- Ruth C. Sullivan
Ruth Christ Sullivan,
Ph.D. (1924- ), is founder and former Executive Director of theAutism Services Center, anonprofit , licensedbehavioral health care agency founded in1979 . (formerly called the National Society for Autistic Children), and was its first elected president ; she is also on the permanent honorary board of the society. She retired from the Autism Services Center on November 1, 2007 at the age of 83.Sullivan assisted in the production of the 1988 movie "
Rain Man " by serving as a consultant on autistic behavior, andDustin Hoffman worked with Sullivan and her son Joseph, who has autism, when practicing for his role. Hoffman thanked her and Joseph in his Oscar speech. Sullivan has the last credit in the movie, and the extended version features an interview with Joe.Ruth Sullivan was one of the chief lobbyists for Public Law 94-142 (the Education of All Handicapped Children Act, now known as the
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act , or IDEA), which guaranteed a public education to all children in the United States. Before the passage of the law, individual school districts in most states were allowed to choose whether they were willing to educate a child with disabilities.She was also the main impetus behind the founding of the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University, in Huntington, West Virginia.
Sullivan is considered a world expert on autism. She has given presentations in many countries including Australia, South Africa, Kuwait, Argentina, the Netherlands and France. She has written many articles on autism from the point of view of parents and of care providers, most recently in the "Handbook of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders" (Wiley, 2005), edited by Fred Volkmar. She is one of the founders of NARPAA, the National Association of Residential Providers for Adults with Autism.
Dr. Ruth Sullivan has seven children. Among other honors, she is a
Kentucky Colonel .External links
* [http://www.autismservicescenter.org/ Autism Services Center]
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* [http://www.statejournal.com/story.cfm?func=viewstory&storyid=30916/ State Journal article]
* [http://www.wsaz.com/coverstory/headlines/11035056.html/ WSAZ cover story]
* [http://www.herald-dispatch.com/news/x726340065/ Huntington, West Virginia "Herald-Dispatch" article]
* [http://www.marshall.edu/coe/atc/about.htm/ Autism Training Center]
* [http://www.wvbehavioralhealth.org/pdfs/Local%20autism%20advocate%20set%20to%20retire.pdf/"Charleston Daily Mail" article]
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