From the President

     It is truly an honor for me to serve as the President of ASD. In 1994 when Judi and I came to accept that our son Andrew suffers from autism, the rate of occurrence was 1 in 10,000. Today it is one in 150 an astounding increase. Autism is an equal opportunity disability with only one exception… that 4 out of 5 autistic individuals are male. It does not matter what your race, nationality or socioeconomic status is. We all are affected equally.  Who would have thought it would happen to us? 

     Andrew’s disability was a “life changer” for our whole family. Not just for Judi and I but for Christi our daughter and for our friends and family around us. We were not going to be a “typical” family, we would not have typical friends and we have not lead typical lives, and never will. In that acceptance we have found hope, new friends, support, determination and the belief that we have been chosen for our lot in life for a reason. If you are affected by this disability either directly or indirectly, I am sure you have a similar story to share and so we are drawn together for that very reason.

ASD is an effective organization seeking the promotion of a common aim, but also because of our members, because of you. It has been a place for our family to look for and get support, to offer and lend support and to share the pain and joys of raising our son and family together. It means that we are not alone facing a totally uncertain future. It means that we do not face the future always on a new frontier; that we can know what we may expect and know that others have faced similar challenges and survived.

     ASD is a place for us to meet on many levels, to share our ideas and to expend our sometimes boundless and sometimes exhausted energy on improving the world for our loved ones. It is a place for us to work for “Our Team” and “Our Families” simultaneously. It is a place to grow and relish what we have accomplished and what we dream for.

     My message is a simple one. Join us today, join us tomorrow, join us when you need help or when you can help others. There is plenty we need to accomplish and we need all of our collective talent to make the dreams before us become reality. Please participate. We need your help and welcome you with open arms.

     Call me personally to discuss how you may experience what the Gilsdorf family has, by being a part of ASD. Please also look around our website to see more about what we are about, what we have accomplished and what we hope to accomplish. 

Welcome.

Rob Gilsdorf
President

(302) 378-3462