From left are Lacey Cook, licensed behavior analyst with the Sikeston Austism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment; Diane Robinson and Steven “Jigsaw” Launer with the Qulin Legion Riders: Dr. Renee Patrick, director of Southeasts Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment; and Robert Reif of the Qulin Legion Riders.
The Qulin (Missouri) Legion Riders made a gift Nov. 6 to the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment at Southeasts Sikeston Campusin support of its mission to serve individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and other developmental disabilities and their family, caregivers and service providers throughout the southeast Missouri region.
The Qulin Legion Riders were joined by members of the Freedom of the Road Riders, Throttle Kings and Throttle Queens, all of Dexter, Missouri, to present Southeasts Sikeston Autism Center with a $600 check as part of their second annual Autism Awareness Run.
Were dedicated to supporting autism awareness in our local area and making a positive impact for those in our community, said Robert Reif of the Qulin Legion Riders. Our goal is to help support the needs of the Center and the children they help as much as we can.
The donation will help support the Centers mission to provide support, tools and resources for families in the Bootheel, said Dr. Renee Patrick, director of Southeasts Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment.
We are grateful for the Legion Riders support of our commitment to Missouri children and families, she said. The donation will allow the Center to purchase augmentative and alternative communication devises that will help facilitate the childrens communication and interactive skills.
The Legion Riders donation helps support the Centers programming and services, which expanded its outreach to residents in southeast Missouri earlier this year. The Sikeston location helps provide services to meet a growing demand in the region for autism services without having to travel to Cape Girardeau, where the Universitys main Autism Center is located at 611 N. Fountain Street.
The Sikeston facility provides early intensive intervention services through the Centers Building Blocks Program for young children ages 2-5 who have significant need for applied behavioral analytic programming; Speech Language Pathology using a push-in service for Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) communication device users; and diagnostic evaluations for individuals seeking diagnostic clarification of Autism Spectrum Disorder.
For more information, contact the Southeast Missouri State University Autism Center for Diagnosis and Treatment at (573) 986-4985 orautismcenter@semo.edu.