Belmont University Music Therapy Program

Autism Light #436 is Belmont University Music Therapy Program.

Belmont University is located in Nashville and is the largest Christian university in Tennessee. Belmont was founded in 1890 and in 2015 had over 7,000 students. Belmont began their Music Therapy program in 2014. Belmont University's Music Therapy Program is an Autism Light for the way in which it's training will equip students to make a difference for autism through music therapy.

Belmont University's Music Therapy Program has about 70 students and is the first four-year undergraduate program in Tennessee for music therapy. The academic program equips students to utilize music with a person's healing and recovery (Tennessean, Belmont Launches Choir for Children with Autism, December 16, 2015). Music therapy is used often with people with autism.

The following is a video on Belmont University's Music Therapy Program.

Community Choir for Children with Autism:  Belmont is partnering with the Rising Star Music Fund to create a free Community Choir for children with autism in 2016. Registration for this new choir will be held on January 10, 2016 at 2:30pm at the Massey Performing Arts Center room 12 on the campus of Belmont University. They are planning the first concert for April 17, 2016 (Tennessean, Belmont Launches Choir for Children with Autism, December 16, 2015).

Belmont's music therapy program is launching a free community choir next semester for children with autism. https://t.co/SSZvaCisgG

— Belmont University (@BelmontUniv) December 17, 2015

Prospective Students: If you are interested in the Music Therapy program at Belmont University visit their Undergraduate Music Therapy Program web page.

Special thanks to the Belmont University Music Therapy Program for helping to create a choir for children with autism. We are confident that this opportunity will enrich the lives of many children with autism in the Nashville area.  Belmont University is to be commended for making it a priority to develop a curriculum in music therapy that will shine a light or autism as the graduates take their knowledge around the world.

Search the Music Therapy label at Autism Light to find other posts on Music Therapy.

 Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Oklahoma State University Athletics

Autism Light #419 is Oklahoma State University Athletics.

Oklahoma State University was founded in 1890 and is a state research university located in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Oklahoma State University Athletics field 16 varsity teams that compete in the Big 12 Conference. Oklahoma State University Athletics is an Autism Light because they have created an I'm A-OK initiative for 2015 football games in order to help people with autism who attend their events.

Oklahoma State University Athletics worked with an autism mother Jennifer Sollars Miller of the Autism Center of Tulsa to devise a plan to make the Oklahoma State University football games more autism friendly. The I'm A-OK initiative will start with Oklahoma State University's 2015 football games that are played at Boone Pickens Stadium.

Berry Tramel and Kyle Frederickson describe this groundbreaking program in university athletics this way, "With this program, kids can voluntarily wear a badge with an 'I'm A-OK' symbol on it, so trained stadium and event staff will be able to identify those with autism and make their families feel more comfortable bringing them to Boone Pickens Stadium (Newsok.com, July 6, 2015)."

The following is a news story by Berry Tramel and Kyle Frederickson on this autism initiative by the Oklahoma State University Atheltics.



Wikipedia: For more information on Oklahoma State University Athletics visit their Wikipedia page.

Social Media: You can follow Oklahoma State University Athletics on the following social media pages.

• Facebook Page for Oklahoma State University Athletics
• Twitter @OSUAthletics
• Twitter @OSUFanex

Tickets: To order tickets for Oklahoma State University athletic events, including football games, call 1-877-ALL-4-OSU or email tickets@okstate.edu.

Special thanks to Oklahoma State Athletics for their I'm A-OK autism initiative. What a great example of how a University Athletic program can raise awareness for Autism. If this initiative is successful at football games hopefully it will expand to other sporting events. May Oklahoma State University inspire other university athletic departments to highlight autism in their game experiences.

 Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Central Michigan University Psychology Department

Autism Light #418 is the Central Michigan University Psychology Department.

Central Michigan University is a public university located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan and was established in 1892. It is the third largest research university in Michigan. The Psychology Department is part of the College of Humanities and Social and Behavioral Sciences at Central Michigan University. The Psychology Department at Central Michigan University is an Autism Light because of their creation of the Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center in the Fall of 2014.

The following is a video about how the Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center will work to help those with autism receive critical assessment and ongoing treatment.

The Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center opened the last week of October 2014 (Central Michigan News, October 30, 2014). They offer ABA therapy treatments in addition to assessments for autism. They are the northernmost autism assessment and treatment center in the state of Michigan, so it will be filling a key role by shining a light to those impacted by autism in the rural communities of Northern Michigan.

The following overview describes the Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center.

The Central Autism Assessment Treatment (CAATC) Center is a multidisciplinary student training center that provides comprehensive, evidence-based assessment and treatment for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. 

The multidisciplinary assessment team is comprised of a board certified pediatrician, speech and language pathologist, licensed psychologist, and advanced graduate students (Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center Website).

In addition, to helping those with autism the center at the time of this post is one of only two places in the State of Michigan that will also train students for a career in autism treatment and assessment. Central Michigan University was able to create this autism center thanks to a $500,000 grant from the State of Michigan Department of Community Health (Now Department of Health and Human Services) that funded a program of training students starting in January 2014.

Faculty member Carl Merle Johnson said, "Behavior analysis is considered the best treatment of choice for autism because of the results it provides. Every individual who receives treatment experiences some improvement. That's why it's so important for us to train more people to be able to provide the service. The need is great and growing, particularly here in central and northern Michigan (As Quoted by Lindsay Knake, MLive, October 14, 2013)."

Social Media: You can follow Central Michigan University and their Psychology Department on the following social media areas.

