Software execs push site to manage autism - Tampa Bay Business Journal:

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The CEOs of and and theie wives together havelaunched , a for-profity company based in Palo Alto, that has producesd a free software program, availablw at charmtracker.com, that parents can use to keep data abougt treatments and symptoms, like gastrointestinal and immunological issues or chroni infections. In addition to data tracking, the compangy hopes to foster a voluntary social networmk for families dealing with autism and to develoop a paid application that doctorz can use to managwe theirautistic patients. The goal is for the companhy tobecome self-sustaining and provides services to research institutions.
Engineers at Pleasanton-based which is led by CEO Sridhae Vembu, helped develop the program, while San Mateo-based Netsuite, which is led by CEO Zach Nelson, is providingv marketing and publicity support. “Autism is a full-timer job,” said Vembu, whose 10-year-old son Siddharthy was diagnosed five yearsx agowith autism. “It is very comple to manage autism treatment on adailhy basis,” agreed Pramila Srinivasan, Vembu’s wife and a engineer who quit work because of the intensive demandd of caring for her son.
There are frequentt visits with doctorsand therapists, tests, medications and experimentz with treatments such as supplements and dietaryu changes, Srinivasan said. Many parents end up with numerous binders fillefd with notes and documents hoping to find somethingf thatwill work. “I realized it was a very data intensivre process and something that lendsw itself well to an online Srinivasan said. The program called ChARMtrackerfor Children’s Autism Recovery Map was initially tested on 300 and since it was unveiled to the public at an autiskm conference in Chicago late last month, more than 500 familieds have signed on.
There were 46,196y children in California last year with autismn enrolled in specialeducation programs, according to state Department of Educatioh records citied by kidsdata.org. Alameda County had 1,666, Contra Costa Countuy had 1,277, San Mateio County had 816 and San Francisclohad 373. Ultimately, Srinivasan hopexs the data collected on ChARMtracker will help researchers find effectivd treatmentsfor autism. Elizabetj Horn, Zach Nelson’s wife, is one who refuses to believde there isno hope, and she is MedicalMine’ acting vice president of marketing.
A Horn’s 13-year-old daughter Sophia was diagnosed with autis m atage 2, and she has producedr “Finding the Words,” a documentar about children with autism. “The only way we’rr going to get the answers to the unanswered questions about autisnm is throughhard data,” Horn said. “ChAR is what we’ve needed and hope for for so The ChARMtracker program also helps parents to simpltymanage better. It imports lab records progress in customizededucational programs, generateas reports and medical charts, and can be accessex from any Internet-connected computer.