ROBERTS TOURS NEW JERSEY AUTISM TREATMENT FACILITY AS PART OF EFFORT TO INCREASE AUTISM AWARENESS

ROBERTS TOURS NEW JERSEY AUTISM TREATMENT FACILITY
AS PART OF EFFORT TO INCREASE AUTISM AWARENESS
Speaker Tours New Jersey Children’s Specialized Hospital,
State’s Largest Autism Treatment Facility

(TOMS RIVER) – Assembly Speaker Joseph J. Roberts, Jr., today toured the Toms River branch of the New Jersey Children’s Specialized Hospital – the state’s largest collection of autism treatment facilities – as part of his ongoing efforts to increase awareness of this troubling developmental disorder.

Roberts’ planned his visit to coincide with World Autism Day and the beginning of National Autism Awareness Month.

“When an individual is diagnosed with autism, it presents significant challenges for the individual and his or her family,” said Roberts (D-Camden).  “Fortunately, New Jersey’s superb diagnosis and treatment facilities help to reduce those challenges.  The efforts of these dedicated men and women provide individuals with autism the care they need to live richer, fuller lives.”

With New Jersey’s rate of autism diagnosis of one in 94 children significantly higher than the national average of one in 150 children, Roberts has championed two legislative packages seeking to raise awareness of autism as well as strengthen the state’s response to the prevalence of autism spectrum disorders.

“It’s wonderful that Speaker Roberts continues to be a friend to Children’s Specialized Hospital and to children with autism,” said Amy B. Mansue, president and CEO of Children’s Specialized Hospital.  “We stand ready to assist him in improving the lives of kids with autism and all children with special needs.”

“We are the largest provider of autism services in the state,” said Jill Harris, Ph.D, director Autism Center of Excellence, Children’s Specialized Hospital.  “We are extremely fortunate to have an outstanding leadership team, which includes Dr. Yvette Janvier, who was recently appointed to the federal Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee under the National Institute of Mental Health.”

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by extreme behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders affect four times as many boys as girls and have no known cause or cure. The diagnosis of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called autism a national public health crisis.

Children’s Specialized Hospital, www.childrens-specialized.org, through the Autism Center of Excellence and other programs, works with children from birth through 21 years of age who have an autism spectrum disorder, including autism, Asperger's Syndrome, Pervasive Developmental Disorder, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder, and Rett's Syndrome. In 2007, the Center treated 16,000 children with an autism spectral disorder.

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