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Lido Civic Club to honor Jane Salzano for her pioneering work in autism intervention

The Lido Civic Club of Washington D.C. at their annual black–tie Past Presidents Night gala to be held on January 22, 2011 at the Capital Hilton located on 16th Street in Northwest Washington will honor the community service of the Salzano Family for their pioneering work in autism intervention and service delivery. As the founder of Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children (CSAAC), a Maryland non‐profit organization, Jane Salzano is a nationally recognized leader on topics ranging from early childhood intervention protocols, educational supports and strategies and innovative, non‐aversive, community based living and vocational programs. Jane’s work and that of her family has touched the lives of countless families and changed the standards for autism service delivery nationwide.

Jane SalzanoJane founded Community Services for Autistic Adults and Children (CSAAC), Inc. in 1979 with a vision to dramatically change the quality of life for adults and children with autism. Through Jane’s vision and determination, CSAAC has become the largest provider in the nation to serve individuals with autism exclusively. CSAAC’s mission is “to enable individuals with autism to reach their highest potential and contribute as confident individuals to their community.” She saw a future where adults with autism lived and worked in the community as opposed to being warehoused in institutional settings.

CSAAC currently serves more than 300 children and adults diagnosed with autism. In 2003, Carl Salzano, her son and Partner at Booz Allen Hamilton, joined the Board of Directors and led the organization through significant change and improvement initiatives designed to build a lasting resiliency enterprise with new and improved services. Under his leadership, CSAAC expanded the capacity of the Community School of Maryland thus increasing educational and support opportunities for pre‐schoolers and school‐aged children. This effort has led to much needed support for more than 80 children. Most recently, Carl commissioned the development of CSAAC’s 36,000 square foot headquarters in Gaithersburg, Maryland. It now serves as a training and operational hub for care giver training and support programs. This leadership has assured the long term viability of CSAAC and has led to significant improvements in delivery of services.

CSAAC services begin for toddlers as young as eighteen months. This early intervention has been credited with dramatic behavioral improvements which help prepare these same children for public school environments. An in‐home residence program has also been developed that provides parental training and skills development for children. The program helps to ease family stress and develops a further basis for learning.

The residential housing program serves one hundred and twenty individuals in fifty two residential sites in Montgomery County. It has also developed the first vocational program in the nation whereby an adult with autism is placed at a work site with a trained counselor who is responsible for teaching the individual the job and monitors production and behavior. The program now serves individuals with autism in over forty public and private job sites such as The Gazette Newspapers, TJ Maxx, Todd Allen Printing, Shoppers Food Warehouse, and The Home Depot. Your Gazette newspaper may be delivered by a CSAAC individual.

 

 

2011 | 01 |21 | CiaoAmerica.net |

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