Wendy, her son David and Team Up for Your Child were recently profiled in the Knoxville News-Sentinel.

Find the story at:

http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2009/may/06/agony-autistic-child-prompts-writing-special-needs/

At left:  Wendy Besmann and her son David

KNOXVILLE AUTHOR, MOTHER OF CHILD WITH AUTISM AND BIPOLAR DISORDER RECEIVES STATE “PERSONAL COURAGE AWARD”

(OCTOBER 20 2008, KNOXVILLE) FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT: Melton Hill Media, 865-803-2286, wendy@meltonhillmedia.com.

Knoxville mother and family advocate Wendy Lowe Besmann, author of a new step-by-step workbook for parents of the 25 million children affected by ADHD, autism, psychiatric and developmental problems, was honored by a state mental health advocacy organization for her “personal courage” as a community leader and parent of a child with autism and bipolar disorder. Besmann is the author of Team Up for Your Child, A Step-By-Step Guide to Working Smarter with Doctors, Schools, Insurers and Agencies (Melton Hill Media, 2008, www.meltonhillmedia.com).

At the annual convention of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Tennessee, author Wendy Lowe Besmann received the 2008 Inaugural Fred Sackleh Personal Courage Award for her “tireless and selfless work on behalf of families and children with mental illness.” The award is named in memory of advocate Fred Sackleh, longtime president of NAMI Coffee County, who devoted himself to promoting equal rights and services for persons with mental illness. Besmann’s son David, now aged 17, was diagnosed with autism and bipolar disorder at age 3.

“Wendy Besmann has the NAMI passion to help families learn a better way to work through the challenges we all face, ” says Sita Diehl, Executive Director of NAMI Tennessee. “Wendy does the work of several people while managing extraordinary challenges in her personal life. In addition to her duties as NAMI Knoxville president, Wendy authored Team Up for Your Child, an excellent, user-friendly manual to help parents get services for their children. Wendy is a visionary leader; skilled, efficient, friendly, and absolutely dedicated to the NAMI mission.”

Team Up for Your Child is a 100-page step-by-step workbook that shows families of children with special needs how to get better education and treatment services. The book is filled with easy charts, worksheets, definitions and techniques that break down a bewildering process into simple tasks a parent can handle. (For more information: www.teamupforyourchild.info.) Originally created as a community pilot project in East Tennessee, the book was developed in consultation with 23 health and education professionals and sponsored by 16 community organizations. Approximately 2000 copies of this pilot edition are now in use by Tennessee schools, mental health centers and social agencies.

Wendy Lowe Besmann is a longtime freelance writer and the mother of a child with autism and bipolar disorder, whose articles have appeared in Better Homes & Gardens, USA Today, The New York Times, SELF, Atlantic Monthly, Esquire, and many other national publications. Besmann is currently president of NAMI Knoxville.

More than 140,000 Tennessee children—about one in ten—are diagnosed with serious mental illnesses such as depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety or schizophrenia. About one in nine are diagnosed with ADHD and 150 children are diagnosed with autism each year. In all about 25 million American children are affected by behavioral health disorders. The Surgeon General has called this a “national health crisis” that places intolerable strains on families, school systems, and social agencies.

NAMI Tennessee, an affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is a grassroots non-profit organization dedicated to education, support and advocacy for families affected by mental illness. Find out more about the National Alliance on Mental Illness at www.nami.org and www.namitn.org.

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