Autism Society Support Groups in Oregon

Oregon has one of the highest rates of autism in the U.S. If you haven't already, you will meet someone with autism. People with autism want to lead fulfilling lives and make a meaningful contribution to society. Together, we can make that happen.

January 23, 2013: "Autism Advocates Push Bills" in the Estacada News.

     "Life certainly hasn’t been easy for Estacada residents Brian and Heidi Lowry since they found out that their daughter, Myiah, was diagnosed with Rett Syndrome, a severe form of autism.  Bills are being proposed for the 2013 legislative session that are aimed at helping families like the Lowrys." For more, please click here.

January 25, 2013: Tobi Rates, Executive Director of ASO, was interviewed on "Autism Empowerment Radio." Access it in their archives: CLICK HERE FOR THE RADIO LINK. Or, download the show to your mobile device by subscribing to the Autism Empowerment Radio podcast through iTunes. CLICK HERE FOR iTUNES LINK. 

 Jan. 11, 2013: "Parents Fight To Get New Autism Treatment Covered" on OPB. 

 "Portland mom Anastasia Puha has her hands full. Not only does she have four little girls, but Mili, her four-year-old, is autistic. "(Her) speech didn't develop," she says. "Really sensitive to noise and light and texture and just pretty cranky, pretty cranky child."  For more, please click here.  

Dec, 2012: From the Autism Society of America:

 No Link Between Autism and Planned Violence

The Autism Society continues to mourn the lives lost on Friday in Newtown, Conn. We join the nation as we keep our collective attention focused on those directly impacted by this tragedy. 

In the nation’s rush to understand the reasoning for such an awful occurrence, the conversation evolved to include the alleged shooter’s possible autism diagnosis. The Autism Society feels it is imperative to remove autism from this tragic story.  Race, ethnicity, gender, and sexual orientation are seldom, if ever, linked to the actions of an individual in a causal relationship.  It is imperative that developmental disorders and disabilities be treated in the same vein.    

Further, the Autism Society is committed to informing, educating and securing appropriate services by providing reliable and unbiased information. To that end, we are compelled to dispel any myths about individuals with autism:

No evidence exists to link autism and premeditated violence. Suggesting otherwise is wrong and harmful to the more than 1.5 million individuals living with autism in the United States.¹

Individuals with autism and those with other disabilities are more likely to be victims of violence than the perpetrators.²

Many of the individuals with Asperger’s syndrome who have committed crimes had co-existing psychiatric disorders.³

Individuals with autism who act aggressively typically do so because they are reacting to a situation. 

Please do not judge any individual with autism based on the discourse surrounding Friday’s tragic event. Instead, please strive to educate and inform your communities. Help the Autism Society ensure that individuals with autism are not marginalized due to a misunderstanding of a complicated disorder.  Please consider forwarding or sharing this information with a friend.

1. Gunasekaran, S., & Chaplin, E. (2012). Autism spectrum disorders and offending. Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, 6, 308-313.
2. Hughes, K., Bellis, M. A., Jones, L., Wood, S., Bates, G., Eckley, L., ... & Officer, A. (2012). Prevalence and risk of violence against adults with disabilities: a systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. The Lancet. 379, 1621-1629.
3. Newman SS, Ghaziuddin M: Violent crime in Asperger syndrome: the role of psychiatric comorbidity. J Autism Dev Disord 39:1949-52, 2008.

ASO Board Member Jonathan Chase gave the keynote speech at the Annual Gala benefiting the NorthWest Autism Foundation (NWAF), detailing his life as a person on the autism spectrum. Click here for video of Jonathan's speech, and click here for video of Jonathan's bass solo later that evening. Click here for more information about Jonathan's speaking and other activities.

JUNE 21, 2012: ASO Executive Director, Tobi Rates, and Portland Parent, Anastasia Puha, were interviewed on OPB'S "THINK OUT LOUD" about the City of Portland's recently enacted coverage of autism therapies for city employees. For information about the City of Porland's coverage, please click here. For information about the OPB broadcast, please click here.

June 13, 2012:  "Autism Spectrum Disorders Make Headway in Portland" Article in The Lund Report regarding the decision by the Portland City Council to cover employees under the the self-insured plan  for autism coverage for their families, including ABA therapy, as of July 1st. 

June 7, 2012 - "Portland Moves on Autism Insurance Reform for City Employees, Sets Stage for Statewide Action in Oregon in 2013" - Press Release by Autism Votes, a project of Autism Speaks, about the recent extension of health insurance benefits to cover autism therapies to City of Portland employees. ASO supports Autism Insurance reforms efforts, and ASO's Executive Director provided testimony in support of this action.

March 29, 2012 - Tobi Rates, Executive Director of ASO was interviewed on the KGW-TV (Channel 8) "Hot Box" regarding the 2012 CDC report on the large increase in autism diagnoses nationwide. Click here to see the interview at kgw.com.

March 29, 2012 - CDC estimates 1 in 88 children in United States has been identified as having an autism spectrum disorder.  Press release by The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention detailing the results of the most recent nation-wide estimate of rates of Autism Spectrum Disorders in children. To learn more about this study, visit www.cdc.gov/autism.