Bill Oldham, Founding Principal and President/Chairman of TLI, Joins Autism Community in Action Board of Directors
Join us in congratulating Bill Oldham, founding principal and president/chairman of the Thought Leadership & Innovation Foundation (TLI), who has joined The Autism Community in Action (TACA) Board of Directors.
With his 30 years of experience as an entrepreneur, investor and consultant supporting growth industries and high value clients across health, technology, financial and energy industries, Bill is eminently qualified to serve TACA, which provides education, support and hope to families living with autism. His commitment to TACA supports the organization’s vision for every individual diagnosed with autism to lead an independent life. Bill and his wife Casandra have supported TACA for over 10 years.
Bill and his wife, Casandra, bring to TACA deep interest and robust experience with advocacy on behalf of the autism community.
Through TLI, Bill supports a wide range of charitable initiatives in health and community projects, complementing his leadership role in developing cutting-edge and dynamic companies in a broad range of industries.
Bill and his wife, Casandra, bring to TACA deep interest and robust experience with advocacy on behalf of the autism community. Recently, they joined a team to create Autism First, a family support and therapy organization for Northern Virginia families with children diagnosed with autism and related developmental disorders.
Understanding Autism
Autism is a developmental disability that causes significant social, communication and behavioral challenges. Because autism is a spectrum disorder, the combination of symptoms and their level of severity varies from person to person.
Diagnosis criteria for autism is specific and individuals must exhibit the following symptoms to a degree that significantly impairs their daily living:
Persistent deficits in social communication and social interaction
Restricted, repetitive patterns of behavior, interests or activities
The most recent report released by the CDC estimates that 1 in 54 children have autism in the United States, indicating a 178% increase in autism prevalence since 2000 when autism prevalence was 1 in 150.
Significance for TLI
Bill’s appointment to the TACA Board is important for TLI, given our efforts to foster transformative change and improve the health and well-being outcomes of communities across the world, including those impacted by autism.
Most children are still diagnosed with autism only after the age of four -- even though they can be reliably diagnosed by age two. Growing evidence shows that autism may not necessarily be lifelong. In fact, recent studies show a notable number of children, who were previously diagnosed with autism, no longer meet the diagnostic criteria later on.
The children in these studies, however, did not outgrow autism. They received at least one to two years of early intensive applied behavior analysis interventions, starting when they were only about two years old—making early diagnosis critical for enabling these children to lead fulfilled lives later in life.
For young children with autism, this means that the skills needed to enhance their quality of life are taught playfully and systematically by highly trained staff who work under strict ethical guidelines. Early diagnosis allows this to happen sooner in the child’s development—when brain plasticity is much more pronounced—when interventions can have a much more comprehensive impact. After the age of 18, and as support services diminish, autism often continues to require life-time support.
We are confident that Bill will serve as a trusted and highly valuable member of the TACA Board and continue to guide TLI initiatives in this critical area of interest.