Staff Reports
MOULTRIE — More than two dozen Moultrians are expected to participate in an event in Albany to raise awareness of autism.
Angel Saunders of Moultrie said Wednesday that she and about 30 of her friends will walk in the 2009 Albany Autism Awareness Walk at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 11, at Riverfront Park in Downtown Albany.
Some of that group are members of the Autism Support Group based in Moultrie, Saunders said; others are not.
The annual walk is sponsored by SOWEGA Autism Resources, Inc., an Albany-based organization, to provide information to families in need. Many local resources will set up booths and give out information about the services they provide, as well as goodie bags filled with information from state and national resources, according to a press release. It is free and open to the public.
Autism is a developmental disability that affects one in every 150 children in the U.S., according to the release from SOWEGA Autism Resources. In Georgia, that number is one in 125. It is a spectrum disorder, but children with autism mainly have difficulty with communication and social interaction.
“Families of this region have a difficult time even to find a doctor that will diagnose autism, much less write a treatment plan and follow progress,” the release said. “Every appointment is a drive to Thomasville, Valdosta or Atlanta.”
SOWEGA Autism Resources is affiliated with the Albany Autism Center, located at Dawson Road Church of Christ in Albany. A non-profit group, the Albany Autism Center offers a physical location for children to get the therapy they require: speech, occupational, physical, behavioral or social.
For more information, visit www.sowegaautism.com or call the Albany Autism Center at (229) 883-6288.
