Borough, Township Mayors Proclaim April as Autism Awareness Month

Candace Braun

As part of a statewide initiative and because of the local push to help students with special needs, Borough and Township Mayors Joe O'Neill and Phyllis Marchand have issued a proclamation declaring April 2004 Autism Awareness Month in Princeton.

The initiative was started by the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community, a non-profit New Jersey-based autism organization, which is seeking to raise awareness of the disorder to the public.

As part of the initiative, an anonymous Princeton resident has purchased 15 books on autism to educate the public on the subject, which will be on display at Johnson Park Elementary School until the opening of the new library, at which point the books will be moved to the new facility for the public to read. The donation is part of the nationwide incentive to educate the public about the disorder, which is the third most common development disability among children.

Mayor Marchand said that the initiative is an important one for Princeton to take part in, particularly since Princeton offers so many programs for children with disabilities.

"Families with special needs come to Princeton because they know we have programs for them," she said.

One school in Princeton for autism is the Eden Institute, founded in Princeton in 1975. It was created to enable children and adults with autism to lead fulfilling, productive, and independent lives. Programs at the facility range from early childhood programs to support services for adults.

Autism is a disorder that frequently affects a person's behavior, communication, and social abilities. Individuals with autism may exhibit atypical, repetitive behaviors, such as hand flapping or rocking. Originally thought to be relatively rare, autism is now much more common, believed to be as prevalent as one in 150 individuals.

The cause of autism is unknown, and there is no cure. However it has been shown that if a child is diagnosed with the disorder at an early age, he or she can benefit from intensive interventional therapy, often allowing for the child to be educated in a regular classroom.

"Autism is a disorder that can be devastating to families, and the only way that significant progress can be made toward eliminating the disorder is through increased funding for research," said Mayor Marchand.

Recent funding initiatives at the state and federal level have allowed for the opening of "Centers of Excellence" to study the suspected causes of the disorder.