Organizers of the Broward County Walk F.A.R. for NAAR, held at NSU on April 9, report that event raised $176,000 for national autism research, far more than the $150,000 mark.

More than 2,000 people attended the day-long event held in front of the Alvin Sherman Library, Research, and Information Technology Center. The event featured food, entertainment, and games for children.

In attendance were teams from the Mailman Segal Institute for Early Childhood Studies, University School of NSU, and the Health Profession's Division. Forty-five students from NSU's College of Optometry joined students from osteopathic medicine, physical therapy, psychology, and audiology in last week's Autism Walk. NSU Students provided balloons for the children, as well as valuable information on developmental milestones from birth to age five.

All proceeds from the event benefit the National Alliance for Autism Research (NAAR), whose primary mission is to fund and accelerate biomedical research that seeks to find the causes, prevention, treatment, and ultimately, a cure for autism spectrum disorders. Autism Spectrum Disorders are estimated to affect as many as 1 out of every 166 children, making it the second most common developmental disability. There is currently no treatment or cure for autism, and little definitive research about the disorder, which underscores the importance of collaborative efforts to understand autism.