About Us

Meet ASCEND’s Board of Directors

ASCEND’s Mission:

Our mission is to raise public awareness about Asperger Syndrome and related disorders, advocate for improved education and services, and provide support and information to the Asperger and autism community.

What is ASCEND?

ASCEND Group Inc., the Asperger and Autism Alliance for Greater Philadelphia, is a nonprofit organization that was founded in 2001. It was launched by parents of children with Asperger Syndrome (AS) as a means to create a community of people who are concerned about the many ways that AS and other autism spectrum disorders (ASD) affect children and adults and their families in the home, at school and in every area of their lives.

What Does ASCEND Offer?

• Speaker meetings featuring professionals who have knowledge in many areas that affect the AS community; admission is $5 for nonmembers.
• Partnerships with local organizations to present day-long conferences.
• A free enewsletter for keeping up to date on events, research, mass media articles, and much more news that is important to our community.
• A monthly networking meeting for family members of adults with AS.
• A Meetup Group for those interested in meeting other families at events planned by family members.
• Many additional benefits for members!

Who does ASCEND serve?

ASCEND serves well over 300 member families and nearly 100 educator and professional members. ASCEND’s monthly enewsletter reaches more than 3,000 people throughout the Greater Philadelphia region and beyond.

Why should I join ASCEND?

Members receive many excellent benefits. Upon joining, new members receive enhanced access to this website, a welcome packet that contains ASCEND’s membership directory (for member families), inclusion in the member section of this site (for professional members) invitations to events for members only, and more! To read all about member benefits, visit this website’s Membership section.

How can I get involved?

ASCEND is always looking for people who wish to donate time and energy to our many projects. Simply contact ASCEND to find out about how you can contribute. ASCEND needs you!

Learn More About Asperger Syndrome