FREE AUTISM SCREENING March 3, 2010
Free Autism Screening for Young Children At Miromar Outlets
The Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida, in partnership with the Ronald McDonald House Charities® of Southwest Florida, offers a free monthly autism spectrum disorder screening for toddlers 18 months to 5 years of age.
The next screening will be held Mar. 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Ronald McDonald Care Mobile®, located in the parking lot of Miromar Outlets at 10801 Corkscrew Road in Estero. The Care Mobile® will be parked by the lakeside playground.
It is estimated that one in every 150 children is diagnosed with some form of ASD, making it more common than childhood cancer, juvenile diabetes and pediatric AIDS combined.
Medical consultants for the project stress that an early diagnosis can make a vast difference for toddlers and their families. They say early intensive behavioral intervention can make an immense difference not just in the development of the child, but in their families as well.
The ASD screening is conducted by the Neurosciences Center at The Children’s Hospital, under the guidance of pediatric neurologist Jose Colon, MD, MPH, and pediatric psychiatrist Marianne Krouk, DO. The screenings are administered by an Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioner, who has extensive training and experience in typical child development and developmental disorders.
A physician referral is not required. To schedule a screening, please call 239-985-3608.
