Autism Family Resource Center opens at Easter Seals Crossroads in Indianapolis

By Shari Rudavsky

New resource center focuses on autism

David and Ann MacLaren could have used a place like the Autism Family Resource Center, unveiled Friday by Easter Seals Crossroads.But resources were few and far between when their twin boys were diagnosed with autism 12 years ago. The MacLarens had to find their own way to help Matt and Mark, now high school freshmen, thrive.

On Friday, the four MacLarens -- and the two Labradors who serve as Matt and Mark's canine companions -- were on hand for the center's grand opening.The space at the Easter Seals building off Keystone Avenue will offer families affected by the condition a place to find support and information. According to a recent national Easter Seals survey, parents of autistic children could use the support. Many of those polled expressed a host of concerns, from how their children will fit into society to whether they can handle autism financially.


Experts attending the center's opening said the results did not surprise them."Autism is a whole family condition," said Cathy Pratt, director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at Indiana University. Over the past 30 years, Pratt has seen the incidence of autism soar from one in 500 children to one in 113.More than half the parents surveyed said they felt autism drained their families' resources and would affect retirement savings.Nearly 80 percent expressed concern about their child's independence as an adult vs. 32 percent of other parents.Autism also has an impact on a family's daily life. Nearly 45 percent of families with children with autism eat dinner at home five days a week, compared with 32 percent of parents with typical children, the study found."Part of that is heart- warming, but part of that is indicative of the social isolation of the families with autism," said Scott Fogo, director of autism services for Easter Seals Crossroads in Indianapolis.These factors helped persuade Easter Seals to open the center.

"The most important thing is parent-to-parent support," Fogo said. "It's overwhelming for families to figure out where to get good information."For now, the center will be open during business hours. Parents can visit at other times when support groups meet.Bonita Ewan and her husband, Brian Thorn -- whose 5-year-old son, Rainier has Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism -- have done a lot of their own research about the condition.On Friday, Rainier played with a stuffed polar bear that was bigger than him as his parents toured the new center."I want to get more involved here," Ewan said. "One of my goals is for my son to get involved with sports."

Source: http://www.indystar.com/article/2009.../1083/LIVING01

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