Lisa Ackerman

Autism Light #23 is Lisa Ackerman.Lisa Ackerman is making a tremendous difference for autism most visibly through the organization she founded called Talk About Curing Autism. She founded it in 2000 as a parent support group after her son Jeff was diagnosed with autism. Today it helps several thousand families a year with chapters in 18 states.This YouTube video shows a bit about the families that are helped by TACA and includes Lisa Ackerman...

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Rep. Dan Burton

Autism Light #22 is Rep. Dan Burton.Congressman Dan BurtonCongressman Dan Burton represents Indiana's 5th District in the United States House of Representatives.  He has served Indiana since 1983. His grandson Christian Sarkine has autism. He is an Autism Light because of his efforts in the political arena to advocate in Washington DC for those with autism, especially by working to assure better access to health care and treatments for those...

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David Humphrey

Autism Light #21 is David HumphreyDavid Humphrey is from Oregon and is the President of Kirkman Labs. David Humphrey is an Autism Light because of his leadership in guiding Kirkman Labs to create quality tested products that change lives and serve the autism community in new and innovative ways.On June 25, 2011, Humphrey received the first ever "Champions of Autism" (A.K.A. "Hero of Autism") Award from Northwest Autism Foundation.  A press release on that honor is found at this Webpage and below is a YouTube video of the presentation...

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David Militello

Autism Light #20 is David Militello.Referred by many as a "Little Michael Jackson", David Militello was born in Georgia on February 4, 1999.  According to his website, David sings Pop, Christian, and R&B. David Militello's musical talent is all the more impressive considering he has autism and struggles with verbal communication. David Militello is an Autism Light because as he uses his talent in signing he is showing the world that...

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White Castle

Autism Light #19 is White Castle.White Castle celebrates it's 90th birthday today and Autism Light thinks they are celebrating the occasion perfectly by announcing a new donation of $500,000 to Autism Speaks.  This brings its total giving in the last 18 months to $1 million.  A press release on the event is at http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/white-castle-raises-over-1-million-for-autism-research-128342338.html.  Information on their "Puzzle Piece" campaign that made this possible is at their corporate website.  ...

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Dr. Albert Cotugno

Autism Light #18 is Dr. Albert Cotugno.Dr. Albert J. Cotugno is a psychologist with over 30 years experience of providing group and individual psychotherapy services to children with special needs, many of whom have autism. He presently practices in Needham, Massachusets and is an instructor at Harvard Medical School.Dr. Albert Cotugno is an autism light because he is the author of two important books encouraging social competencies for children with autism. In 2009 he wrote the book-- Group Interventions for Children with Autism Spectrum...

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Brian Calley

Autism Light #17 is Brian Calley.Brian Calley is from Portland, Michigan. He is the current Lt. Governor of the State of Michigan and was elected in 2010 for a term expring in 2014. Born in 1977, he is the second youngest Lt. Governor in the history of Michigan. He also has a daughter named Reagan who has autism. Brian Calley is an Autism Light because of his advocacy for autism insurance.One of Lt. Governor Calley's special causes has been...

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AutismInBlack.com

Autism Light #16 is AutismInBlack.com.AutismInBlack.com is a website that focuses on the impact of autism on African Americans.  The website explains its passion by saying, "Raising a child with Autism can be difficult for anyone, however in the Black community there are additional challenges that may affect us."It organizes information into three categories:  medical, educational, cultural. The website has a deep level of commitment and...

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Mark Leland

Autism Light #15 is Mark Leland.  Mark Leland is from West Monroe, Louisiana.  Mark Leland is a country singer who has been very supportive of autism. His music often tell stories and some are about autism.Missing Pieces: Mark Leland wrote the song, "Missing Pieces" about his manger's son who was diagnosed  with autism. An excellent biography and glimpse into his song on autism is provided by ArkansasAutism.org. This is one of the top songs about autism and has shared this at numerous fundraising events for...

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Dr. Barbara Firestone

Autism Light #14 is Dr. Barbara Firestone.  Dr. Barbara FirestoneDr. Barbara Firestone is the President & CEO of The Help Group.  The focus of her organization is on helping children and families with special needs.  What started in 1975 has branched into a group of related agencies, including seven schools located in the greater Los Angeles area.  You can read a more thorough biography of Barbara Firestone at www.autismheroes.org/author.php....

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Darryl and Tracy Strawberry

Autism Lights #12 are Darryl and Tracy Strawberry.Darryl and Tracy StrawberryDarryl Strawberry is known for being a former star Major League Baseball Player who hit 335 home runs in 17 seasons.  For full achievements see his ESPN stats page.  His personal life off the field was rocked by legal problems related to drug use and a battle with cancer. More details of his life can be found in his book Straw: Finding My Way that was...

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Barry and Judith Nelson

Autism Lights #11 are Barry and Judith Nelson. Barry and Judith NelsonThe Nelson's are parents of a child with autism and co-founders of The Victory Center for Autism & Behavioral Challenges, a school in South Florida.   Judith serves as Executive Director of The Victory Center.   The Victory Center was opened in June, 2000 and bases it's methodology for education of autism on the principles of Applied Behavioral Analysis. ©2011 The...

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Connor Musk

Autism Light #10 is Connor Musk. Connor Musk is from Erlanger, Kentucky and in July, 2011, when he was 7 years old, he was credited with saving the life of a 4 year old boy who was drowning in a pool.  Connor saw the boy go to the bottom of the pool and he immediately dove in and brought him up to the surface.  He then called for help.  Connor Musk has Asperger's, a form of autism. Below is a video about the event. For more information see the news article on this event at the following websites.KABC-TV WCPO.COMSpecial...

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Russell Lehmann

Autism Light #9 is Russell Lehmann. Russell LehmannRussell Lehmann is giving to the world through his special gift of poetry. He resides in Nevada and has autism. Russell Lehmann is an Autism Light because of the way his poetry touches people and provides a window into the poetic gifts of some people with autism.Inside Out Book Published:  Russell Lehmann's first book on poetry called Inside Out was published in October, 2011 and is...

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