Autism Awareness

The Pittsburgh Center of Autism

PR Planbook

Andrew Dickson / Ashten Farah /

Lindsay Casile / Jermaine Dwight

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Situational Analysis
The purpose of this collection of
documents is to provide a
background on Autism and why it
was chosen as our topic of focus.
ln addition, after reading this
Situational Analysis, one will also
learn more about The Pittsburgh
Center of Autism, how it connects
to RMU, trends in Autism and
finally a direct SWOT breakdown
of both the Center and Non-Profit
organizations as a whole. This
Situational Analysis acts
strong foundation for
campaign and once read one will
have a better understanding and
grasp on Autism and its relevance
today.
SWOT Analysis
Who We Are
As junior and senior Public Relations majors at Robert Morris University, we
chose to focus on and spread awareness for a disease that affects more than 1.5
million Americans, Autism. As many as one in every one hundred and ten
children are diagnosed with this disease, at which the rate of diagnosis is rising
annually by ten to seventeen percent (autismspeaks.org). Because there is no
current cure, and the severity of symptoms can be severely decreased if detected
early, we, teamed up with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh wish to spread
awareness to current and future mothers to help catch warning signs early!
The Autism Center of Pittsburgh became of particular interest to our campaign
t because of their volunteer-based, not for profit approach. Because the
organization is run by parents of children with autism, not only do they
understand and care, the center pays particular detail to each individual case,
knowing that signs for each child can be drastically different. Because so many
children are affected with the disease, parents can wait months and months for
initial appointments, but the Autism Center of Pittsburgh has psychologists on
hand willing to quickly diagnose any child so services can be appropriately
arranged.
Not only does the center provide ongoing therapy for children, they provide
speech and language evaluations, music therapy, support for families, autism
101 classes, outings for children with autism, social skills groups and many more.
The Autism Center of Pittsburgh recently teamed up the Wraparound Agency
enabling families to obtain access to in school and at home support services.
Our goal, together with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh is to increase the
knowledge of warning signs in mothers and develop awareness in our school and
local community.
as a Overview of the Autism Center of Pittsburgh
our The Autism Center of Pittsburgh, located in the city at 135 Cumberland Road, is
Pittsburgh's non-profit answer to Autism. The center works in close co-ordination
with Aspire Pediatric Therapy, also located in Pittsburgh. Founded by parents of
autistic children, the center is completely non-profit and run 100% upon
donations.
It is encouraged that if you even suspect your child to have signs of Autism to
come in and get a diagnosis, and being that it is a service to the community of
Pittsburgh, the diagnosis is free. ln addition to a professional indication of
whether or not your child has any degree of Autism, there are many other
services offered by the facility.
Some of these services include Speech, Occupational and Ongoing Outpatient
Therapy -- all of which, again, are completely free. ln addition to a basic Autistic
diagnosis, a Speech Evaluation is offered. Children can even partake in Music
Therapy, something proven to be very beneficial to Autistic Youth. Considering
how much help the Center has provided for Pittsburgh's Autistic community, we
felt it a perfect client to endorse and promote for our project. lt is our chance to
promote an organization that has done nothing but give back.
To give an example of some of the direct help the Center has provided, in
September 2011 a family with an Autistic child, The Osinski's, was given a trained
service dog that will be taught to search and rescue, providing dependence. This
was made possible through a grant from the Allegheny Country District Attorney's
office, and as you can see, it is from the spirit of donations and charity that the
organization thrives.
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Autism
A Background
ASD, Autistic Spectrum Disorder, is a disorder of the brain and the central nervous system. However, depending on the individual,
sometimes the disorder is solely of the brain, or solely of the central nervous system. Autism affects brain's ability to process
information by altering nerve cells and synapses and the end result is a spectrum of low, medium and high functioning individuals
with ASD.

Autism is characterized by impaired social communication, interaction with others and repetitive/limited behavior. Contrary to
popular belief, atypical eating is not always associated with Autism, though it can be. Autism is a difficult disorder to diagnose, as
many have specific traits found in Autistic individuals, but diagnosis requires a range of these traits rather than just one or two.

There are three main types of Autism, though there is constant debate about how to classifu the spectrum-based disorder. "Classic"
Autism, Asperger Syndrome and PDD-NOS (Pervasive Developmental Disorder Not Othenruise Specified) are the three most
common classifications of ASD, though some also consider Rett Syndrome, Childhood Disintegrative Disorder and Pathological
Demand Avoidance as other major forms of ASD.

It has been pointed out that Autism likely develops as early as eight weeks after conception, and by the age of 3 the guardian of the
Autistic individual should easily be able to see emerging signs of disconnection and repetition. Children with Autism have difficulty
maintaining friendships, tend to fall into patterns of isolation and are unable to pick up on normal social cues that others grasp as
second-nature. There is no cure, only management, and the earlier one finds ways to cope with their Autism the more effectively
ASD can be managed. This is one of the many reasons why we have chosen this topic, as increasing awareness is not only
effective for dealing with Autistic individuals, but for mothers who may have an Autistic child and not realize so.

