Autism Hope Center Holds Open House

Updated March 11 , 2008 - The first phase of the Autism Hope Center in Columbus is finally a reality. About 30 community members were on hand at the Open House for the Autism Hope Center Thursday at Columbus Technical College. After a brief program and some words of thanks, the guests and the media were invited on a tour of the Hope Center classrooms and its newly-customized playground. Through a partnership with the Muscogee County School District, the Muscogee County Autism Support Group, and Columbus Technical College, six special children are now enjoying a model preschool program. The program provides specialized services to children with autism alongside typical children. Ten children will eventually be part of this initiative.

Approximately every 15 minutes a child in the United States is diagnosed with autism. It has become the fastest-growing developmental disability with 1 in every 150 children affected. In Georgia, that number is 1 in every 125.

Columbus Technical College is proud to do its part to help these children and their families.

“We enthusiastically support the staff and students in this effort, and are thrilled to house them on our campus until funds can be raised to provide them a permanent home,” said Columbus Technical College President, J. Robert “Bob” Jones. “Our students will benefit from the interaction with these special students, our faculty will receive training in assessing and meeting the needs of autistic individuals, and our city will eventually see the outcome of early intervention when these students grow and become a vital part of the community.”

For more information on the Autism Hope Center, visit www.autismhopecenter.com. To learn more about the Muscogee County Autism Support Group, visit www.mcasg.net.

To keep their faculty and staff up-to-date on how best to work with autistic students and peers, 19 Columbus Technical College faculty members and three counselors attended a seminar in Atlanta on Friday, March 7. The topic was “An Insider's Perspective on Autism and Asperger's Syndrome: Bridging the Gap between Understanding and Intervention.” The seminar was hosted by Deborah Lipsky, who is a high-functioning autistic adult that tours the country, giving presentations in hopes of raising awareness of autism and how best to manage it and those who are affected by it.

Local Media Coverage

"Autism Hope Center." WTLZ.com. March 6, 2008, archive (pdf).

A brief slide show of images from the Open House is available below. You will need the Adobe Flash Player to view the slide show.