April 27, 2010

ANNOUNCER:

Autism is a lifelong disability affecting 1-point-5 million Americans.  It impacts the way the brain functions and usually becomes evident WITH IN THE FIRST THREE YEARS OF A CHILD’S LIFE.   People with autism have IMPAIRED communication and social skills, as well aS, restrictive or repetitive behaviors.  wE ALSO KNOW THAT many people with autism are visually and spatially oriented.  for this reason DESIGN SOFTWARE IS ACTUALLY HELPING UNLEASH THEIR CREATIVITY.  PATRICIA WRIGHT IS THE EASTER SEALS NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF AUTISM SERVICES.

PATRICIA WRIGHT, EASTER SEALS NATIONAL DIRECTOR OF AUTISM SERVICES:

“Google’s free 3-D modeling tool, SketchUp, is counting a growing number of people with Autism among its fans.   Many seem adept at navigating the system and creating models that they would have struggled to create with pencil and paper.  To encourage people with and without Autism to think about design solutions for people with Autism, Easter Seals is launching an online competition, Sketch-A-Space, to give entrants a chance to design a ‘dream space’ using Google SketchUp.”

ANNOUNCER:

TO LEARN MORE OR PARTICIPATE IN THE EASTER SEALS’ SKETCH-A-SPACE COMPETITION, VISIT WWW.EASTERSEALS.COM.