Trends ln Autism 6

Autism is an illness that is also known as ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). s

Attributes that are known to be associated with it are the following: Trouble
in social situations, problems with speech and language, and unusual
behavioral manifestations such as habitual repetitive movements with great
distress from changes in living space. lt is usually apparent in children as
3
young as 3 years of age. Autism is something that affects about 1 in every
1 10 children and to be more specific 1 out of every 70 boys.

1
"Autism affects 1 out of every 70 boys."
0
1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
 iii.;i;

How Many Have Autism?

Treatment / Management
For every 1,000 people worldwide, 1-2 will have ASD, 6 will have Asperger Syndrome and around 4 will have PDD-NOS. ln the
United States, the CDC reports that 9 out of every 1 ,000 children are born with Asperger Syndrome. For every girl born with the
disorder, there are around 4 and half boys with ASD -"the ratio for Mental Retardation (severe ASD) is currently at 2 boys for every
girl diagnosed with MR. Despite a sexual bias in favor of men, autism is not affected or caused from ethnicity, race or background.

Autism increased in the 1990s and 2000s, though this is likely due to increased social awareness on just what it was and how to
properly diagnose the disorder. However, this does not mean that Autism is not increasing, or declining - data is currently
inadequate to determine whether Autism is actually on the rise versus diagnoses.

There is no single risk factor for autism, though it has been shown that older parents (particularly older fathers) and parents with
diabetes increase the risk of inheriting Autism. Use of psychiatric drugs during pregnancy and various environmental factors (certain
foods, infectious disease, heavy metals, pesticides, alcohol, illicit drugs and even prenatal stress) can also increase one's risk factor
for developing ASD.

Autism has a strong genetic basis, but it is never directly traced to a single chromosome and is based around rare genetic mutations.
It has been said that autism is heritable but does not exist in the parent's genes directly - when realizing this one can see why it is so
difficult to pinpoint a cure for the disorder. To show how strongly genes play a factor in developing Autism, you are 70% likely to
inherit Autism if a parent has Classic Autism and g0% likely if a parent has Asperger Syndrome. Siblings of those with ASD are 25
times more likely to have Autism in some degree than the rest of the population with neurotypical (non-autistic) individuals.

The earlier Autism is treated, the more effectively one can cope with ASD. Benefits of treatment include being able to care for one's
self, increased social skills and improved communication on the whole. Treatment is always directly tailored for the individual and is
based on how high or low functioning one is upon the Autistic spectrum. Some techniques used are Applied Behavior Analysis
(ABA), Structured Teaching, Speech and Language Therapy, Developmental Models, Occupational Therapy and Social Skills
Therapy. The goals of treatment are always to lessen family stress, increase independence and quality of life in addition to
decreasing the severity of autistic traits.

I
Trends ln Autism
Since the 1900's when autism was discovered it has become a more l0 Year'Olds 6 Year Olds
Absolute Absoluie
common illness and it seems like more and more kids are being diagnosed Prevalence Dif{erence Prevalence Differeilce
Spe.ial (Cases per (Cases per (Cases per (Cases per
with it every year. There were 251 children were diagnosed with ASD Education Birth to 0OO o/o to 0o0 lo 0oo o/o to ooo
Classification Cohon Populstion) Chanqe population) Population) Chdnqe poDUlation)
between 1991-1992 in contrast during the year 2001-2002 there were 4,094 1982 4.5
1984 5.1 51 4 1.8
children that were diagnosed with ASD. The rate of Autism being prevalent 1986 1.2 !t- 2 i.5 J.5
among 6-year-old children rose from 13 per 10000 in 1995-1996 and to 35 1988 11 I t.0 1.2 t6.1 2.6
19:10 5.1 65 1.5 59. / 4.1
per 10000 in 1999-2000. Research on 8-year-old children produced rates 1 992
5 1

19.1 66.1 7.6

that increased from 20 per 10000 in 1997-'1998 to 66 per 10000 in 2001- 199 4 21.1 76.2 5.0

2002.
 Autism Genter of Pittsburgh
SWOT Analysis
Strengths:
. Reaches over 900 parents in the greater Pittsburgh area
r Discussion boards for parents to discuss children
o Free Mailing List
r Many helpful resources located on site and through the website
. 50'lc3 registered in the State of Pennsylvania
r Three locations in Piftsburgh
r Services are free of charge

Weaknesses:
According to an article found in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette entitled Cybergiving clicks: Online donations catch on nationwide, author
Joyce Gannon illustrates how local businesses are benefiting from creating donation links on their websites. A survery conducted by
Blackbaud shows that online donating accounted for 7.6 percent of all fundraising in 2010. Because online donating is increasing in
popularity, it is important to have this new feature easily accessible on the Autism Center of Pittsburgh's website. Though there is a
link on the site, it is hard to navigate to and most would not be able to find its location. A link on the home page would be boundlessly
beneficial.

