Who We Are

Our local affiliate originated in 1986 autism was still considered to be rare. Leah Devulder, a divorced mom with a young son newly diagnosed searched for months for help. She finally heard of an Autism Conference in Long Beach. After attending, and grateful for the information and help, she was convinced that she needed to help the parents in her area. She needed to find 9 other people to start an official chapter, which was a challenge in the days without the internet. After months of looking, she found 8 other people and used her dog as the founding 10 members. In 1987, the name was changed to the Autism Society of America – Inland Empire Chapter and changed again in 2009 to the Autism Society Inland Empire.