Emergenzautismo came into being through the efforts of families with autistic children, families who NEVER gave up on their children. What we want to obtain is the right  for children  to have the best possible treatments for their autism. We also want to get out the information that MUCH can be done for these children’s physical and behavioural problems.
New research has, in effect, demonstrated that with early and multidisciplinary intervention, children can and DO improve! However, in   Italy we are still at the point where autism is seen by mainstream as a psychiatric disorder, and treatment consists only in psychological interventions and drugs, instead of trying to establish and cure the metabolic, immunological, endocrinological, gastroenterological and toxic dysfunctions.
What we would like to achieve is prevention, early diagnosis, medical treatment (paediatric, nutritional, gastroenterological, immunological and neurological); ABA therapy services and qualified school services are also a must. No child must ever be left behind….late intervention can be too late!!

In January 2008, the EmergenzAutismo portal saw the light. Just 11 months after the start we had 1049 registered users, 2353000 page hits (averaging 7700 pages per day), with 209.204 visitors (averaging 650 visits per day). Our forum, enriched with many new sections (i.e. school, non-responders..), contains 24.065 messages, with a daily average of 85 new messages. Our portal has 550 articles, and our monthly newsletter reaches 5731 subscribers.


EmergenzAutismo’s Work Team has translated a huge amount of scientific researches, papers, and articles taken from specialized magazines, newspaper reports, personal experiences, cooperating with US and international forums and websites. 
   
EmergenzAutismo sponsored and organized several workshops and conferences in many Italian regions, including a very important event, held in  Bary last June, hosting Elizabeth Mumper, MD, President and CEO of The RIMLAND Center and Medical Director of ARI.

Last June, EmergenzAutismo and Associazione Aquarius organized a Workshop on “Applied Behaviour Analysis and Verbal Behaviour in subjects with Autism-spectrum disorders”, where Holly Kibbe, Ph. D., co-founder of di Establishing Operations, Inc. presented.
 
EmergenzAutismo’s staff member Nur Fardowza (who’s a parent of an autistic child and a physician) organized and promoted the “SCUOLABA” project  in Lodi. This project, in its first year,  takes care of 20 children aging 2-12 using the ABA/VB methodology.

Last April, EmergenzAutismo organized an online web conference (attended by more that 100 people) with a DAN Physician, Nicola Antonucci, who reported about the Philadelphia DAN Conference he just attended. Chat topics included new treatments and researches promoted by ARI.

EmergenzAutismo took part in two statistical researches conducted by Dr. Antonucci regarding GFCF (gluten-free and casein-free) diet efficiency, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT)  behavioural and cognitive effects in ASD children.
            
EmergenzAutismo helped two parents’ committees (Genitori Autismo Veneto – GAV, and Genitori Autismo Puglia - GAP) to receive grants to fund ABA therapy from local governments, and is coordinating more committees in order to achieve the same results in all other Italian regions.

In April 2008 in Milan EmergenzAutismo  helped to organize a seminar for parents and teachers on practical indicators for the recognition of signals of different disorders of learning and development, with particular emphasis on appropriate  attitudes for special education teachers.
       
EmergenzAutismo regularly organizes  meetings and parties in different regions of Italy, attempting to encourage moments of leisure and mutual knowledge for the families of children with autism, and to share informations among the various members of our movement.
       
EmergenzAutismo, in order to meet the needs of families with autistic children who follow the GFCF Diet, has signed an agreement with Buontempo Food company for the online sale of GFCF Orgran brand products. This agreement enables our Forum subscribers to get a 24% discount on all of their products. The discount is entirely devoted to households, and nothing is kept for EA.
 
EmergenzAutismo has signed an agreement with Douglas Laboratories, which allows our Forum subscribers to get a 50% discount on all products of their list. As always, the discount is entirely devoted to households and nothing is kept for EA.

EmergenzAutismo cooperates with Autism One, a US non-profit organization founded by the parents of autistic children that chose to raise awareness on autism using a web radio that can be accessed from all of the world. Broadcasts are held by major experts in the autism field and celebrities, answering questions posed by listeners, covering a broad range of subjects (i.e. school, law, politics, family dynamics..). So, thanks to the efforts of our translation Work Team, Italian parents and operators may read interviews with the world’s greatest autism experts hosted on Autism One Radio.

