ALUT to come knocking for autistic children

New TV program about parents raising an autistic child likely to create awareness surrounding the disorder.

By JUDY SIEGEL
Smiling boy 311 (photo credit: Juan Garcia/Dallas Morning News/MCT))
Smiling boy 311
(photo credit: Juan Garcia/Dallas Morning News/MCT))
The broadcast of the Channel 2 series on a family trying to cope with an autistic child is likely to increase contributions to ALUT, the National Association for Autistic Children, which will hold its fundraising campaign on Tuesday.
The show’s called Pilpelim Tzehubim (Yellow Peppers), and airs on Thursday nights. It is about how a family in the Negev tries to cope with Omri, their son, who has autism.
RELATED: Shorter spacing between births may raise risk of autism
Kafr Bara school for autistic Arab children opens Autism is a developmental disorder whose symptoms appear during the first three years of life and affects the brain’s normal development of social and communication skills. The physical condition is linked to abnormal biology and chemistry in the brain. The exact causes of these abnormalities remain unknown, but a number of genes and other factors are believed to be involved. There is a wide spectrum of disabilities, according to experts, who note that one in 150 births involve an autistic child.
On Tuesday, thousands of schoolchildren will knock on doors to ask for contributions for ALUT, which promotes research and provides desperately needed funds for autistic children and adults who need assistance from therapists, special kindergartens to hostels for adults, and sheltered employment. Donations can also be called in at 1-800-855-558.
Einat Cassuto-Shefi, the nonprofit organization’s director-general, said that the need for funding has grown due to the major increase in recent years in the number of children diagnosed with autism. Although there is no cure, the earlier they are treated, the easier it is for them and their families to cope with the condition.