Potential Opportunities:
The Autism Center of Pittsburgh has joined Autismlink, which connects their center to other autism centers both local and
nationwide. This grants the Autism Center of Piftsburgh access to even more resources and links, including nationwide events and
nationwide news stories. Autismlink even has a twitter account that is updated daily.

Potential Threats:
A major threat the Autism Center of Pittsburgh faces is the community donating to national autism organizations instead of local
centers. The center runs completely on donation dollars and provides services to local children and adults in need. lf people donate
to national organizations, their money leaves Piftsburgh.

Trends ln Autism
The change in ASD prevalence within similar birth years can be carefully
monitored. Some sample examples of monitoring of the rise in kids is that
children bom in 1991 had a rate of Autism being apparent with a ratio of 21
per 10000 in 1997, when theyaged 6 years. ln 2001,when the 1991 birth
year group was 10 years of age, the prevalence rate was 52 per 10000.The
reasons behind the increase in children with autism is still unclear there are
speculations that say it could be due to an increase in awareness, or
population changes but these are not solid answers
Non-Profit

\
 Secondary Research
Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction/communication, restricted/repetitive behavior and sometimes even atypical eating.
Single traits appear amongst non-autistic people but it is the overall context which determines diagnosis. About .SYo - 10Yo show unusual
abilities, ranging from trivial memorization to having Savant Syndrome.
Asperger's Syndrome is diagnosed by lacking delays in mental development and language. Pervasive Developmental Disorder-Not
Othenryise Specificed is diagnosed when the full set of criteria for Autism or Asperge/s Syndrome is not met. Classic Autism, Asperger
Syndrone and PDD-NOS/Atypical Autism make up the three forms of Autism. Other forms of Autism include Reft Syndrome, Childhood
Disintegrative Disorder, Pervasive Developmental Disorder and Pathological Demand Avoidance.

Autism was developed by psychologist Eugen Bleuler, about 100 years ago, when trying to define Schizophrenia. ln the 40s it was used to
describe children with emotional or social problems. ln the 60s, Parent Therapy and 'early intervention' began to be seen as beneficial.
While originally no link existed between genetics and Autism, Autism is now seen as very heritable.

Friendships are difficult to make and those with Autism judge their loneliness on the quality of the friendships, rather than the quantity. A
stereotype suggests that those with Autism prefer to be left alone, when the actuality is that they feel alone due to the way in which they
judge loneliness. Autism can still allow one to pick up racist and sexist tendencies, however, as this is picked up from parents.

Autism covers a spectrum - everything from mental disability, to being mute, body rocking, hand-flapping and oddly social specific interests
- and this spectrum can be divided up into LFA/MFA/HFA (low/medium/high functioning). Some also divide the spectrum up by Syndromal
- Severe MR (mental retardation) and Non-Syndromal. lt has been proposed to classifiT Autism with a mix of genetics and behavior, as
diagnosis is currently based on behavior and not cause. One must exhibit six symptons -
at least two of social impairment, one in
communication-based impairment and one in restricted/repetitive behavior. By six months of age, children with Autism show obvious
symptoms and these symptoms become established by 2-3 years old before continuing into adulthood. Most parents should notice signs
within the first two years of life and by age three Autism should be fully recognizable.

ln infancy, infants show less attention to social stimuli. They tend to smile less often, look at others less and respond less often to their own
name. ln toddlers, there is less eye contact and turn taking. Autistic toddlers cannot use simple movements to express themselves, such
as pointing at something, unlike non-autistic toddlers. 3-5 year olds are less likely to understand social conventions, walk up to another
child, imitate others, respond to emotions, communicate nonverbally or take tums with others. At this age, intense attachments are formed
with the primary caregiver, but there is less attachment security to this figure than typical. Attachment security, in normal children, allows
one to explore freely while guardian is present, communicate with strangers and feel upset when their guardian leaves the room. ln higher
mental development cases, this lack of aftachment security is not present. ln older children, face and emotional recognition is lower on the
whole.

ln communication, 1/3rd Io 1l2th with Autism do not develop enough natural speech for daily communication. This can be present in the first
year of life, with signs such as delayed babbling, unusual gestures, lowered responsiveness and vocal patterns not matching up with one's
primary caregiver. ln 2-3 years, these signs are less frequent and diverse babbling, consonants, words and word combinations.
Additionally, 2-3 year old autistic children are less likely to make requests or share experiences but are more likely to repeat another's
phrases/words without understanding, a condition called echolalia. Gestures are removed from their words and someone must point things
out in order to draw attention to them, something called joint attention. Those with ASD will look at the hand that's pointing, not the object,
in addition to having trouble commenting upon and sharing an experience.

