Autism services
Count Dave and Mindy Rice among the many devoted parents who've struggled to get the diagnostic and therapeutic help their child needed. It took Mr. Rice, UNLV's men's basketball coach, and his wife three years to determine their youngest son, Dylan, had autism - and that news came with the bad advice that they couldn't do much to help the boy.
So the UNLV graduates put Mr. Rice's high profile to productive use by establishing the Dave Rice Foundation, a nonprofit that educates about developmental disorders. The foundation just made its first large donation: a $100,000 gift to UNLV's Center for Autism Spectrum Disorders to create a testing and diagnostic program for the public.
The Rices were able to get help for Dylan, who is now a high-functioning fourth-grader. They are using their experiences to raise awareness about autism and raise money to help families dealing with the same challenges they faced: conflicting information, a lack of certainty, a lack of support and a need for treatment services.
Mr. and Mrs. Rice have created another winner for UNLV and Southern Nevada residents.