• Facebook Page for Central Michigan University
• Facebook Page for Psychology Department at Central Michigan University
• Twitter @CMUniversity
• YouTube Channel for Central Michigan University

Wikipedia: You can find out more about Central Michigan University on their Wikipedia Page.

Special thanks to Central Michigan University for creating the Central Autism Assessment and Treatment Center. We anticipate that this center will make a tremendous difference in the years to come for individuals with autism who live in Northern and Central Michigan. It is hoped that their work will inspire other universities to offer autism services. If you would like to find out about autism services at Central Michigan University the phone is 989-774-3904.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

DePaul University Athletics

Autism Light #125 is DePaul University Athletics.

DePaul University was founded in 1898 and is located in Chicago, Illinois. It is the largest Catholic University in the United States. DePaul University Athletes is an Autism Light because they sponsor an Autism Awareness Day in conjunction with their Women's Basketball program.

DePaul University Athletics will host an Autism Awareness Day on Saturday, January 14, 2012 at their Women's Basketball game where DePaul hosts Pittsburgh. The game will start at 7:00pm and be held at McGrath-Phillips Arena on the campus of DePaul University.

The DePaul University Chapter of Alpha Xi Delta and the Chicago Chapter of Autism Speaks are helping partner with DePaul University to make this event a success. A full news release on the event is at this link. DePaul University Athletes announces this about the event:

As part of Autism Awareness Day, fans are encouraged to wear Blue while the first 200 fans will receive Autism Speaks/Alpha Xi Delta water bottles. There will be an Autism Speaks information booth and all fans will receive blue ribbons with autism fact cards. A "quiet room" will be provided for families who need to utilize it during contest (Source)."

For more information on DePaul University Athletics visit their Wikipedia page. You may also follow DePaul Athletics on Twitter.

Special thanks to DePaul University for being an Autism Light and helping raise awareness for Autism at the Saturday, January 14, 2012 Women's Basketball Game. What a great example of how a University Athletic program can raise awareness for Autism.


Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism.

Colgate Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley

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Autism Light Classic
Updated on January 28, 2012.

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Autism Light #80 is the Colgate University Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley.

Photo © Bob Cornell (Image Source)

Colgate University is located in Hamilton, New York. It is an independent university founded in 1819.  The Women's Hockey Team at Colgate University led by Coach Scott Wiley is an exceptional example of how a university athletic team can spread autism awareness. They are Autism Lights because of their autism awareness campaign which is in its second year of spreading light about autism to the public and helping autism charities in the New York area. 

According to the Colgate University website, "Colgate today is a highly selective, independent, coeducational liberal arts college, enrolling approximately 2,800 undergraduates in programs that lead to the bachelor of arts." Women's Hockey is one of their 25 intercollegiate athletic programs. The Women's Ice Hockey program started with the 1997-1998 season and has been in Division I since the 2001-2002 season.

Coach Scott Wiley: "We are really excited to kick off our 2012 Autism Awareness Project and are hoping to build on the success we had in 2011", said Scott Wiley (Source) Scott Wiley is in his 10th season as the coach of the Colgate Women's Ice Hockey Team. His 127 career wins are the most in program history. For more information on his coaching career visit his page at the athletic department website of Colgate University. Scott Wiley can be found on Facebook as well. 

Kati Williams: The manager of the team is Kati Williams, a teenager who has Asperger's Syndrome. Kati Williams' enthusiasm was the inspiration for the team's decision to take up the cause of autism awareness. An article on Kati Williams was written for the Evening Sun.

Second Autism Awareness Game: On February 3, 2012 the 2nd Autism Awareness Game will be held in a game at Starr Rink against Union. Ticket information is available at this link. This year the team's uniforms for the game were designed by Christian Mast, who was Autism Light #26. Autism Speaks, ViewSonic, and Goals for Good will be partners in this autism campaign This year's goal is to raise $30,000 and the beneficiaries of funds will be Autism Speaks of Central New York, the Family Resource Network, The Kelberman Center, The OZ Project, and the American Special Hockey Association (ASHA).  A press release on this initiative was released by Colgate University at this link. This project is also mentioned in the Madison County Courier.

First Autism Awareness Game: On January 28, 2011 they began their campaign for autism awareness with a special game for autism awareness that included special uniforms with autism puzzle pieces on them and a blue light at their net that lights up for autism whenever a goal is scored. They also did other initiatives like lighting the chapel up blue on April 1.  The project raised $18,000. More information on that past initiative can be found in the following media.

• Syracuse.com article written by Alaina Potrikus. 
• Channel 9 news story. 

Syracuse Crunch: On December 3, 2011, the team was honored at a Syracuse Crunch game for their autism work.

The main website for the Colgate Women's Hockey Team's ongoing autism awareness initiative is found at this autism website To follow the Colgate Women's Hockey Team's success on the ice visit their official athletic website. The team also has a page on Wikipedia.

Social Media: To follow the Colgate Women's Hockey Team on social media visit these areas.

• YouTube
• Twitter

Special thanks to the Colgate Women's Hockey Team and Coach Scott Wiley. We wish the Colgate Women's Hockey Team great success on the court and in life. Their off the court efforts for autism awareness are a fantastic light for autism.

Autism Light honors diverse heroes to the world of autism. 

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Notes

• Special thanks to Erin Mast for nominating the Colgate Women's Hockey Team as Autism Lights and helping inspire the original November 4, 2011 post on this Autism Light. Erin's son Christian Mast was an Autism Light on September 2, 2011.  To nominate an autism light email your story to autismlight@gmail.com.
• The Madison County Journal wrote an article on the Autism Light blog after the original post.
• Photo: The photo in this post is used with permission and is © Bob Cornell.