High-functioning autistic children (age 8-15) communicate just as competently as other children at basic language, vocabulary and spelling.
High-functioning adults performed better than the average neurotypical at basic language, but performed worse at complex language. This
is also the case with 8-15 year old children. To the average person, one will assume one with high-functioning autism to know more than
they actually do, because at a basic level they communicate superior than most. At a more in-depth level, this is not so.

Autism is caused by either rare mutations or rare combinations of genes. Rarely, autism is attributed to environmental causes, such as
heavy metals or pesticides. Childhood vaccines are thought by some to cause autism, but this has been disputed. Autism has a strong
genetic basis, but cannot be traced to a single chromosome. Siblings of those who have autism are 25 times more likely to be autistic and
inheriting autism from a parent is 70o/o likely - 90% likely if Asperger's syndrome. A good portion of those with autism may have gotten it
from genetic causes that are heritable but were not directly existing in the parent's genes. Agents that cause birth defects (teratogens)
occur during the first eight weeks of life, which suggests that autism occurs extremely early in life. Autism results from the brain over-
developing too quickly, too early in life and then slowing down as life progresses. This leads to a dysfunctional brain which is affected worse
by environmental factors. Many theories exist on what occurs in the brain which causes autism, but no concrete explanation exists.

Treatment is best when treated early through behavioral or cognitive intervention. This can allow autistic children to gain self-case, social
and communication skills. Applied Behavior Analysis, Developmental Models, Structured Teaching, Speech and Language Therapy, Social
Skills Therapy and Occupational Therapy are all forms of treatment. The goals for any form of treatment should be to decrease the severity
of autistic traits, lessen family stress, increase quality of life and increase independence.
 Campaign Methods
Because early detection in autistic children is so crucial to effective treatment, we
will launch a campaign directed towards future mothers and mothers of young
children in order to educate them on warning signs and the advantages of early
detection. Currently, there is no cure for autism, but early detection is
increasingly vital because it allows for the most treatable cases. As many as one
in 110 people are diagnosed with autism and since it is extremely manageable
The Arrtirrn when discovered early, the most important focus of our campaign will be geared
Au'arene*r 1libbol towards early detection.
lhr purrle pdttrrD rl
thlr rlLl'r,ri r6altrr la
lhr trrr\t{fy rnd Because our target is mothers, our segment for primary research will include
corrr1,l"r,19 ol rutt",'r pregnant women and mothers of young children, under the age of seven. These
fhr rliffclrnl r*lprr women will either be working or stay at home mothers. We will target mothers
and ahapec repr.rentr
lh. dlv?trlly ol prtplr from all areas of the United States, but our focus groups will include women from
rnd hmlllc: llvlng Western Pennsylvania. Mothers of small children and future mothers are the
slth tlttr dlrordrr most defenseless because had they never been involved with an autistic person
Ths brlqttilgrr ol
lhc rilrhvn r'lgallt prior, it can be very difficult to know or even notice the warning signs. The
'- ii hop" h,rpd rhrougb women will be of fine health and all possess the ability to be pregnant. Our
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secondary target market will include the families of these mothers, specifically
their older children. With the resources of Robert Morris University, we will grow
ftl:,1,:i";:;.'1,,,, awareness to college age individuals in hopes that their knowledge of early
detection will transfer to their families.

Our humanistic research involves teaming up with the Center for autism of
Pittsburgh to gain insight on the behavior of autistic individuals through first-hand
experience. At the center, we will implement personal in depth interviews with
current doctors, psychologists and volunteer parents on staff. The center's
reachability is most advantageous being that it is less than fifteen miles from
Robert Morris University's campus. Because of our geographic location and
support of a thriving University our organizational capabilities are limitless. We
have ample meeting space, libraries and resources to conduct and discover our
secondary research. Through use of the University's medical books and online
journals we are able to obtain an array of information regarding the disorder.

ln order to increase awareness, we will have a speaker on campus to inform on

methods of early detection. The speaker will use storytelling to describe her own
experiences raising an autistic child as well demonstrate how to detect warning
signs. Before and after this broadcast, we will conduct a short paper survey
collecting information on the general mother's knowledge and what they gained
from the seminar. The speaker presentation will be open to the public, but
special invitations will be sent to mothers with young children and pregnant
mothers of the Pittsburgh area.

We will also conduct longer surveys distributed to students of Robert Morris

University and sent to local homes. We will use an online survey system to post
the survey online allowing access to people all over the country. We will conduct
a focus group for pregnant women. The women will all be living in the Pittsburgh
area, in good health and under the age of forty. The women can be at any stage

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of their pregnancy for the first meeting. One year later, the women will meet
again, for a follow up focus group. The purpose of the group is to initially help
build knowledge of warning signs and generate ideas to further our campaign.
When the women meet for the second time, we will focus on discovering what
they felt was important and crucial in them knowing. We will conduct on-going,
year round, ethnographic research in local malls and playgrounds to gain insight
on our target audience. Through observation and interaction with children and
their mothers, we will be able to further develop the needs of our campaign.

