Families with ASD

Many do not know that the first edition of the Autism Yellow Pages© were first created from a word document that Julia Ann Smith had created over the years while researching autism and looking for local resources for her son Luke. "Everytime I came upon a new resource, or service provider that worked with children or adults with autism, I would add them to my list."said Smith, Founder of Families with ASD. "When we started having our autism support group meetings, families would ask me questions like, "Do you know of a dentist that is good with children on the spectrum?" or, "Can you recommend a barber who will be patient with my child?" I got so many request, I started printing out copies of my list and handed them out at our support group meetings."

When Julia and Greg put on the first Autism Expo in September of 2006, they wanted every family to have a copy of their resource guide. They knew first hand how hard it was to find resources for their son, and they wanted to help save other families from the frustrating and many times overwhelming task of trying to find out what was out their for their child. They also knew first hand how tight money was for families living with autism, so they insisted that their books would always be handed out FREE to families. Thus began the beginning of the Autism Yellow Pages©.

"People would laugh if they only knew how the first Yellow Pages were created, " says Patricia Hovel, mother of Julia. "Greg and Julia turned their living room into a giant printing press office. They bought a laser copier with their own money, and started printing copies of the book. Their dining room table was used all summer to assemble the books. Their whole living room was filled with boxes of the books they had already printed. Anyone who happened to drop in to visit them over the summer could expect to help collate and bind the books. All 400 copies were handmade and took 2 months and many, many volunteers to assemble. We handed out all 400 copies within the first 4 hours of our 2006 Autism Expo! Families were so excited to get their hands on a copy, that we had a waiting list for our 2007 Autism Yellow Pages©."

Today the Autism Yellow Pages© has grown so popular that in 2009, they had 4,000 copies printed to be handed out at the 2009 Families with ASD's Autism Expo. The demand is so big, the Smith's can not print them on their own anymore so they are now working with Springdot Printing from Cincinnati, OH to do the printing for them. "The book has really evolved over the years, " said Julia. We were very lucky to met Rick Autzen from Springdot Printing. He has worked closely with me over the past two years to make the layout flow better and more user friendly. He also has helped give our book a very polished look. " said, Smith.

The Autism Yellow Pages© not only has a listing of local, state. and national autism resources, but it also contains very valuable information on all aspects of autism including; available therapies, how to get the diagnosis, information on adult with autism service providers, what are waivers, and how to apply for them.

The demand for copies of the Autism Yellow Pages© has evolved too. Families with ASD's had many different doctor's offices, schools, and other organizations call and visit their Autism Family Resource Center asking for boxes of our Autism Yellow Pages© to hand out for their trainings, or families. "We are so very proud to think that our guide is helping so many families and organizations," said Smith.

The Autism Yellow Pages© have evolved not only in content but also in cost, however, they will always remain FREE to families. "We have to fundraise over $8,000 a year to help pay for the printing of the Autism Yellow Pages©. " said Families with ASD's President, Doug Blecher. "Since it is a yearly publication, it is a yearly expense for our group. Families with ASD's board of directors is made up of volunteers. We have no paid staff. Many of our volunteers have a child/adult or loved one with autism. Since our Board of Directors live with autism, they know first-hand how expensive it is to raise a child/adult with autism. It is very important to our Families with ASD Board to stay true to our mission and help families living with autism. It is important that we NEVER charged for these books." , said Bletcher.

If you would like to make a donation to help Families with ASD help more families get a free copy of the Autism Yellow Pages©, please mail the donation to the Families with ASD's Autism Family Resource Center at 5989 Meijer Drive, Suite 9, Milford, OH 45150. Please make the donation out to Families with ASD, and mark it as "Autism Yellow Pages© Donation." Any donation amount would be greatly appreciated. Remember that since Families with ASD is a 501 (c) 3, non-profit public charity, your donation is tax-exempt to the extent of the law. Families with ASD has NO paid staff, so every penny you donate will go to help them better serves families living with autism.

View the Autism Yellow Pages© now!