Prominent American Couple Praise Vatican For Embracing Autism Community Vatican City, December 03, 2014 (Zenit.org) Deborah Castellano Lubov | 200 hits
The co-founders of Autism Speaks have expressed how the Vaticans embracingof people with autism is moving and is what this Pope is all about.
While attending the Vaticans first-ever conference on autism, Bob Wright, the former head of NBC Universal, and his wife Suzanne Wright, both of whom are Catholics, spoke on autism and what their organization is doing to support families and encourage research.
In this interview with ZENIT, they also discuss how the Catholic Churchs efforts and the Holy Fathers words can do great things for understanding and accepting people with autism.
According to Autism Speaks website, autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and autism are terms describing a group of complex disorders of brain development. Such disorders are often characterized by difficulties in verbal and nonverbal communication, social interaction, and repetitive behaviors, among others.
Inspired by their grandsons diagnosis, the Wrights founded Autism Speaks which is at the forefront of combating autism, a disorder affecting more than 3 million in the U.S. and tens of millions worldwide. U.S. government statistics show how the prevalence of this disorder has been escalating in recent years.
Through the advocacy efforts of Autism Speaks and others, 38 states have enacted insurance reform, requiring insurance coverage of medically necessary autism treatment. Autism Speaks funds biomedical research into the causes, prevention and a cure for autism.
Sharing that she has been trying to get the Church involved in this cause for years, Suzanne Wright expressed how she is happy to see what the Church is doing and how Pope Francis is reaching out to those on the margins of society, including people with autism.
The Wrights were participants in the Vaticans three-day conference entitled, The Person with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Animating Hope, Nov 21-23 which gathered some 650 experts from nearly 60 countries and was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Pastoral Health Care.
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Autism Speaks: 'Catholic Church Can Be a 'Big Help' in Understanding Autism'