Through these activities, FECA enriches the lives of children with autism, helping them achieve their greatest potential. Please visit their website at www.FecaInc.com and read more below!
We met Elise and Phil Orlando of FECA through Cathleen Wright, a good friend of One Meaning. Their story is inspiring and their commitment is to be deeply admired.
In honor of all the families touched by Autism, we are highlighting a
special puzzle piece pendant and tee-shirts and will donate an
additional $5 for each one purchased.
FECA was founded in 1994 by a concerned group of eight families who knew the most appropriate method to educate their children was through applied behavior analysis (ABA). This therapy provides an extremely structured learning environment for children with autism. At the time, there were no schools offering this method of teaching, and the only way to provide this intervention was to create and administer the program in the individual’s home.
This changed in 1996, when FECA celebrated the opening of the Devereux Millwood Learning Center (DMLC), the first and only school in the Lower Hudson Valley offering this method of teaching children with autism. Since its creation, DMLC has become a model program for educating children with autism, and has been used as a blueprint for other schools in Pennsylvania and California. FECA is comprised of parents, family, friends, educators, medical practitioners and other advocates dedicated to providing children with autism the appropriate educational services.
What is Autism?
Autism is a severely incapacitating disability that manifests itself during the first three years of life and is the result of a neurological disorder that affects the functioning of the brain. Children with autism typically have uneven development, significant deficits in communication and marked impairments in their ability to interact with others, all of which pose serious obstacles to learning.
· More than 400,000 people in the U.S. today are diagnosed with autism.
· Autism is ranked as the third most common developmental disability.
· Recent studies suggest that 1 in 150 babies born in the U.S. have autism or some form of developmental disability.
· There is no "cure" for autism, at this time.
· Medical science does not yet understand what causes a child to develop autism.
What is known, however, is that children with autism do have the ability to learn, and that the earlier the intervention, the better the prospect for that child. Children with autism need an intensive instructional environment where they can learn to focus, follow directions and imitate all cornerstones of the learning process.
FECA’s goals for the future include:
· Sustain the 1:1 teacher:student ratio at the Devereux Millwood Learning Center.
· Grow our scholarship program for teachers within the field of autism.
· Disseminate educational and medical information to parents and professionals through community outreach.
· Open additional schools in the tri-state area and provide expertise and consultation to open additional schools nationwide.
· Find a way to serve the more than 100 families on the waiting list for the Devereux Millwood Learning Center
· Establish after-school programs for the children with autism.
· Help set the standards within the educational community for future generations to come.
· Expand services for individuals with autism into adulthood.
Devereux Millwood Learning Center - About the Center
The Devereux Millwood Learning Center (DMLC) is the first and only school in the Lower Hudson Valley offering the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) method of teaching children with autism. This therapy provides an extremely structured learning environment for children with autism. Now in its thirteenth year, the Devereux Millwood Learning Center is an innovative school which serves the needs of over forty students, ages five to twenty one.
We think FECA is a great organization and we thank everyone for their support this month!
