Iverson dedicated to autistic children with developmental disabilities
By Lee Coleman
As with most diseases or disorders, the earlier you catch it, the better chance a person has to live a full life. Especially if there is no known cause or cure for the condition.
Hazen native Suzanne Iverson, a 1982 graduate of Hazen High School, works for Community Partners in New Hampshire as the Early Supports and Services Program Director in the fight to detect and treat autism in children from birth until three years of age.
There is no known cause for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), but they are known to affect one in every 68 children. Boys are five times more likely to be diagnosed, meaning one in every 42 boys has ASD.
The nearest cure for ASD is the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) and according to Iverson, children who go through the model are almost at the level of their peer group by age six.
“There is so much development that happens in the first three years,” Iverson explained. “If you can provide services early, it costs less and those costs can be remediated in the schools.”
The developmental disability costs an average family $80,000 a year according to Autism Speaks, the world’s leading autism science and advocacy organization.
