Autism Care And Treatment To Host Historic Event Benefiting Military Children With Autism

The ACT Today for Military Families (ATMF) 5k/10k Run and Festival will be held in San Diego, California on April 2, 2011. End Quote

San Diego, CA (1888PressRelease) January 06, 2011 - Autism Care and Treatment Today (ACT Today!), a national nonprofit organization whose mission is provide awareness and access to effective treatment for children with autism, announces it will host the ACT Today! for Military Families 5k/10k Run and Festival, benefiting military children with autism on Saturday, April 2, 2011. The event will be held on Fiesta Island, in San Diego, California from 7am to 2pm. The community-wide event will feature a wheelchair race and runners and walkers of all levels, including those from the armed forces, celebrities, and local dignitaries.

According to Department of Defense data, it is estimated that 1 in 88 military children have autism. "Military families shoulder tremendous responsibilities today," says ACT Today's! Executive Director Nancy Alspaugh-Jackson. "Add the challenges of autism, and the difficulties of accessing and paying for effective treatments, and families are understandably pushed to the brink. ACT Today! for Military Families is committed to help. Our April 2nd 5k/10k event will not only raise autism awareness, but fund treatment for the children of the men and women who fight to maintain our freedom."

Autism is a complex brain disorder. In the treatment of autism, early intervention and intensive behavioral therapy, including Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), are imperative to success. The continuum of care afforded to military children diagnosed with autism is disjointed and compromised due to frequent geographic moves and lack of effective services available publicly and through existing healthcare programs. ACT Today! for Military Families works to bridge that gap.

"Treatment works. And with treatment, children with autism can make significant gains. Some may even lose their diagnosis of autism. ACT Today! for Military Families is a positive way America can help make a real difference in the life of a military child," says Karen Driscoll, Marine wife, mother of a son with autism, and ACT Today! for Military Families National Campaign Director.

Corporate sponsors of the event (as of December 20, 2010) include: Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), TriWest Healthcare Alliance, and Allied American University. Sponsorship opportunities are still available by contacting Laura Marroquin at Laura ( @ ) act-today dot org dot

Team and individual registration for the run/walk/wheelchair event is now open. Registration fees start at $10.

A free family festival with resource and wellness booths, food, live concerts, celebrity appearances, and more will round out the day's festivities. Submissions for entertainment and VIP/celebrity participation should contact Daphne Plump at Daphne ( @ ) act-today dot org

For more information about the ACT Today for Military Families 5k/10k Run and Festival, visit: www.acttodayformilitaryfamilies.org or www.act-today.org.

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