Here you will find links to resources about care, services, and support and websites about autism spectrum disorders.

Care, Services, and Support

• Autism Cares. Support for families affected by autism during natural disasters and other catastrophic life events. Monetary awards cover critical life expenses (housing, car repair, prescriptions, child care, funerals, and other essential items) on a case-by-case basis.
  
  
• AutismLink: Nationwide Provider Database. Click on a state to find autism-related services.
  
  
• Autism Society of America (ASA): Autism Source™. Search by city, state, language spoken, and service type (for example, assistive technology, camps, respite services) to find autism-related services and supports.
  
  
• Autism Speaks: Family Services. Services ranging from early intervention to adult care for individuals with autism and their families. Call (888) 288-4762 (888-AUTISM2) or e-mail familyservices@autismspeaks.org to communicate with an autism response team coordinator about information and resources.
  
  
• Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support Center (OASIS @ MAAP): Find Local Help and Services. Click on a state to find contact information for professional and parent support groups. Also lists national and international organizations and private schools in the United States.
  
  
• Parent Technical Assistance Center Network: Find a Parent Center in Your State. Contact information for centers that offer training and information to parents of kids, teens, and young adults with disabilities (emotional, learning, mental, and physical) to help parents participate more effectively with professionals in meeting their kids' educational needs. Separate centers serve military families and Native American families.
  
  
• Parent to Parent USA (P2P USA). Contact information for statewide parent-to-parent programs. The programs provide emotional support and information to families of kids and teens with special health care needs, most notably by matching parents seeking support with a trained and experienced veteran parent who has shared the experience of disability in the family. Also offers technical assistance and resources to parents interested in building, improving, and evaluating a parent-to-parent program.
  
  
• Also see the Community Services Locator: An Online Directory for Finding Community Services for Children and Families.
  
  
• In addition, Exceptional Parent Magazine offers an annual resource guide containing directories of organizations, associations, products, and services for families who have children with disabilities, including autism. To receive a free copy, call (800) 372-7368.
  

Websites

• Autism Research Institute (ARI). Information about autism and its diagnosis, possible triggers, and treatment. Presents collections of articles for families living with autism and articles for and by individuals with autism and Asperger syndrome. Topics include educational therapies, sensory integration, siblings, insurance, medical care, advocacy, and teens and adults with autism. Some articles are available in Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, and Turkish.
  
  
• Autism Society of America (ASA). Information about autism spectrum disorders and its diagnosis, treatment and education approaches, and impact on family life. Includes information about environmental health and autism, an online directory of local resources, Spanish-language resources, and contact information for local ASA chapters. ASA's Safe and Sound Campaign offers general safety, emergency preparedness and prevention, and risk-management information and materials for families who have kids with autism spectrum disorders.
  
  
• Autism Speaks. Information about autism, Asperger syndrome, and Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Otherwise Specified (PDD-NOS). Offers a database of family services, a resource library, a toolkit to use with schools, online video clips, an electronic newsletter, and online social networks. Also includes a toolkit for families with resources needed soon after a child is diagnosed with autism and a collection of resources about global research into the causes, treatment, and eventual cure for autism.
  
  
• Family Voices (FV). Tools for advocating for kids and teens with special health care needs. FV administers Family to Family Health Information Centers (F2F HICs) that help families find the resources to provide and finance health care for their kids.
  
  
• Global and Regional Asperger Syndrome Partnership (GRASP). Articles, program information, and online discussion groups in English and Spanish about autism spectrum disorders. GRASP is an educational and advocacy organization serving individuals on the autism spectrum.
  
  
• Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding. Information about Social Stories™, which describe situations, skills, or concepts in terms of relevant social cues, perspectives, and common responses. Offers sample Social Stories™, suggestions for writing them, and ordering information for books and DVDs about the concept.
  
  
• Interactive Autism Network (IAN) Community. Information for parents of a child newly diagnosed with autism, Asperger syndrome, or PDD-NOS. Offers many articles about the challenges that people with autism spectrum disorders face, treatments and therapies, and participating in and understanding research. Also offers online discussion forums and lists research conferences.
  
  
• National Institutes of Health (NIH): Autism. NIH institutes with information about autism spectrum disorders include
  
  Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD): Autism Spectrum Disorders. Publications about autism spectrum disorders symptoms, causes, and treatment; vaccines; the role of genetics; and programs funded by NICHD. Many of these materials are available in English and Spanish.
  
  National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH): Autism Spectrum Disorders.
  
  National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). Fact sheets in English and Spanish about autism and Asperger syndrome.
  
  National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD): Autism and Communication.
  
  
• Online Asperger Syndrome Information and Support Center (OASIS @ MAAP). Articles and links to resources about high-functioning people with autism, Asperger syndrome, or PDD-NOS.
  
  
• Organization for Autism Research (OAR): Family and Friends. Information about autism spectrum disorders and its characteristics, diagnosis, intervention, research, and family support. Offers a series of resource guides in English and Spanish.
  
  
• Out-of-Sync Child. Information about and resource lists to support families with kids who have sensory integration challenges.
  
  
• Yale Developmental Disabilities Clinic: Autism/PPD. Information about research studies, conferences, and publications about autism spectrum disorders. Includes answers to questions that parents frequently ask and contact information for clinics, support groups, professionals, summer camps, and computer-based learning.
  

Learn more about autism spectrum disorders and screening, early intervention and education, concerns about vaccines, environmental health research, inappropriate use of seclusion and restraints.

Need more information? Use the collection of resources that library staff have put together for you and your family.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Family Resource Brief. (August 2010). (Updated: January 2013).
Author: Susan Brune Lorenzo, M.L.S., MCH Library.
Reviewer: Olivia K. Pickett, M.A., M.L.S., MCH Library.
Editor: Ruth Barzel, M.A., MCH Library.