These various research styles are fundamental to our campaign in helping to

Si"b portray our slice-of-life, lifestyle and testimonial techniques. ln executing our
campaign, we plan to be very rational by using the staggering statistics we found
in our research, emotional by connecting personally with our target groups, and
moral by showing the positive and negative aspects to knowing the warning signs
in children.
 g.fil'A.R.1

Specific objectives are to increase autism awareness to the general public,

specifically mothers of young children and future mothers, in order to increase
knowledge on the importance of early detection.

M""rur"ble tasks include teaming up with the Autism Center of Pittsburgh to

allow for education and provide treatment options. We will use surveys and
qualified speakers in order to reach the public. We plan to send information to
households in the Pittsburgh area, specifically focusing on households with
young children. We will hold in-depth interviews with doctors at the Autism
Center of Pittsburgh to learn exactly what warning signs mothers can look for and
allow opportunities for parents to set up appointments with these doctors.

Achievable objectives will be through the use of Robert Morris' libraries and
student service resources. With our extensive budget and these unlimited school
resources, we will be able to reach our audiences. Because our campaign is on-
going, we can continuously utilize these resources to expand our targeted
territory in the future.

Relevance to the community is stressing the idea that early detection can allow
for much more effective and manageable treatment. lf awareness is increased in
the community, treatment will be sought out earlier and children with autism will
learn how to manage their autism at a much younger age, allowing for higher-
functioning capabilities.

Tit" frame of our campaign is by sprin g of 2013, awareness of the importance

of early autism detection will be increased one hundred percent in Moon
Township and close surrounding areas. We will judge our successes based on
follow-up surveys and through the Autism Center of Pittsburgh's increased efforts
for treatment.
 \

AUTISM Ir tl I
IS THE FASTEST GROWING
CIEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITY Central Message

1:)
Every 11 minutes, a child is born that will soon be diagnosed
frl with some form of Autism. lt is the fastest growing developmental
disability, affecting 1 in 91 children. These statistics from the
National lnstitute of Neurological Disorders are particularly
startling because they are only based off of children that have
LIFESPAN AUTISM COSTS been diagnosed.
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tt The main issue that we plan to address is that many children
ffi remain undiagnosed for too long when treatment options are
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readily available, many times right in our own backyard. The
tfiAtsF0RT l0l problem is that many parents do not know what signs to look for,
tflsuflANct ri0sTs supP08Tt0 ilJP!0Y[1tilT
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Ts[fiaFIuTtclil]nvINTt0NS and if they do suspect something, they do not know which step
clilf0lvEBc0sls
70"/t BA% 90%t00r; to take next. Through this campaign, we hope to educate the
public, primarily mothers, so that they may take appropriate
action if necessary.

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iltilttilittttttt tt
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V/ itffrtttttttilttt tt The Autism Center of Pittsburgh provides many services that can
U DISABILITIES ttttttttttilttilt tt help parents of Autistic children at all stages, starting with a
ilttttttttttttilt tt diagnosis. Their website provides a list of signs and symptoms to
tttffttttfififirr il look for in the child. lf the child is diagnosed, the center provides
several serviced from speech therapy to occupational therapy.

ln a recent study published in the Journal of Child Psychology

OI'ILY 15% (lF YOUNG ADULTS WITH DISABITITIES
HAVE PURSUED EDUCATION BEYOND HIGH SCHOOL
;'.^'ry,1,.3fffiffi
and Psychiatry, researchers found that a large number of
undiagnosed children displayed the same autistic traits as
children who held a clinical diagnosis. The problem with children
remaining undiagnosed is that they are not deemed eligible for
specialized health services. Sadly, if they remain undiagnosed
as they grow older, their struggles only multiply, leaving them
without the extra support they need at school and on into their
experiences in the "real world."

ONLY U3 OF YOUTH WHO NETDED We may not be able to find a cure for Autism immediately, but

\ I VOCATIONAT HELP RECEIVEO IT we can certainly try to provide help to the affected children and
lighten the load of the parents who raise them. There is hope
when dealing with autism.
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 Strategies
Target Audience
Mothers in Pittsburgh

Women who are expecting children in Pittsburgh

Mothers are likely to notice issues in their children at an early age and thus this is why it is important to target and inform both mothers and
women who are expecting children. ln being informed, they can prevent a lifetime of problems.

Campaign Objectives
r lnform mothers that Autism is a spectrum and not all forms mean lifelong debilitation
. lnform mothers of the signs of Autism - what to look for in their child

e lnform mothers that the Autism Center of Pittsburgh provides free testing if you believe your child may have Autism, or even if they
don't
r That if your child has Autism, that it is essential that treatment begins as soon as possible - the earlier the age the better
r That this treatment is free at Autism Center of Piftsburgh

Commercial - Ethos & Logos:

This is an information-based campaign. lts strength lies in the fact our team has gathered and thus to be effective we must have a
campaign which emphasizes and uses these facts as foundation. However, if we combine logos with ethos, we will have a very hard-hitting
campaign.

