National Autism Center Publishes Autism Manuals for Educators

RANDOLPH, Mass., Jan. 11 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Educators across the
country, eager for reliable, research-based information about effective
interventions for the ever-increasing number of students with Autism Spectrum
Disorders (ASD) in their school districts, are turning to the National Autism
Center for guidance.

The Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting effective,
evidence-based treatment approaches for individuals with ASD, recently wrote
and published a comprehensive manual titled, Evidence-Based Practice and
Autism in the Schools. The 181-page manual includes important findings from
the Center's newly released National Standards Report, the most extensive
analysis of treatments for children and adolescents with ASD ever published.

Thanks to philanthropic support, the National Autism Center distributed the
first 3,000 copies for free to special educators in school districts
throughout the country. Since this initial distribution, the Center has been
inundated with requests for additional manuals. Visitors to the Center's
website from 50 states and more than 20 countries have downloaded thousands of
free copies of the manual, which is now also available for purchase.

The manual assists educators in the selection and implementation of the most
effective research-supported treatments for ASD. In addition to providing
important information about newly published research findings, it offers
guidance on how to integrate professional judgment, family values, and
preferences into treatment selection in order to build capacity and implement
interventions accurately.

"We have been overwhelmed with the response to this effort," said Susan M.
Wilczynski, Ph.D., BCBA, Executive Director of the National Autism Center. "We
created this manual specifically for educators as a means of promoting
evidence-based practice for ASD in schools because we know that
research-supported interventions are most likely to produce positive
outcomes."

The development and publication of the manuals were made possible through
support from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc., and the Niel
M. Wreidt 2003 Revocable Trust.

"The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation is proud to help fund the
National Autism Center's project and provide a resource tool that will enable
schools to more effectively serve the over 329,000 students nationwide with
ASD," said Dennis Boland, President, American Legion Child Welfare Foundation,
Inc.

To provide a wider audience of professionals and families with important
information about the scientific evidence that supports a broad range of
treatments for ASD, the National Autism Center is disseminating the manual,
the 53-page Findings and Conclusions report, and the full 160-page National
Standards Report via its website at www.nationalautismcenter.org.

About the National Autism Center

The National Autism Center is dedicated to serving children and adolescents
with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) by providing reliable information,
promoting best practices, and offering comprehensive resources for families,
practitioners, and communities.

An advocate for evidence-based treatment approaches, the National Autism
Center identifies effective programming and shares practical information with
families about how to respond to the challenges they face. The Center also
conducts applied research and develops training and service models for
practitioners. Finally, the Center works to shape public policy concerning ASD
and its treatment through the development and dissemination of national
standards of practice.

In 2009, the National Autism Center completed an unprecedented multi-year
project -- the National Standards Project -- to establish a set of standards
for effective, research-validated educational and behavioral interventions for
children on the spectrum.

For more information about the National Autism Center, please call
877.313.3833 or visit www.nationalautismcenter.org.

Susan Lauermann, APR, 781.437.1257
slauermann@nationalautismcenter.org

SOURCE National Autism Center

Susan Lauermann, APR, +1-781-437-1257, slauermann@nationalautismcenter.org