Tonight: WWU's Eva Baharav to speak on autism at Bellingham City Hall

Eva Baharav, associate professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Washington University, will give a lecture titled “Autism: It Takes a Village to Help a Child” at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, May 4, in the Bellingham City Council Chambers, 210 Lottie St., in Bellingham.

In this talk, which is the spring 2010 installment of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences Dean’s Lecture Series, Baharav will discuss the staggering increase in autism rates worldwide and the growing health crisis that results from this condition.

“According to the latest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, autism affects one in every 110 children, including one in 70 boys. This represents a 600-percent increase in just the past 20 years,” she said.

In the wake of the April’s Autism World Awareness Month, this lecture will review this devastating condition; discuss its early identification, diagnosis and treatment; and report on ongoing research efforts carried out in the department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at Western Washington University.

Baharav, who also supervises clinical work at Western Washington University’s Speech-Language and Hearing Clinic, has earned degrees at the University of California at Berkeley and at Boston University. She has worked in the field of communication sciences and disorders for the past 25 years. With a specialty in child language disorders, her research focus is on early intervention and management of autism, use of Internet technology in parent training, and school outreach in Whatcom County. She is researching intervention models with a family focus and community inclusion. Her motto, “It Takes a Village to Help a Child with Autism,” reflects her belief that communities need to reach out to families with autism in their midst, embrace them, and help support them.

Audience participation is encouraged. The lecture will be recorded and shown on Bellingham TV Channel 10.

For more information on this lecture, contact Eva Baharav, WWU associate professor of Communication Sciences and Disorders, at (360) 650-3157 or eva.baharav@wwu.edu.