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Kingston, NY-October 23, 2009 - The Children’s Annex, an agency that has been educating and supporting autistic children and their families throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley for over thirty years, has officially changed its name to the Center for Spectrum Services.
“This new name more clearly describes the comprehensive services we offer to people of all ages,” says Jamey Wolff, the agency’s Program Director, who co-founded the school in 1976. “The word ‘annex’ implied that we were an addendum, a footnote, an after-thought, and this was never the case. We have a long history of excellence in serving the autism community and continue to provide a model program for best practices in action.”
At a press event on October 20, the agency unveiled the new name along with a new multi-color logo that alludes not only to the wide spectrum of services the agency provides but to the autism spectrum, a clinical term used to describe the range of symptoms within the autism disorder.
The event was held in the Center’s new but partially constructed, 48-hundred square foot addition and came on the heels of two new government findings that indicate about 1 in 100 children have autism disorders—a figure that is fifty percent higher than previously estimated. The Center’s one-million dollar wing will house additional classrooms, occupational and speech therapy as well as a life skills therapy room to meet the growing number of children with autism. Completion is expected in November of 2009.
“Our Boards of Directors realized that we needed not only to update our physical structure but to give our image an overhaul as well, says Susan Buckler, Administrative Director of the Center and the school’s other co-founder. We needed a more modern brand and a new website that would help us reach more people and raise more funds.” Buckler adds that the Center’s new tagline, “Brightening the lives of people with autism,” expresses their desire to improve the quality of life for the people they serve. “We think with this new name and this new addition, we’ll be able to brighten many more lives.”
For over 30 yeas, The Center for Spectrum Services has set the standard of excellence in educating students with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Its expanded services now include diagnostic evaluations for people of all ages, trainings for parents and professionals, consults to schools and agencies as well as social skills groups and counseling for children and adolescents with high-functioning autism and Asperger Syndrome.
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