More about Autism: Inside Autism

( Note: there are two entries for today, so please read both. I think you will be very interested)

Welcome back,

Happy Easter.. I wonder what it says about me that I didn't really remember it was Easter until Saturday. It's been like that a lot lately with everything. I am beginning to wonder. My weekend went okay. Instead of going to visit relatives, my parents and I decided to spend a quiet Easter at home. I think that was a good idea considering the circumstances. For one, my dad finds himself out of town more and more. So our time is very precious. Second, my parents are knee-deep in a kitchen renovation project. We are getting new wood cabinets; as a result, my parents are tearing down what they can of the old cabinets to prepare for the change.. The kitchen is a sight to see

Anyway, as a follow-up to Friday's post on autism, I thought this was interesting. As it turns out, for the past couple of weeks WDIV Detroit has been doing a focus on autism on Tuesday as well as the report I did earlier. Unfortunately for me, I did not realize this until just recently. For that, I apologize. I will have to watch the news more often. Where was I going with this? Oh, the news.. I know from personal experience how hard it is to cope with a physical disability. I can just imagine that physical as well as emotional barriers that people with autism have to overcome.

Recently, a new program is being used to teach people with autism about the reality of real-life situations without the initial feelings of fear and apprehension . Dubbed the "Weinberg" village, this program is placed safely underground and serves as its own little town. The town offers typical services such as a bank, beauty salon, and drugstore. The purpose of the program is to allow people with autism to put into practice the lessons they have learned throughout their education. Currently, a lot of local businesses are getting involved in the program. Some of these businesses include: Henry Ford, Savon Drugs, Huntington Bank.

"We say it's learning between the classroom and the real community because things are hard to practice out in the real community," says program director, Nancy Sinelli.

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Citation for TV Program: "Inside Autism " News segment Paula Tutman reporting, NBC channel 4 WDIV Detroit, News at 6 pm, March 3, 2007.