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Sandra C. Slomin Family Center for Autism and Related Disabilities

The Slomin Family Center's mission is to provide all of the services and programs a family would need for their child, teen or adult with Autism Spectrum Disorder under one roof.

The concept of The Sandra C. Slomin Family Center for Autism and Related Disabilities is a vision that was born from a need identified by families of children with autism from across Palm Beach County. No such center currently exists in our county.

The Slomin Family Center will offer community social programming such as summer camps, winter camps, art therapy, music therapy, aftercare services, sports and recreational activities, workshops and training as well as support groups for parents.

The Slomin Family Center will also have available medical professionals that specialize in Autism Spectrum Disorders; neurologists, psychiatrists, social workers, dentists, behaviorists, occupational, physical and speech/language therapists to name a few examples. These programs and services are fundamental to the supports necessary for individuals with autism and their families.

The Slomin Family Center will be operating by the year 2013 with the continued financial help of interested supporters.

Autism, part of a group of disorders known as Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), is a neurological disorder that typically lasts throughout a person’s lifetime. The disorder is identified by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills and social abilities, and also by repetitive behaviors. Symptoms range from mild to severe. Parents are usually the first to notice unusual behaviors in their child or their child’s failure to reach appropriate developmental milestones. Some parents describe a child that seemed different from birth, while others describe a child who was developing normally and then lost skills.

According to the Centers of Disease Control, autism effects as many as 1 in every 91children in the United States. Therefore, it is estimated that 1,500,000 Americans may be affected with autism. Also, government statistics suggest the rate of autism is rising 10 to 17 percent annually. Unfortunately, the numbers appear to be continuing their upward climb. In fact, it is the most prevalent developmental disorder to date; according to the Centers for Disease Control, of the approximately 4,000,000 babies born every year, 24,000 of them will eventually be identified as having autism. Boys are more susceptible than girls to developing autism. In the United States alone, 1 out of 58 boys is suspected of being on the spectrum, with perhaps more going undiagnosed to this day.