Blog Stories

By Marco Damiani, M.A. Director, YAI/NIPD Clinical and Family Services Since its inception in 1997, Premier HealthCare (Premier) has provided a comprehensive range of top quality medical services to individuals of all ages with autism and autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. Thanks to a new partnership with the Mount Sinai School of Medicine (MSSM) and its Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment, more individuals with ASD will have greater access to an even wider array of...

David pours skim milk into a blender, smiling as it covers the frozen strawberries inside. In a few moments, he will serve fruit smoothies to his housemates at YAI/NIPD’s Susan Labriola Residence in Queens. David’s favorite snacks weren’t always so healthy. Like an estimated 66 percent of adults in the U.S., David spent much of his adult life on diets that never seemed to work. But thirteen years ago, he decided that he was ready for a long-term change. He was tired of carrying around extra...

Thanks to a generous grant from the New York Community Trust, Premier HealthCare (Premier) has launched an important initiative to help people with developmental disabilities achieve and maintain a healthy weight and overall well being. “Despite the tremendous volume of media exposure regarding the national obesity epidemic, few of our patients and their families recognize the power of healthy diets in promoting physical and emotional well being,” said Dr. Steven Lowe, Senior Physician at...

Some of the nation’s most prominent experts convened at the YAI Network’s Annual International Conference in Manhattan in May. Families, people with disabilities and professionals attended a keynote address and session by Dr. Temple Grandin, author, educator and one of the most well-known adults with autism in the world. Attendees participated in full-day workshops featuring national experts such as Dr. Vincent J. Carbone, and chose from more than 25 sessions and workshops by leaders in the...

By Marilyn Whitelaw Marilyn receives services from YAI/NIPD’s Manhattan Recreation program. Over the past seven years she has not let her disability prevent her from achieving and maintaining a 75-pound weight loss. My name is Marilyn and I would like to share my inspirational weight loss story with you. In 2000, I weighed 197 pounds. I was overweight my entire life. I was a chunky child and a fat teenager. As I aged, I was never able to take off the weight and when I think about it, I am not...