Advocates for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have  taken the fight to the street—Sesame Street—at a special briefing Tuesday hosted by the bipartisan Coalition for Autism Research and Education (C.A.R.E), said Congressman Chris Smith (NJ-04).

 

“Best Practices for Early Intervention for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder,” is the title of the congressional briefing. Early intervention and Sesame Street’s new Muppet, Julia, who has autism, will be the highlights of the event, which will also examine the science behind early intervention, barriers to early screening and detection, the core components of intervention for infants and toddlers, different types of intervention, and best practices. It will further examine the available resources that help address daily challenges faced by children with ASD and their families. 

For more information about Julia click on graphic at left or visit: http://autism.sesamestreet.org/

 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 1 in 68 children have been identified with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), a dramatic 30 percent increase since 2012. The CDC has also reported that intervention has the greatest impact on autism if it begins before three years of age, yet 80 percent of children who could benefit from early intervention are missed.

 

Who:         Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ), Mike Doyle (D-PA) co-chairs of the House’s bipartisan Coalition on Autism Research and Education (CARE); other members of the caucus, and; speakers:

 

• Dr. Jeanette Betancourt Ed.D.,  Senior Vice President for U.S. Social Impact at the Sesame Workshop
• Jennifer Stapel-Wax, Psy.D., Associate Professor, Division of Autism and Related Disorders Department of Pediatrics, Emory University School of Medicine

  Dr. Betancourt’s responsibilities include the strategic branding and delivery of domestic and international outreach initiatives to assure the greatest impact and visibility. She has directed Sesame Workshop Outreach projects in the areas of bilingual education, literacy, music, health and safety, resiliency, and child care.

 

    Dr. Stapel-Wax is the Director of Infant and Toddler Clinical Research Operations Marcus Autism Center, Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta. Stapel-Wax has more than two decades of experience in clinical work and graduate level teaching at Emory University, the Georgia School of Professional Psychology and at the Marcus Autism Center. Her clinical and research interests are in the areas of development and assessment of young children, neurodevelopmental disorders, and teaching, training and supervision.

 

What:             Special congressional briefing with Congressmen Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Mike Doyle (D-PA)

 

When:             Tuesday, Oct. 27 @ 3-4 p.m.

                                        

Where:            Room 122 of the Cannon House Office Building

 

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