ABOUT AUTISM TODAY
The site’s concept and direction germinated through Karen’s extremely frustrating process associated with finding the best quality treatments and resources for her son with special needs. That’s exactly why Karen launched Autism Today in1998, so she could help people find the much-needed resources and support they so desperately need. She sifted through an overwhelming amount of material and compiled it to create an online newspaper of sorts.This way others could learn and make up their own treatment decisions whether they were treatment methodologies or medical information. They now had a choice.
“I know how important early intervention and proper support are to the long-term lives of my children, “says Karen.“I needed to find ways to tend to the needs of all my children without completing depleting our family’s physical, emotional, and financial resources.”Doing nothing was not an option, yet there were times when I was paralyzed by indecision.I needed to choose a course of action now, but I was exhausting myself trying to locate and evaluate pertinent information. While I was going through this maze, I realized I was also doing so on the behalf of all the other parents and children with affected by autism and related disorders.”
Autism Today is now the world’s largest information and resource center all in one place for anyone affected by autism spectrum disorders. The site features top experts like Dr. Temple Grandin, Dr. Tony Attwood, Dr. Jed Baker, Dr. Stephen Shore, Dr. Andrew Wakefield, the list goes on.It also provides much needed support to millions of parents, caregivers, para-professionals, therapists, educators, community members and those on the autism spectrum through books, CD’s, online education, audio seminars, tele-seminars, webinars, on site conferences and workshops and an interactive membership based community for blogs, podcasts and forums.The theories and practices that help the autism spectrum are being used in many other special needs areas such as Down syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Non Verbal Learning Disorder, Tourette Syndrome and Fetal Alcohol Syndrome.
Autism Today, a free-membership site, offers the following:
- Up-to-date medical information about autism
- A library of articles containing thousands of pages on autism
- Poems, art, and stories by —and for —members of the autism community
- A listing of conferences and events for the autism community
- The latest information on treatments and alternative therapies
- A database to locate physicians, psychologists, speech therapists, occupational and behavior therapists, schools, camps, programs, employment organizations, and recreation facilities that service the autistic community
- Weekly newsletter with a summary of the latest news articles on autism
About the CEO & Founder of Autism Today, Karen Simmons
- Autism & Special Needs Expert and Speaker
- Passion for Helping Children, Families, Parents, Educators, Teachers, and Doctors Worldwide
- Mother of 6 Children (1 Autistic / 1 Special Needs)
- Organizer of Over 50+ Children’s Conferences
- Author of 7 Books
- Chicken Soup for the Soul – Children with Special Needs
- Little Rainman – Autism Through the Eyes of a Child
- Artism – Art by Those with Autism
- The Official Autism 101 Manual
- Surrounded By Miracles
- The Autism Experience – Stories of Hope and Love
- Autism Tomorrow – Complete Guide to Helping Your Child Thrive in the Real World
