PRESS RELEASE
ARMENIAN AUTISM OUTREACH
c/o P.O. Box 10193
Glendale, CA 91209
Tel: 818-662-8847
Email: [email protected]
02-15-2007
ARMENIAN AUTISM OUTREACH PROJECT IS FORMED IN CALIFORNIA
GLENDALE, CA – The Armenian Autism Outreach Project (AAOP) consists of a
group of dedicated, volunteer Armenian professionals devoted to informing
and educating the Armenian community about the complex neurodevelopmental
disorder known as Autism. (See Attached brochure Armenian / English).
Today, Autism is considered an epidemic with 1 in 150 children affected by
it. Armenian children, as all children in the world, are not immune to this
disorder and more and more Armenian families are having children born with
this disorder or have children in their families with this disorder.
Having a child with Autism creates a multitude of challenges for families
and all those whom the families may need to turn to for information, advice,
services, treatment, or support. While information about this disorder and
the potential treatment options have been rapidly increasing over the past
decade, the most critical issue continues to be Early Identification,
followed by appropriate Early Intervention. Since Autism is not diagnosed
at birth, it falls on parents, early childhood educators, or pediatricians
to recognize its symptoms and seek appropriate management.
The mission of AAOP is to raise awareness about Autism in the Armenian
community; to inform parents and educators about what Autism is and how it
is diagnosed; and to provide information to parents, teachers,
administrators, and service providers about best practices in Autism
treatment.
AAOP, formed in August of 2006, has been an effort in the making for the
past several years, through the desire and efforts for outreach by the
Foothill Autism Alliance, Inc., (FAA), a parent-professional volunteer,
non-profit entity that has been providing Autism informational programs in
the Los Angeles area for the past nine years.
AAOP is seeking the assistance from Armenians who, like you, are considered
stakeholders — parents, educators, school administrators, or professional
service providers– on the issue of outreach to those in the Armenian
community affected by Autism.
Please contact us at [email protected] to hear your
thoughts and suggestions on how best to proceed towards accomplishing our
mission to raise awareness and to disseminate information about Autism
through culturally competent approaches. Your input is highly valuable to us
and will guide us in our efforts.
We thank you in advance for your valuable time and dedication to participate
in this important endeavor.
Sincerely,
The Founding Members of AAOP:
Sonia Konialian Aller, Ph.D, CCC
Houry Sosikian, M.A.
Taline Ashekian, B.S.
Nora Chitilian-Kalachian, M.S., IMFT
Mariam Tsaturyan, Psy. D.