Bonnie is a single parent to two young teen boys on opposite ends of the autism spectrum that has many Autism Family Adventures and writes about Autism Spectrum Disorders.

When I first read the words “autistic-like behavior” in a speech assessment report back in 1998, I had to look up the word in the dictionary to obtain the meaning. My next stop was the Autism Society of America to request documents through their fax system. A lot has changed since that time in relation to autism, but not ASA.

Autism Society of America was founded in 1965 by Dr. Bernard Rimland, Dr. Ruth Sullivan and other parents of children with autism. ASA, the nation’s leading grassroots autism organization, exists to improve the lives of all affected by autism. Their national office is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland. ASA is a member and chapter organization who’s national Board of Directors is composed of democratically elected members and appointed members. They are one of the few organizations to have members with autism serving as active board directors.

Their website is available in Spanish as well. ASA hosts the most comprehensive national conference on autism, attended by 2000 people each year. Their safe and sound series includes a great article on safety in the home.

They also have an online referral database.

This past year, ASA teamed up with AMC Entertainment to bring families affected by autism and other disabilities a special opportunity to enjoy their favorite films in a safe and accepting environment on a monthly basis with the “Sensory Friendly Films” program. This is available in cities all across the country.

For those adults on the spectrum, there is a career center at the ASA website for job seekers and also for employers to post opportunities. I have been a member for many years and take part in the voting process. I enjoy the Autism Advocate magazine that is published four times a year.

Your gift will help support autism education, awareness, advocacy, research, and most importantly, enables ASA to assist families living with autism.

To donate $1 to the Autism Society of America to support the growing number of families who are living with autism, click here. Please use “One Dollar Give” in the dedication portion of the donation form. After you’ve donated, come back and vote in the poll so that we can count donations!

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(Yes, the poll offers you the choice between “Yes.” and “Yes.” because I didn’t think we really needed to count the “No” answers, and the poll required two choices! Hey, it’s not a perfect system, but it’ll work!)