Seeing the benefits of early intervention firsthand
by Paula
Easter Seals Southern California was mentioned in a San Bernardino Sun article about autism earlier this month. The number of children with autism enrolled in special education classes in California has tripled in the past eight years, and a reporter contacted Easter Seals Upland Child Development Center Site Director Elizabeth Conrad and me for some insight. From the story:
One of the causes for the dramatic increases in less than a decade can be explained by better education about the disorder.
“We are doing a better job of identifying kids with autism by the time they reach kindergarten,” said Paula Pompa-Craven, a regional vice president of Easter Seals Southern California, an organization that provides services and education to people living with autism and other disabilities. “They are entering kindergarten with a diagnosis instead of being targeted later. And that is good, because early intervention is a key to treatment for children with autism.”
I am so glad that reporter contacted me. Any chance that I have to get the word out about the importance of early identification and treatment of children at risk for autism and other disabilities is so worthwhile. Through the services we offer, we have seen first hand the impact that early detection and treatment has on young children.