In the midst of springtime celebrations and June graduations, Las Madrinas announced the 40 families and their daughters who will be honored for their service to the Southern California community and Childrens Hospital Los Angeles at the Las Madrinas Ball on Tuesday, December 21, 2010.

On May 12, 2010, the Debutante families gathered at the Saban Research Institute of Childrens Hospital Los Angeles to meet with, and hear a presentation by, Dr. Michele Kipke, Director of the Las Madrinas Endowment for Autism Research, Interventions and Outcomes. Dr. Kipke spoke of the overwhelming increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders. She described the lives of these children and explained how early diagnosis and intervention are critical and do make a difference. Dr. Kipke's group is developing and analyzing new tools and technologies for early diagnosis, testing and evaluating interventions and therapies, and tracking the outcomes of these interventions to ensure the best care for children with autism spectrum disorders. Following the meeting, the families toured either the neo-natal intensive care nursery in the Hospital or a developmental biology lab at the Research Institute.

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