What is needed? Put on the Internet simple ways for ALL first time parents how to socialize infants and young children. And put those tools in the hands of pediatricians who can follow up with contacts with appropriate professionals. Think of it like strengthening muscles. See the following article and my comments:
“A recent donation from a foundation will help establish an autism center at Mass General Hospital.
The $29 million donation is been given by Nancy Lurie Marks and her foundation, and will help establish the Lurie Family Autism Center at the hospital. The center will base itself on the hospital’s LADDERS program, which helps deal with autism in young people.
Lurie Marks said that it has been a “lifelong dream” to help establish a center that can treat people with autism with compassion and dignity.
“I believe it is so important to address their many lifelong needs, from the medical care of the child or adult, to learning to find an effective way to communicate, to planning lifetime living and learning opportunities, to advocating for families,” Marks said.
Founded by Dr Margaret Bauman in 1981, the LADDERS program covers a variety of disciplines, including neurology, developmental pediatrics and gastroenterology. Many of the children helped by the program are grown up now, which is where the Lurie Family Autism Center will come into play.
The center will provide for a number of areas, including occupational and physical therapy. Furthermore, it will help create a two-year fellowship program for physicians and researchers who deal with autism. The fellowship will give young physicians the chance to work more closely with patients who have autism.
The hunt is on for a director for the new center, who will hold an endowed chair at the Harvard Medical School. The director will be responsible with guiding the center toward providing new treatments for people with autism.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average ratio of children with autistic disorders is one of every 150. That ration can be as much as one in every 100, to one in every 300 children.
Licensed psychologist Dr. Cameron Jackson says:
Why not spend very little money and ask licensed professionals for their views re “new treatments for autism�
I have spent 8 years assessing children of all ages for autism. I am a psychologist not a medical doctor.
My view: teach ALL first time parents how to socialize infants, how to get early and regular eye contact, how to create “joint attention†(focus on breast or bottle or toy) how to teach eye gaze that follows a point, how to teach imitating.Etc.
Teach the skills that when not present get labeled under “autistic spectrum disorders†This is better done by psychologists — not by medical MD type people.
If we teach for ALL children we will also pick up those who are late in developing skills that eventually get labeled “autisticâ€.
This does not take 30 million and a chair at Harvard. It does take collaboration by professionals trained in speech, occupational therapy, sensory issues, psychology and medicine.
Too bad to spend so much on so little.
Dr. Jackson cameronjacks@gmail.com
Licensed Psychologist PSY14762
Monterey Bay Forum www.freedomOK.net/wordpress
i’d like to see a space on your website that can act as a resource for parents about Autism. Why not use this space to give real examples of things parents/daycare/babysitters should be doing to encourage normal social interaction