Officials with a Mishawaka-based Autism treatment center say there is definitely a need for a facility like theirs in Marshall County. Lighthouse Autism Center co-founder and Controller Sandy Maggioli says their open house last week drew a lot of people who are passionate about the issue.

A physician who sees children with autism, community leaders, parents and grandparents were among the 50 or so people in attendance. Maggioli says she wants to hear from families in Marshall and surrounding counties whose youngsters could benefit from the intensive, one-on-one Applied Behavior Analysis treatment Lighthouse Autism Center offers.

“We probably already have five or six families that are driving to Mishawaka and Warsaw that would be interested in attending the centers. If we can find five to six more, it would probably be worth our while then to open a center in that area,” Maggioli said.

“I think there are still quite a few people out there waiting to be heard from, so we want to give that some time to kind of get out there in the community and get some response. We’re probably thinking maybe in three to four weeks that we might have an idea then come back and take a look at the spaces that are available in Plymouth. We’ll try to make a decision at that point,” Maggioli added.

Find more information about Lighthouse Autism Center online at http://lighthouseautismcenter.com/.