It was a grand (opening) affair!
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| Nancy Thompson, Gov. Jay Nixon and Bill Thompson cut the ribbon for the new Thompson Center facility. |
The lobby of the Thompson Center was buzzing with excitement as more than 200 people squeezed into the newly designed space to celebrate the Center’s grand opening on Friday, December 3, 2010. Comments from the crowd focused on the beauty of the new facility and the anticipated introduction of the Center’s new executive director, Dr. Joel Bregman.
“My feelings as I walked in the door of this new facility were WOW!” Said Bill Thompson, co-founder of the Thompson Center as he spoke about the new facility. Reflecting on the many successes of the Center since it’s inception in 2005, when he and his wife Nancy made a generous donation to fund the Center, Thompson mused, “This is a huge milestone but, we’re just getting started!”
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| Kimberly Matthews, Dr. Grandin, Drs. Janet and John Farmer |
Dr. Temple Grandin visits MU
Diagnosed with autism at the age of two years, Dr. Temple Grandin has defied the odds throughout her life. Unable to speak or make eye contact, doctors had little hope that she would ever live a “normal” life. Because of this, they recommended that her family place her in an institution. Luckily, Grandin’s mother did not follow that advice and instead, chose to keep Temple at home. There she provided Temple with the therapy and support that she needed to develop language and social skills. It is because of this support that Grandin is a world-renowned scientist and autism advocate today. (read more)
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| Hope, Ella and Sam McPheeters |
Ella's Hope wins Pepsi Refresh grant
Adapted from a story reported by Jessica Hord and edited by Ashley Colley of KOMU TV 8
Ella’s Hope, a foundation established by Hope and Sam McPheeters to raise awareness and funding for the early intervention of autism, ended 2010 as one of 10 finalist in the Pepsi Refresh Project. The foundation will receive $25,000. (read more)
Also in this issue:
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Greetings from Dr. Joel Bregman
As the new Executive Director of the Thompson Center, I feel privileged to introduce myself, share my thoughts about future directions, and provide an update of recent accomplishments by the Center’s faculty and staff. Trained as a child and adolescent psychiatrist and pediatrician, I have spent the last 25 years of my professional career engaged in clinical care, program development, research, and professional education in autism and related neurodevelopmental disorders. Having played a central role in the development of two centers of excellence, I am well acquainted with the effort and dedication necessary to establish an integrated, interdisciplinary program that provides state-of-the-art clinical care, trains the next generation of professionals, and contributes regionally and nationally to our knowledge base regarding the causes, clinical presentations, and effective treatment of autism and related neurodevelopmental conditions.
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 Joel Bregman, MD
Executive Director
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