MCASA is a group of parents and professionals dedicated to the education and welfare of adults and children with severe disorders of communication and behavior.  Our mission, through advocacy, information, referral, support groups, and financial aid, is to make Montgomery County a better place for persons with autism. Join us.  Click here to print a membership application.

Join us Wednesday, October 22, 2008 for MCASA Meeting 

7:00 - 9:00 p.m. at The Arc of Montgomery County

Presenter: Audrey Thurm, Ph.D.

National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

Pediatrics & Developmental Neuropsychiatry Branch

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Studies of Subtypes of Autism and Treatment Trials

The talk will include a brief description of current literature on behavioral and medical aspects of autism phenomenology, as background to a description of their current study: Clinical and Immunologic Investigations of Subtypes of Autism. Preliminary findings and related current treatment trials will also be presented.

Dr. Audrey Thurm, Ph.D. is a licensed child clinical psychologist who specializes in autism spectrum disorders. She has expertise in longitudinal studies of the early diagnosis of autism, and has published about predictors of language outcomes, as well as on the stability of the autism diagnosis in early development. She has been at NIMH since 2002, and is currently a co-Principal Investigator for the study: Clinical and Immunologic Investigations of Subtypes of Autism. 

Click here for a flyer for this event.

If you are interested in enrolling your child for Autism research, click here for more information: Age 1-6, Age 2-6, Age 7-17. 

Click here for direction to The Arc of Montgomery County. 

If you are not currently member of MCASA, you could fill out the application on site ($10.00 due).

Campership/Scholarship for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• Mary Ellen Daisey Camperships and Family Support

The Camperships/scholarship are given in honor of Mary Ellen Daisey, a former President and Board Member of MCASA.

• Rachel Erin Nelligan Memorial Campership

The campership is given in memory of Rechel Erin Nelligan who was a student studying Special Education at Towson University and worked in providing instructional programming for children with ASD.  

Click here for an application.  Please print out the application and send it to:  MCASA, 4125 Queen Mary Drive , Olney , MD 20832  

Scholarship for Educators and Therapists Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder 

• Dorothy Lattner Memorial Scholarship

The scholarship is given in honor of Dorothy Lattner, a past president of MCASA. It is a $1000 award to an educator including Occupational therapists, Physical therapists, and Speech and Language pathologists/therapists in Montgomery County who is continuing his/her studies in the Autism field. 

Deadline for Dorothy Lattner Memorial Scholarship 2008: Postmarked no later than October 4, 2008.   

Click here for more information about the scholarship and application guideline. 

Looking for Information, Programs or Services?  

Pathfinders for Autism is a parent sponsored non-profit organization that supports research, services, and education directed toward improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families. Pathfinders provides telephone and on-line information and referral service that helps families locate information, programs, and services throughout Maryland and surrounding areas. Pathfinders' services are free of charge for those who are listed and for the families Pathfinders serve.  Please call 866-806-8400 for more information or visit the Pathfinders' website.

 MCASA Memberships

MCASA memberships are renewed each year in January.  Click here to download a MCASA membership form.  MCASA dues can be sent to:

Betty Bahadori
11820 Pittson Road
Silver Spring, MD 20906

ASA dues and notices are sent out by the National Office in Bethesda.  Usually first notice is sent 90 days before your renewal time.   Click here if you prefer to join or renew your National ASA membership on line.    Click here to download and print an ASA membership renewal form.  

Disclaimer: Information and articles or presentations on this website are for information only and do not constitute endorsements by MCASA, the National ASA, or any of its officers or directors.  Readers should consult their own practitioners for individual and specific advice.