Autism
Spectrum Disorders
Resources for Families
Here you will find links to resources about care, services, and support and websites about autism spectrum disorders.
- Autism
Cares.
Support for families
affected by autism during natural
disasters and other catastrophic
life events. Monetary
awards cover critical life expenses
(housing, car repair,
prescriptions, child care, funerals, and other essential
items) on a case-by-case basis.
- AutismLink:
Services.
Search by name, location, and support type
(for example, dentists, nutrition counselors,
summer camps) to find autism-related
services.
- Autism
Society of America (ASA): Autism
Source™. Search by city, state, language spoken, and service
type (for example, assistive technology, camps, respite services) to find autism-related
services and supports.
- Autism
Speaks: Family Services. Services ranging from early intervention to adult care for individuals with autism and their families. Call (888) 288-4762 (888-AUTISM2)
or e-mail familyservices@autismspeaks.org
to communicate with an autism
response team coordinator
about information and resources.
- Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support Center (OASIS @ MAAP): Find
Local Help and Services.
Click on a state to find contact information
for professional and parent support groups. Also
lists national and international
organizations and private schools
in the United States.
- Parent Technical Assistance Center Network: Find a Parent Center in Your State. Contact information for centers that offer training and information to parents of kids, teens, and young adults with disabilities (emotional, learning, mental, and physical) to help parents participate more effectively with professionals in meeting their kids' educational needs. Separate centers serve military families and Native American families.
- Parent
to Parent USA (P2P USA). Contact information for statewide
parent-to-parent programs.
The programs provide emotional
support and information to families
of kids and teens with special health
care needs, most notably by matching
parents seeking support with
a trained and experienced veteran
parent who has shared the experience
of disability in the family.
Also
offers technical assistance and
resources to parents interested
in building, improving, and evaluating
a parent-to-parent program.
- TalkAutism:
resourceFind. Search by topic and location
to find professionals, services, products, and information
related to autism.
- Also see the Community
Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding
Community Services for Children and Families.
- In addition, Exceptional
Parent Magazine offers an annual
resource guide containing directories
of organizations, associations, products,
and services for families who have children with disabilities, including
autism.
To receive a free copy, call (800)
372-7368.
- Autism
Research Institute (ARI).
Information about autism
and its diagnosis,
possible triggers, and treatment.
Presents collections of articles
for families
living with autism and articles
for and by individuals with autism
and Asperger syndrome. Topics
include educational therapies,
sensory
integration, siblings,
insurance, medical care, advocacy,
and teens and adults
with autism.
Some articles are available in
Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, German,
Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese,
Korean, Portuguese, Russian,
and Turkish.
- Autism
Society of America (ASA).
Information about autism spectrum disorders
and its diagnosis, treatment
and education approaches, and
impact on family life. Includes
information about environmental
health and autism,
an online
directory of local resources,
Spanish-language resources,
and contact information for
local
ASA chapters. ASA's Safe
and Sound Campaign offers general
safety, emergency preparedness and
prevention, and risk-management
information and materials for
families who have kids with
autism spectrum disorders.
- Autism
Speaks.
Information about autism,
Asperger syndrome,
and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Offers a database
of family services, a resource
library, a toolkit to use with schools, online
video clips, an electronic
newsletter, and online social networks.
Also includes a toolkit for
families with resources
needed soon after a child is diagnosed
with
autism
and a collection
of resources about
global research into the causes,
treatment, and eventual cure for
autism.
- Family
Voices (FV).
Tools
for advocating for kids and teens with special
health care needs. FV administers Family
to Family Health Information
Centers (F2F HICs) that help
families find the resources to
provide and finance health care for
their kids.
- Global
and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership
(GRASP).
Articles,
program information, and online
discussion groups in English and Spanish
about autism spectrum disorders.
GRASP
is an educational
and advocacy organization serving individuals
on the autism spectrum.
- Gray
Center for Social Learning and
Understanding. Information about Social
Stories™,
which describe situations, skills,
or concepts in terms of relevant
social cues, perspectives, and
common responses. Offers sample Social Stories™, suggestions
for writing them, and ordering information for
books and DVDs about the concept.
- Interactive
Autism Network (IAN) Community. Information for parents of a child newly diagnosed with
autism, Asperger syndrome, or PDD-NOS. Offers many
articles about the challenges that people with
autism spectrum disorders face, treatments and therapies,
and participating in and understanding
research. Also offers online
discussion forums and lists research
conferences.
- National
Institutes of Health (NIH): Autism.
NIH institutes with information
about autism spectrum disorders include
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): Autism Spectrum Disorders. Publications about autism spectrum disorders symptoms, causes, and treatment; vaccines; the role of genetics; and programs funded by NICHD. Many of these materials are available in English and Spanish.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Autism Spectrum Disorders.
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Fact sheets in English and Spanish about autism and Asperger syndrome.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): Autism and Communication.
- Online
Asperger Syndrome Information and
Support Center (OASIS @ MAAP).
Articles and links to resources
about high-functioning people with autism, Asperger
syndrome, or PDD-NOS.
- Organization
for Autism Research (OAR): Family
and Friends. Information
about autism spectrum disorders and its characteristics,
diagnosis, intervention, research,
and family
support. Offers a series of resource
guides in English and Spanish.
- Out-of-Sync
Child. Information about and resource lists
to support
families with kids who have sensory
integration challenges.
- Yale
Developmental Disabilities Clinic:
Autism/PPD.
Information about research
studies, conferences, and publications
about autism spectrum disorders. Includes answers to
questions that parents frequently
ask and contact information for
clinics, support groups, professionals,
summer camps, and computer-based
learning.
Learn more about autism spectrum disorders and screening, early intervention and education, concerns about vaccines, environmental health research, inappropriate use of seclusion and restraints.
Need more information? Use the collection of resources that library staff have put together for you and your family.
Autism Spectrum Disorders: Family Resource Brief. (August 2010). (Updated: February 2012).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewers: Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.
