CHAPTER 12AUTISM
By Andy Samuelson
Staff Writer
PASADENA Bob Charney of Agoura Hills experienced life for a few hours Saturday as his 5-year-old autistic son, Michael, would.
At the "Autism: A Journey Solutions 2002" convention at the Pasadena Conference Center, Charney attended a seminar that showed people how someone with autism feels every day.
In a small room, they were hit with a strong odor of pine and loud booming music that came from different speakers. Charney said they wrote with a thorny stick that used paint for ink.
"It gave you a sense and a feeling of what our children are going through," he said.
He added, "With all the stimulants that are going on, I want to make an evaluation of our household environment to remove irritations in the house."
The weekend conference continues today and is being organized by the United Autism Alliance, a nonprofit group that advocates for people afflicted with the disease.
Often referred to as mental blindness, autism interferes with the normal development of the brain and can affect a person's speech, sensory development and communication skills.
Frank Paradise, the executive director of the alliance, said more than 2,700 people are expected attend the autism conference, making it the largest in the country.
More than 30 speakers held seminars to help parents overcome some of the legal, emotional and societal challenges they face.
There were also dozens of booths with information about nonprofit advocacy groups, paintings by autistic artists and the latest games and products designed for autistic sufferers.
Paradise said the event has grown exponentially because more people want to learn about the disease. When alliance held its first conference 11 years ago, only about 200 people showed up.
"This is educating the families," Paradise said of the event.
German Barrero of Pasadena said he's attended the past three conferences because they have a wealth of information for parents.
Barrero has a 4-year-old child with autism and he said he's battled with the Pasadena school district to get the educational services his son's entitled to.
"To be able to have access to such world-renowned experts in such a short period of time, for us, is a blessing," he said.
But Paradise said more people need to learn about the disease and not just those related to some afflicted with it.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in 250 children suffers from some form of autism and Paradise said the ratio is expected to be lowered to one in 200 by the end of the year.
There's no cure for the disease and nobody has determined how it's contracted, he said.
He said it's getting close to becoming an epidemic and more money is needed for research and services.
"We have to get the awareness up," Paradise said. "People have to know that we are in a crisis."