On behalf of the Karnett Family Trust in Omaha, the United Way of the Midlands Foundation has awarded the trust’s inaugural grant to a collaborative effort between the Munroe-Meyer Institute and the Autism Center of Nebraska. Over the next three years, $165,000 will be awarded to the collaborative. Together, the two organizations will create the Autism Care for Toddlers Clinic. The new clinic will be located at the Autism Center of Nebraska, and will provide important clinical services to economically-disadvantaged children, age 18 to 35 months, who have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Working together, the partners’ services at the new Autism Care for Toddlers Clinic will be provided free of charge, and only for children diagnosed with ASD who do not have insurance benefits to cover the services. The partners will also connect families with other local autism-related clinics and networks, offering them an avenue to services that best meet their unique situations. At the new clinic, toddlers will receive individualized intervention based on assessments that measure developmental goals across a variety of areas including social communication, language and social play. The clinic’s work will also involve Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), which heavily emphasizes the parents’ role in promoting skills in the child’s home environment.
For more information about the United Way of the Midlands Foundation, visit www.UnitedWayMidlands.org.