Monday, March 25, 2013

Strides for Autism- Davis Orthodontics style!

Here at Davis Orthodontics we are gearing up for a busy April. April is National Autism month, and Autism Awareness is our chosen philanthropy!

Some information: Currently in the United States 1 in every 88 children are born with Autism Spectrum Disorder. About 1,500,000 people in the U.S. (over 42,000 in South Carolina) have some form of autism, with experts believing this is a conservative figure. It's prevalence rate places it as one of the three most common developmental disabilities-- more common than Down Syndrome. Yet the majority of the public, including some professionals in the medical, educational, and vocational fields are still unaware of how autism affects behavior. Progress is being made in developing more effective teaching methods and other interventions for individuals with Autism. In 1972 a group of dedicated parents of children with Autism banded together to form the South Carolina Autism Society. The SCAS has been a United Way participant since 1976, other financial support come from memberships, donations, grants, and fundraisers...this is where WE come in!
         
SCAS and Davis Orthodontics: Autism Awareness is important to Dr. Davis for many reasons, but most importantly because of his involvement in the lives of South Carolina's youth. Here in our practices we are lucky enough to work closely with children on a daily basis, and we know firsthand that no two people are alike. We strive to live by example of treating all of our patients, friends, and people we meet with the same friendly and welcoming attitude. There are a lot of misconceptions and "unknowns" in the U.S. and in our community about this disorder. For example, Autism is not a mental illness, it is not an unruly child unwilling to change their behavior, and is not caused by bad parenting or psychological factors. The South Carolina Autism Society works with one goal in mind and that is for every individual in South Carolina with Autism Spectrum disorder to be able to reach their maximum potential. This is done by spreading awareness of the disorder, furthering advancement of educational programs for individuals with Autism, ensuring proper and quality medical treatment options are made available to all individuals with Autism, and helping Autistic individuals integrate into all parts of our community. 

On May 4th the SCAS is holding the Midlands Strides for Autism at the Cayce Riverfront Park. The staff here at Davis Orthodontics will be walking as a team in the event along with our friends and family members. We inviting all patients, colleagues, and friends to walk with our team in the event. Here in our offices we are asking our patients to get involved, too! During the month of April Dr. Davis will donate $5 to the cause for every patient that chooses to get blue bands on their braces in honor of Autism Awareness. We can see up to 200 patients each week, so with your help we can make a great donation! 



Here is some information about participating in the Strides for Autism walk!

Where: Cayce Riverfront Park (entrance next to the old New Orleans restaurant over the Gervais St bridge)
When: Saturday May 4th, 2013
Registration:  Anyone may walk for free!! If you would like an event t-shirt you can make an individual donation of $25, or a family donation of $50 for 4 event t-shirts!
How to walk with Davis Orthodontics: Let us know you're interested! You can also make donations of any size through our team, just bring them to either of our office locations!




*much of the information on this page was provided from the SCAS website, for more information please visit http://www.scautism.org/



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