Creator of Revolutionary Approach to Autism Treatment Finalist in Ernst & Young Entrepreneur Award

Fredericton, NB (PRWEB) October 28, 2007 -- Chosen from among hundreds of nominations for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award, Cynthia Howroyd, president of Virtual Expert Clinics, creators of AutismPro, was among a handful of finalists at a gala ceremony in Halifax.

"To receive this honor and meet other passionate entrepreneurs in the Atlantic Canada region is an unexpected bonus," said Ms. Howroyd.

The Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year award spans 40 countries and honors extraordinary men and women who have created and sustained successful, growing business ventures. In Canada, finalists are selected from among hundreds of nominees in five regions--Pacific, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic--and in various categories. Ms Howroyd was a finalist in the Emerging Entrepreneur category for Atlantic Canada.

A speech language pathologist, Ms Howroyd was among the first in her field in New Brunswick to provide therapy for children with autism. After a car accident that prevented her from visiting her clients for several weeks, she envisioned a new way to provide autism services.

"The Internet reaches into homes around the world," said Ms Howroyd. "My dream was to use computer technology to capture the knowledge and logic of autism experts and put it into the hands of those who needed it the most -- parents. Now the program, which we call AutismPro (www.autismpro.com), has versions for use by teachers and therapists."

Since its release in October 2006, AutismPro has been used by parents, teachers, and clinicians around the world and re-seller agreements have been signed with autism centers in Australia, Poland, the Netherlands and Belgium. In Canada, AutismPro is currently being integrated as a planning and resource tool for significant educational sites serving children with autism, such as the Toronto District School Board, and the Geneva Center for Autism. "Entrepreneurship has its risks and rewards," said Ms. Howroyd, "I am happy now I am experiencing the rewards part of the equation."

About Cynthia Howroyd:

Cynthia Howroyd, Human Communication Disorders, SLP ( c ), is a speech language pathologist and president and founder of Virtual Expert Clinics in Fredericton, New Brunswick. Ms. Howroyd was president of the Speech and Learning Institute for 15 years, while at the same time serving as a therapist providing services to children with autism. As an innovator and visionary with a passion for the field of autism, she has since raised several million dollars in venture capital and turned her talents to helping families with autism on a much grander scale. She has worked for the past several years with Dr. Kathleen Ann Quill among other--international experts--in order to develop a revolutionary technology to improve access to intervention guidance. This program is called AutismPro.

About AutismPro:

AutismPro is a 9-step Internet-delivered tool for designing and delivering individualized autism intervention for the home, school or clinic. It can be used to guide and coordinate a team effort for children with autism. A special edition of the program, called AutismPro Educator, has been created to train teachers and other school personnel and provide them with the resources they need to educate children with autism in the classroom.

About Virtual Expert Clinics:

Virtual Expert Clinics develops educational e-therapy for special needs children. Their first product, AutismPro, blends the expertise of world-class autism experts and intelligent computer systems to deliver accessible and affordable autism services to families everywhere.

Contact:

Thomas Mitchell

Publicity Manager

Virtual Expert Clinic

46 Dineen Drive

National Research Council

Fredericton, New Brunswick

E3B 9W4

Phone: 506.474.8134

Toll Free: 866.462.0991

Web Site: www.autismpro.com

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