EmergenzAutismo signed an Agreement with ARI, the Autism Research Institute directed by Steve Edelson, in order to achieve the same goal: to improve the quality of life of people living with autism. ARI is a non-profit organization founded in 1967 by Bernard Rimland, Ph.D., to conduct and foster scientific research designed to improve the methods of diagnosing, treating, and preventing autism. ARI gathers hundreds of physicians and thousands of parents from all over the world, and is cooperating with major US and international organizations. The goal of the  agreement between ARI and EmergenzAutismo is to join forces of our organizations, to better coordinate our projects and promote unity among the Autism communities



2009 Results and Achievements

Decembre 2009. we have 1694 listers on our portal, 5.020.178 pages visited, total number of visitors 391.345; we have added new sections ADULTS and ASPERGERS to the forums. 41979 messages in 2675 topics, an average of 87,53 messages a day. The portal map has 600 active links. We send out a monthly newsletter to 6416 addresses.

 

Feb 22 EA joins Autism Collaboration.
      
EA and 10 national and regional organisations join forces with the core values of improving the conditions of ASDs and promoting cooperation and coordination amongst the groups thus creating a dynamic movement
        

EA, thanks to the hard work and tenacity of  Dr. Fardowza Nur,  organises a Workshop di  San Donato Milanese, entitled  “Introduction  to ABA and VB in the classroom”  with Thomas M. Caffrey.
      
EA  produces a document “Testimonies for Autism”  written by parents and detailing the improvements and recovery of their children,
      
EA “calls up its troops” for the signing of the petition for  Dr. Andrew Wakefield
      
EA translates and circulates the following autism studies :

- Children used as guinea pigs, unknown to parents, to test vaccines in the early 90s.
            
 - Recovery is possible, study from pubmed and  Science Daily.
            
- Pubmed study on the GF diet and its beneficial effects for ASD kids

- New study on HBOT and its role as anti-inflammatory, and brain oxygen stimulant          
        
            
 -   After PANDAS,  the virus XMRV has its role in autistic regression
 
-   New CDC data on the increase in autism. 1 child in 110.            

EA produces a video for Mothers Day, denouncing the fact that STILL today mothers are given the blame for their children’s autism
        
EA publishes and transcribes  2 TV interviews with Italian DAN! Dr Antonucci

EA, together with our lister Stefania, organises a WS ABA-VB  with   Dr. Holly Kibbe from Establishing Operations. The workshop is boycotted by “the powers that be” and funding is pulled. The  listers from EA contribute and sponsorship by……… ensures that the show goes on!!
 
      
EA, thanks to our lister Giova, and Dr. Roberto Vecchione From the HBOT Centre Nautilus in  Florence helps get a pilot project for  ASDs  up and running..
      
EA gives news of the splendid  initiative of Dr Fardowza Nur: The Simba Social Club,  an afternoon club for ASD and NT kids, aimed at helping ASD children socialise. Shortly after, our lister Giova follows suite with a similar project.

 EA, with  Cooperativa Sociale Operamica, sponsors a 3 day Workshop with  Thomas Caffrey in Bari in September, regarding ABA in the classroom and  Instructional Control and Functional Communication

EA, along with  the association Genitori e Autismo:  Workshop in Rome in October  - ABA in the school classroom. - with Thomas Caffrey.
      
EA puts together a document for Italy on Bullying at School
       
EA opens a new forum specifically dealing with Aspergers syndrome, with the hope of helping parents who might want to start biomed.

       
EA, thanks to a HUGE amount of work by parents, adapts, translates and publishes in its ABA forum, a formidable amount of teaching materials for all levels
 

 

EmergenzAutismo is proud of what has been done in so little time and proud of having done through a new form of voluntary work. In the little spare time that is left after caring for our children, we have been passionately using the Internet in order to spread information about the treatments that are essential to heal our  autistic boys and girls. We believe that decades of studies and the continuous improvements of our children, demonstrate every day, beyond any doubt, that our trust in them is well placed.