02/1/12
Randolph, Mass. – May Institute, a national nonprofit organization that provides research-based services to children and adults with autism and other special needs, continues to expand its autism services in Georgia. Through the May Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Savannah, Ga., the organization now offers a comprehensive set of educational and behavioral services to both civilian and military families and their children with autism stationed at Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, and the surrounding area.
This newest Center enables May Institute to provide home-based therapy and other autism-related services to families in all branches of the military stationed at installations in 10 states throughout the country.
Autism is a developmental disability that occurs in one in every 110 children. It is a neurological disorder that affects the development of the brain, causing difficulty with communication, learning, and social interaction. The number of children with autism in military families is even more sobering than those in the general population. With one in 88 military children on the spectrum, as many as 12,000 military dependents may have autism. Their condition is made more difficult by the frequent changes of residences, schools, and other variables that accompany military life.
“The challenges of raising a child with autism grow exponentially for military families who juggle autism-related responsibilities alongside the unique circumstances often present in their lives,“ says Walter P. Christian, Ph.D., ABPP, President of May Institute. “We are working to reduce the stressors related to autism by providing these families with access to effective treatment, resources, and care.”
May Institute utilizes developmentally appropriate practices based on applied behavior analysis (ABA), the methodology universally recognized as critical for teaching children with autism spectrum disorders or other behavioral or developmental disabilities. Services are available through TRICARE’s ECHO program.
May Institute provides services to all branches of the military, including the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard. In addition to Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield, May Institute also offers services to families stationed at the following military bases: Fort Benning and Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay in Georgia; Hanscom Air Force Base and Massachusetts Military Reservation in Massachusetts; Naval Submarine Base New London in Connecticut; Naval Station Newport in Rhode Island; Fort Hood in Texas; Camp Lejeune in North Carolina; Naval Air Station Jacksonville and Naval Station Mayport in Florida; and Fort Eustis, Fort Lee, Hampton Roads, and Langley Air Force Base in Virginia.
For more information about the May Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders in Savannah, Ga., please contact Jade Lewis, M.Ed., BCBA, at 912.321.9232 or at jlewis@mayinstitute.org.
About May Institute
May Institute is a nonprofit organization that provides educational, rehabilitative, and behavioral healthcare services to individuals with autism spectrum disorders and other developmental disabilities, brain injury, mental illness, and other behavioral health needs. Since its founding more than 55 years ago, May Institute has evolved into an award-winning national network that serves thousands of individuals and their families annually.
For more information, call 800.778.7601 or visit www.mayinstitute.org.