Grant goes to develop autism education center

Florida Autism Center of Excellence, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the education of children and young adults with autism, has been awarded a $700,000 grant from the Florida Department of Education to plan and develop an autism education center of excellence near Tampa. Florida Autism Center of Excellence will apply for a charter and request authorization to serve students in Hillsborough, Pasco, Pinellas, Sarasota, Manatee and Polk counties. The center is scheduled to open in August 2007 and will serve students ages three to 22. The need is great in Florida, where the most recent U.S. Department of Education figures available ranked the state sixth in the nation in 2005 with 7,918 cases of autism in children ages six through 21. It is estimated that autism affects one in 166 children born today.

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