Man works to spread awareness of autism through license plate program

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, but Mike Sciortino is aware of autism every day because his 10-year-old grandson Ethan has a form of the disorder.

Sciortino has worked since 2006 to raise awareness for better education for the children who have the disorder, parents and teachers. He and other members of Ethan and Friends for Autism supported the creation of an early intervention program in Southeast Missouri. Now, he is working to help create an autism awareness license place program in Missouri.

People with autism have difficulty with such social skills as communication, interaction and imagination. Treatment includes speech and occupational therapy and visits with medical specialists.

Autism's manifestations range from those who need a clearly defined schedule to get through each day, as is true for his grandson, to those with Asperger's syndrome, who can achieve advanced degrees but still can't overcome social disabilities, Sciortino said.

Members of Ethan and Friends supported the development of a program through Southeast Missouri University created with the help of Dr. Matt Stoelb from the Thompson Center for Autism to help students learn how to work with children with autism or Asperger's syndrome.

Mostly, he said, people with autism need understanding, and that starts with awareness. With the help of Missouri Sen. Jason Crowell, Sciortino was able to get the approval to pursue the 200 applications needed to create awareness license plates for the state.

"We have 117 applications now," Sciortino said. He said he will send Missouri Form 1716 to people who e-mail him for it. The forms are also at license bureaus.

"As soon as we get 200 applications, we're going to pack 'em up in a nice envelope with all the information and send it to the state and they will start putting them into production," he said.

He'd like to see that happen before the next World Autism Awareness Day.

For details, call Mike Sciortino at 335-9221 or e-mail him at james.sciortino@yahoo.com, or call Michelle McAdams at 587-1694 or e-mail mcadamsfamily5@yahoo.com. To learn more about autism, visit www.worldautismawarenessday.org.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

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