Autism and You

The global Autism Advisory Board lends expertise and support to Autism community

LAS VEGAS, NV - (October 7, 2010) - John LeSieur, President and CEO of People CD, a technology company headquartered in Las Vegas, Nevada, announced today the launch of an autism resource website: www.autismadvisoryboard.com.

As the number of individuals and families affected by Autism reaches monumental proportions, the need for consistent information, best practices, and support has never been greater! Currently, Autism affects 1 in 110 children, 1 in 70 boys in the United States and Canada alone. The strain placed on the economic, medical, educational, and social threads in our community threaten the fabric of established institutions.

In response, The Autism Advisory Board was created, comprised of more than ninety (90) volunteers from around the world, who have experience with various aspects of ASD. From members with Autism to clinical experts, parents of children on the spectrum, teachers, therapists, advocates, and business leaders, The Autism Advisory Board seeks to improve the quality of life for individuals and families living with Autism, through technology. LeSieur, who has a grandson with autism himself, describes the need for a worldwide resource such as this and explains his vision for the website:

In the technology world, many great things are happening with collaborative technology - We must be able to create a community of people sharing their talents for the benefit of people living with autism as it affects 1 in 110 children today. My primary objective for the board is to unite the expertise of people around the world and make it freely available to anyone in touch with autism. Parents are too often isolated and need a source for information; our goal is to provide important information and ways to better work with professionals. The board contributes many great things: They participate in alpha testing of software created by People CD, bring tools, techniques, knowledge, suggest improvements, and provide support to the community.

The Autism Advisory Board is currently only available in English, but in the coming weeks, People CD will make this resource available in both Spanish and French. Visit the Autism Advisory Board members at www.autismadvisoryboard.com.

ABOUT PEOPLE CD

LeSieur, along with his company, People CD, is the creator of the "Zac Browser", the first Internet web browser designed specifically for children on the autism spectrum. People CD also developed the "Tweens Browser", which is aimed at young adults on the spectrum.

www.peoplecd.com

MEDIA CONTACT

John LeSieur, People CD Inc., (702)968-0357 or (888) 870-4282, info (at) peoplecd.com

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Kate Winslet has founded a non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating barriers for people with autism around the world. Compelled during her narration of a documentary titled "A Mother´s Courage: Talking Back to Autism," about a young Icelandic boy named Keli living with autism, Winslet became motivated to make a difference. Upon meeting Keli´s mother, Margret, Winslet was deeply moved by her far-reaching journey to find a way for her nonverbal son to learn to communicate. Her experience motivated the establishment of the Golden Hat Foundation. "The Golden Hat" was the title of a poem written by 12-year-old Keli Thorsteinsson.

The mission of the Golden Hat Foundation is the establishment of innovative living communities that offer people with autism the opportunity to learn to communicate effectively, receive an education, job training and enjoy recreational activities, all within a supportive social network. When given a suitable education and the means to communicate effectively, people with autism can truly realize their dreams.

The Golden Hat has partnered with Virgin Unite, the non-profit foundation of Sir Richard Branson´s Virgin Group. To support the cause, donations can be made online at www.goldenhatfoundation.org and www.virginunite.com/goldenhat.

"After watching the film A Mother´s Courage with my daughter one day, she turned to me and asked, ´What if I wasn´t able to talk to you mummy?´" said Golden Hat Foundation director and founder, Kate Winslet. "As I thought about what that meant, for a mother not to be able to talk with her own child, I realized that I had to lend my voice to raise awareness of this rapidly increasing disorder."

"A Mother´s Courage: Talking Back to Autism," a documentary by Fridrik Thor Fridriksson, tells the story of Margret, a mother who has done everything in her power to help her son. Keli is 11 years old and has severe autism--his mother doesn´t even know if he understands what goes on around him. Even if Margret holds no unrealistic expectations on behalf of Keli, she has the quenchless thirst for knowledge about the mysterious and complex condition that autism undeniably is. Along the way, Margret meets other families and hears their unique stories about how they too have been touched by autism.
On a course set to include the United States and Europe, she meets with scientists in the field of autism and autism therapies and the parents of autistic children who share her passion: to break down the wall between the children and the surrounding world. This journey becomes lengthier and more dramatic than she envisioned at the start. During the trip, she catches a glimpse of hope that her son can be helped to a larger degree than previously assumed.

"A Mother´s Courage: Talking Back to Autism" will be released theatrically in New York and Los Angeles on September 24, 2010. The film will be shown at the following theaters:

http://www.johnlesieur.com
http://www.zacbrowser.com
http://www.tweensbrowser.com
http://www.theautismnews.com
http://www.TheTweensNews.com
http://www.autismrecipes.com
http://www.peoplecd.com

Here you will find the best environment on the Internet for children living with various autism challenges.

Zac Browser is a totally free software package. It is the first Internet browser developed specifically for children living with variants of autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Asperger syndrome, Rett syndrome, childhood disintegrative disorder, PDD not otherwise specified and PDD-NOS, also called atypical autism.

Zac Browser was designed to offer a pleasant, rewarding and secure experience. Children sing, play and discover the best that the Internet has to offer with only a few clicks of the mouse.

Zac Browser is software that allows your child to access games (a lot of games) activities (based on diverse interests) along with videos (that allow a stimulating experience and encourages children to talk). All games, activities and videos are specifically chosen for their positive effect on children suffering from autism.

So why not do like a million other people have done throughout the world, install Zac Browser now.

The new version of Zac Browser now includes a link towards the latest news as well as open discussions on the subject of autism via « The Autism News.com ».