Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
On October 26, 2009, I will be running the Adidas Dublin Marathon(26.5 miles or 42 kilometres) in aid of the Hilton in the Community Foundation. Irish Autism Action is this year's Hilton in the Community Foundation nominated charity.
Autism is a disability that affects the normal development of the brain in areas of social interaction and communication and is described as a 'spectrum' disorder. This means that the symptoms and characteristics of autism can present themselves in a wide variety of combinations and can range from mild to severe. Much of what is distinct and at times challenging about autism is very manageable with the right help. This is a developmental delay, it is very likely that with the right diagnosis and support, they will catch up.
Irish Autism Action is the national voice for families in Ireland affected by Autism. They are a 32 county charity and provide the following services to families dealing with autism:
- Newsletter issued on a quarterly basis
- Advocacy Service to all members whether they attend mainstream, outreach or an on-site autism school and groups
- Service Provision in education through our network of ABA schools nationally
- Service Provision in Health through our diagnostic centre, Solas
- Provision of Respite Summer camps nationally
- Conferences and Workshops
- Fundraising Support to local groups
- Information Service
- Research in the area of Autism
- IAA Identity Cards
- Advice and Support to our network of local groups and individual members
- Lobbying for Policy Changes
- Awareness Campaigns
- National Helpline (early 2008)
- European Partnerships, to identify Best Practice
- Corporate Partnerships
All of this work helps to improve the lives of those directly and indirectly affected by autism and is therefore a very worthy charity as it can make a genuine difference.
For more details, go to www.autismireland.ie .
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