I suggest this by focusing on an Autistic young adult who utilized the Autism Center of Pittsburgh at an early age to provide behavioral
treatment for his Autism. This will showcase someone who, despite having Autism, is completely functional thanks to recognizing this
treatment at an early age. This young adult could provide a brief background of when he/she was diagnosed, what he went through prior to
treatment and how the Autism Center of Pittsburgh changed his life for the better - able to cope with his/her Autism rather than fight with it.

After his/her initial background, you could have one other young adult who also utilized the Center to treat their Autism at an early age. The
pair, throughout the commercial, would then describe how Autism is a spectrum and that not all forms of Autism mean lifelong disability.
Furthermore, they could emphasize how even severe forms of Autism benefit from early behavioral therapy, mentioning how the earlier
treatment begins, the more effective treatment actually is. The commercial would end focusing on pictures of the Center and highlighting
how testing, diagnosis and treatmenUservices are completely free. The overall message behind the commercial would be if you are -
concerned for your child, there's no reason not to have an evaluation at the Autism Center of Pittsburgh.

Remainder of Campaign
The entire campaign could focus around Autistic children who, after behavioral treatment at the Center, have now grown into independent,
functional adults. Whether on a billboard, a radio commercial, an internet advertisement or a televised advertisement, the information
about Autism, how to detect it, signs, where to go for treatment and why treatment at an early age is so essential - all of this information
would be delivered by those who have once had truly debilitating Autism but, after treatment and therapy, now live much more
independently than before. lt in this manner that mothers would see the long-term benefits of early treatment, diagnosis and therapy.
 Autism Awareness Survey
1. What is your age group?
A" 18-25
B. 26-33
c. 34-41
D. 42+
2. What is your gender?
A. Male
B. Female
C. Prefer not to say
3. What is your marital status?
A. Single, never married
B. Divorced, separated
C. Married
D. Widowed
E. Partner, not married
4. How many children under the age of 12 are living in your household?
A.0
B. I
c.2
D.3
E. 4+
Knowledge questions

5. How much would you say you generally know about autism?
A. Nothing at all
B. A little
C. Some
D. A lot
6. How big of a problem is autism generally for society?
A. Not a problem
B. Minor problem
C. Some what a problem
D. Major problem
7. Parents of children with autism should be expected to provide all necessary
services to their children by themselves.
A. Strongly agree
B. Somewhat agree
C. Somewhat disagree
D. Strongly disagree
8. Additional support and education in schools for children
with autism is
A. Extremely important
B. Somewhat important
C. Not highly important
D. Not important at all
9. Research to learn about the causes and treatment of autism is
A. Extremely important
B. Somewhat important
C. Not highly important
D. Not important at all
10. How important, once detected is it to seek treatment for autistic children?
A. lmmediate treatment is crucial
B. lt's important, but okay to wait some time
C. The child has been diagnosed, so treatment can start at any time
D. Not important
11. lf children with autism do not receive proper treatment, they are more likely to
become low-functioning in adulthood
A. Strongly disagree
B. Disagree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Agree
E. Strongly agree
12. Most people with autism can lead normal lives
A. Strongly agree
B. Disagree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Agree
E. Strongly agree
13. People with autism look different from other people
A. Strongly disagree
B. Disagree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Agree
E. Strongly Agree
14. Most people with autism are not capable of making regular daily decisions
A. Strongly disagree
B. Disagree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Agree
E. Strongly agree
 15. lf local autism awareness programming were available
today, how likely would you be to attend them?
A. Very likely
B. Somewhat likely
C. Not very likely
D. Not likely at all
Mothers of children under the age of five please continue

16. When your child plays with toys does he/she look at you to see if you are
watching?
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. A little
D. No, never

17. When you are not paying attention to your child, does he/she try to get your
attention?
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. A little
D. No, never
18. Can you differentiate when your child is happy and when your child is upset?
A. Yes, always
B. Sometimes
C. Not too often
D. No, never

