This information-packed guest blog is the second in a series from my friend and colleague Dan E. Burns. Dan is absolutely passionate about asking tough questions and finding answers related to young adults living with autism and their families. Dan’s last guest post Funding Autism for Life addressed options families have for supporting and caring for individuals with autism when they age out of public school. This excellent post from Dan explores The Brookwood Community, the brain in relation to movement and exercise and much, much more. Enjoy!
Touch, See, Feel, Move: The Brookwood Community in Texas and the Autism Epidemic
By Dan E. Burns
“We don’t just believe in miracles,” my guide told me, “we rely on them.” White-haired and in her eighties now, striding ahead of me cell phone in hand, my guide, called “Me-Maw” by some of the residents who to flock around her, prefers to remain anonymous. “I didn’t build this wonderful place,” she explained. “It’s God’s doing.”
She opened door after door as we made our way through clusters of busy citizens in the ceramic workshops, gym, natatorium, and clinic to a fine, on-campus restaurant near the gift shop and gardens of The Brookwood Community, a 495-acre residential/educational village designed to enhance the lives of adults with disabilities.

This guest blog post kicks off a new series written by my friend and colleague – Dr. Dan E. Burns. Dan’s series will address many of the challenges faced by families with adult children living with Autism Spectrum Disorders. In this first post, Dan breaks down and describes many of the ways families can go about “Funding Autism for Life” with pertinent suggestions and ideas for parents with younger children as well. I know you’re going to learn a lot and enjoy Dan’s guest series. Please help me welcome Dan!
Funding Autism for Life: A Map to Treasure Island
By Dan E. Burns
“It’s autism. There is no medical treatment. Let the schools take care of him and save your money for his institutionalization when he turns 21.” Those were the final, chilling words Ben’s pediatric neurologist spoke to me on Pearl Harbor Day, December 7, 1990. Ben was three years, four months old.
I declared war. With an ABA manual in one hand and biomedical primer in the other, I fought for Ben’s future. But as the months and years went by and the hope for a full recovery dimmed, I had to admit that his pediatrician was right. Where would Ben live, work, and find friends after the school bus stopped coming?

Welcome to AutismSpot and the world of pLD Creative. Since September 2007, AutismSpot has been carving out a different kind of path for the global Autism Community. Non-traditional, self-funded, unbiased, and driven to capture critical life, education, therapy, and growth experiences that start with diagnosis through the entire life span is what AutismSpot is all about.

We are excited to announce that the documentary Initium House will be released May, 5 2010 on AutismSpot.com. Initium House is the true story of the Autism Support Program at Midwestern State University. Under the leadership of Dr. Millie Gore and the extremely talented Jessica Dunn, the Autism Support Program has paved the way for what is possible on the collegiate level for students with Autism.