19. Does your child use words of sounds to get your attention or help?
A. Words only
B. Sounds only
C. Both words and sounds
20. Does your child pick up objects and give them to you?
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. Not really
D. No, never
21. When you call your child's name, does he/she respond by looking or turning
toward you?
A. Looking only
B. Turning only
C. Both looking and turning
 Robert Morris Uni versity Student Survey
1. What is your age range?
A. 17-19
B. 20-22
c. 23-25
D. 26+
2. What is your gender?
A. Male
B. Female
C. Prefer not to say
3. What is your highest level of education completed?
A. High School
B. Freshman year of college
C. Sophomore year of college
D. Junior year of college
E. Bachelor's degree
F. Master's degree or beyond
4. Are you personally related to anyone with autism?
A. Yes
B. No
C. Not sure
5. How much do you generally know about autism?
A. Nothing at all
B. A little
C. Some
D. A lot
6. What types of library resources are available to you as a student on autism and
other medical disorders?
A. Ample that are easy to access
B. Some, but I don't know how to access them
C. Not sure
D. Not many at all
E. None
7. ls there support for students with autism?
A. Yes, a lot
B. Probably, but I don't know how to access it
C. Not sure
D. No, none
8. Autistic students look or act differently than other students
A. Strongly disagree
B. Disagree
C. Somewhat agree
D. Agree
E. Strongly Agree
9. Robert Morris educates students on autism awareness
A. Yes, there are a lot of resources
B. Yes, somewhat
C. Yes, if I seek it
D. No, not that I know of
E. Not at all
10. I feel comfortable around autistic students on campus
A. Yes
B. Sometimes
C. No, not at all
1 1. Autism can be cured
A. Strongly disagree
B. Disagree
C. Agree
D. Strongly agree
E. Not sure
 Advertising Media Plan

Objectives / Overall Focus:

The Autism Center of Pittsburgh has helped many children and young adults
alike at early ages. This has allowed them more independence in day-to-day life
as adults. The campaign's goal is to inform mothers that if there is even the
slightest curiosity in their child having some degree of autism, that they visit the
center and have a free testing done. Every aspect of the campaign should re-
enforce the following:

o Autism is a spectrum disorder, thus a child may have some aspects of it

and these may go undetected without testing
o Basic signs to look for in children who fall in the Autism spectrum
o lnform that the sooner treatment begins for autism, the more helpful it is
for the child
. lnform that treatment is free

Television Commercial :

With these focuses in mind, the TV commercial could have young adults / adults
who have successfully undergone treatment at the Autism Center of Pittsburgh
as spokesmen/women. The commercial would be very informative overall, but
hard-hitting because mothers could see how successful treatment can be, first-
hand, from those who have undergone it. Additionally, the spokesmen/women
for the commercial could outline basic signs to look for, at least enough to
determine whether or not testing is ideal for their children. They could also talk
about Autism as a spectrum disorder and the advantages to early testing. The
commercial could end with emphasis on the free nature of the service. This
approach - focusing on the Center's success stories for the voice of the
information being presented, is the campaign's blueprint for all mediums.

Billboards:
The billboard campaign would be a series of, with the spokespersons from the
commercial - each billboard focusing on one aspect of the commercial. This
means either Autism as a spectrum disorder, early treatment being essential or
signs to look for/treatment being free. Billboards placed in more popular areas
could have a blend of all aspects of the campaign. Messages would have to be
extremely short, as not much time is available to look at various Billboards.
Magazine & Newspaper Advertisements:
The magazine advertisements would take a similar approach as the billboards,
but because of the medium all aspects of the campaign could be discussed in
each advertisement. The overall imagery would be the same, but perhaps
towards the bottom of each magazine page would be much more detailed
information.

Web & New Media

Online - Advertisements:
A similar if almost identical approach to the billboards would be taken for online
advertisements, the key difference being that conveying basic information is all
that is needed. The goal would be to get the reader to click on the advertisement
and link back to the Autism Center of Pittsburgh. These ads could be placed on
the online editions of The Tribune and The Post-Gazette, or other popular
Pittsbu rg h-based websites.

Online - Social Media:

The Facebook page for the Pittsburgh Center of Autism could be monitored by
two or three spokespersons for the campaign, allowing them to directly comment
and answer questions that are posted from anyone interested/intrigued by the
campaign/center. The ideal goal here is to present a hub of questions/answers
for any mothers who happen to stumble upon the page - they'd see answers
from those featured in the campaign commercial/advertisements answering the
questions. The Twitter page could take a similar approach, although the answers
would have to be shorter, obviously.

:rti.l,I?i..::il) :i r .1i,,_l
Media Contact List & Direct MaillEmail Plan
There are a few rnain rnediums we will use to spread aulism awareness such as
Television, radio, web, and newspapers/magazines.

For the web: we would set up a website where we open up a channel of communication bef,rueen us an mothers so they
can ask us questions or communicate with each other for advice.

We can measure activity by:

e Amount of website traffic/site visits/page views
r Nurnber of searches for brand keyword terms
r Video and content views
. Number of followers
. Number of subscribers

For television: we will have commercials targeted for the day time because new mothers/mothers on bed rest will usually
watch TV the most during that time of the day so we believe that it is the prime opportunity to expose them to our
messages.

Magazine Companies:
Parenting Magazine-its free and we have confidence in the fact that anyone would take a magazine that doesnt cost
anything.

1. Fit Pregnancy Magazine- great magazine that mothers go to for ways to keep themselves healthy for having a
baby and taking care of a baby as well. This includes a few ways that can help you avoid increasing the
likelihood of a child getting autism which would be a nice bit of info for parents.

2. Parents Magazine and American Baby these are both popular magazines as well

3. Advertising the magazine companies can help spread word about our campaign so mom know that this info can
be found in their daily sources of motherly info

Super Market: may be good to advertise to because we can both help each other to market to moms. ex. certain food
helps promote healthy cognitive development

Radio Stations: These are popular talk radio stations that we could maybe advertise on or get the hosts to spark a
conversation about autism and include references to our movement.

r KDKA 1020 am
r KQV 141O am
e FM News Talk WPQB 104.7

Media Contact List:

1. Fit pregnancy magazine
2. Parents Magazine
3. Arnerican Baby
4. Parenting magazine
5. Oxygen channel is a popular channel for women. this could be one of a few stations to expose women to our
information radio.
6. Super Market: ex- Giant Eagle
7. KDI(A 1020 am
L KQV 1410 arn
L FM News Talk WPQB 104.7
Autism Awareness Campaign Budget
Project coordinators
Andrew Dickson
Ashten Farah
Jermaine Dwight
Lindsay Casile
Activity Quan0typer year Hoursperprol'ecf Expenses lofal FY8udqef
Autism Center of Fittsbungh t2 10 $t.ooo $t,ooo $1z,ooo
Commercial development I 100 $lso,ooo $tsCI,ooo $t5o,oCIo
Billboards 10 100 $a,ooo $z,ooo 52o,ooo
Magazine and Newspaper Ads LZ L70 $s,ooo 55,ooo S6o,ooo
Online and social networking Ads 200 100 $soo $soo $roo,ooo
Website setup and maintenance 1 500 $too,ooo Sroo,ooo $too.ooo
Radio/Television Ads 20 20 ss"000 5s,o0o $100,000
Base Campaign Budget $s42,000

Additionel fees and ealaries

Guest speaker fees 5 10 s1,000 51,000 $s,ooo
Brochures and pamphlets 12 50 sl,ooo $1,ooo $12,ooo
Additional television Ads 10 zo $s,ooo $5,ooo $5o,ooo
Fundraising events 5 100 s5.oo0 55,ooo $2s,ooo
Project coordinators yearly salaries 4 $ss,ooo $5s,ooo $zzo,ooo
Additional project developers hired 10 $2s,ooo $z5,ooo $2so,ooo
0

Optional Proiects Budqet $562,000

TOTAL $1,{04,000
 Evaluation Plan
Why evaluate?

1. To document our success in increasing Autism Awareness to mothers and future mothers in the
Pittsburgh area.
2. To encourage awareness to continue to spread
3. To justify our budget and expenses
4. To improve and establish a basis for future campaigns
5. To build our credibility and promote Public Relations within our organization

Measuring our Success

1 . Obtaining our goal of increasing the awareness by 100% in the Pittsburgh area
A defined increase in early detection testing in the area
A specific number of mentions in television/radio and online press
A measured increase in public awareness
2. Online tracking
Website tracking
Estimate of many people were exposed to the message and campaign
3. Follow-upsurveys-audience awareness
4. Audience attitudes and perceptions
How those exposed feel about our campaign?
5. Audience Action
ls the number of people in the area getting involved increasing?
ls more information being requested?
Are more children being tested?
6. Review from those involved in campaign
 REFERENCES
http;//autism.lovetoknow.com/Latest Trends in Autism Research

http://autismresearchcentre.com/docs/oapers/2006 BC Neuroosychophamacology.pdf

htto://autismresearchcentre.com/docs/papers/2009 BC nyas.pdf

http://cdc.gov/ncbddd/autism/hcp-dsm.html

http ://cid. oxfordjou rnals.org/contenU4S/4/456.fu I I

http://dx.doi.org/

http://idea. library.drexel.edu/bitstream/1 860/2632/1 /20061 75339.pdf

http://jholverstott.files.wordpress.com/20't 1/02/autism infographic hiqh-res.jpg

http ://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/contenUfull/1 1 9/5/e 1 040

http://pediatrics.aappublications.orq/cgi/contenVfulUl 20/5/1 1 62

http://oediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/contenUfull/1 20l5/1 1 83

http://www.autism-pdd. neVautism-research.html

http://www.huffinqtonpost.coryldr-mark-hyman/autism-research-discovery b 794967.htm1

http ://www. ncbi. nlm. nih. gov/pmc/articles/

hftp://www.ninds.nih.qov/disorders/autism/detail autism.htm

htto://www.thepsvchologist.org.uUarchive/archive home.cfm/volumelD't2-editionlD 46-ArticlelD 133-

qetfile getPDF/thepsvchologisUpsv 11 99 p540-547 haope.pdf

http://www.waisman.wisc.edu/family/pub_s/Autism/2007%20siblinqs autismlife-coyrse.pdf

htto://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cqi-binffulltexU118546008/HTMLSTART