Autism Speaks Board Members and Representatives to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Closing Bell


ADVISORY, April 24, 2009 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --


 What:
 Harry and Laura Slatkin, Autism Speaks Board Members and Founders of
 New York Center for Autism (NYCA) will preside over the closing bell
 in honor of Autism Awareness Month.

 Where:
 NASDAQ MarketSite - 4 Times Square - 43rd & Broadway - Broadcast Studio

 When:
 Monday, April 27, 2009

 3:30 p.m. (ET):  Press Arrival and Check-In

 3:45 p.m. (ET):  Opening Remarks

 4:00 p.m. (ET):  Closing Bell

 ALL PRESS MUST RSVP FOR ADMITTANCE:
 Nicole Sutliff/Debbie Min - Susan Magrino Agency 
  - For Harry and Laura Slatkin
 212-957-3005; nicole@smapr.com / debbie@smapr.com

 Jolene Libretto - NASDAQ MarketSite
 646-441-5220; Jolene.Libretto@NASDAQOMX.com

 Contacts:

 NASDAQ MarketSite:
 Jolene Libretto
 646-441-5220
 Jolene.Libretto@NASDAQOMX.com

 Autism Speaks:
 Kathryn Sullivan
 212-252-8601
 ksullivan@autismspeaks.org

 Harry and Laura Slatkin :
 Nicole Sutliff/Debbie Min
 Susan Magrino Agency
 212-957-3005
 nicole@smapr.com/debbie@smapr.com

Feed Information:

The Closing Bell is available from 3:50 p.m. to 4:05 p.m. on AMC-3/C-3 (ul 5985V; dl 3760H). The feed can also be found on Ascent fiber 1623. If you have any questions, please contact Jolene Libretto at (646) 441-5220.

Radio Feed:

An audio transmission of the Closing Bell is also available from 3:50 p.m. to 4:05 p.m. on uplink IA6 C band / transponder 24, downlink frequency 4180 horizontal. The feed can be found on Ascent fiber 1623 as well.

Webcast:

A live webcast of the NASDAQ Closing Bell will be available at: http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx

Photos:

To obtain a high-resolution photograph of the Market Close, please go to http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_events.stm and click on the market close of your choice.

About Autism:

Autism is a complex brain disorder that inhibits a person's ability to communicate and develop social relationships, and is often accompanied by behavioral challenges. Autism spectrum disorders are diagnosed in one in 150 children in the United States, affecting four times as many boys as girls. The prevalence of autism has increased tenfold in the last decade. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have called autism a national public health crisis whose cause and cure remain unknown.

About Harry and Laura Slatkin

Harry Slatkin is currently the President and Founder of Slatkin & Co. home fragrance and President of Home Design for Limited Brands. Laura Slatkin serves as the President and CEO of Candela Group.

As parents of a child with autism, Harry and Laura Slatkin quickly joined forces with Suzanne and Bob Wright as founding board members of Autism Speaks. In addition to Autism Speaks, they have focused their efforts locally by founding the first public charter school dedicated to serving children with autism which opened in 2005, the New York Center for Autism Charter School. In the fall of 2008, NYCA opened the doors of the Autism Training Institute at Hunter College, a collaboration that aims to increase the number of qualified educators available to work in the New York City Public Schools. The Slatkins are currently working on plans to create a comprehensive state-of-the-art autism center that would diagnose and provide clinical care for individuals and families affected by autism.

The Slatkins reside in Manhattan and East Hampton NY with their two children and are actively involved with several philanthropic organizations.

About Autism Speaks:

Autism Speaks is the nation's largest autism science and advocacy organization, dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments and a cure for autism; increasing awareness of autism spectrum disorders; and advocating for the needs of individuals with autism and their families. Autism Speaks funds more than $30 million each year in new autism research, in addition to supporting the Autism Treatment Network, Autism Genetic Resource Exchange, Autism Clinical Trials Network, Autism Tissue Program and a range of other scientific and medical programs. Notable awareness initiatives include the establishment of the annual United Nations-sanctioned World Autism Awareness Day on April 2 and an award-winning, multi-year national public service advertising campaign with the Ad Council. Autism Speaks' family services efforts include the Autism Video Glossary, a 100 Day Kit for newly-diagnosed families, a School Community Tool Kit and the distribution of community grants to local service providers. Its government relations department, through its Autism Votes initiative, has played a critical role in securing federal legislation to advance the federal government's response to autism, and has successfully advocated for insurance reform to require insurers to cover medically-necessary autism therapies. Each year, Autism Speaks Walk Now for Autism fundraising events are held in more than 70 cities across the country, as well as Canada and the United Kingdom.

Autism Speaks was founded in February 2005 by Suzanne and Bob Wright, the grandparents of a child with autism. To learn more about Autism Speaks, please visit www.autismspeaks.org.

About NASDAQ OMX:

The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc. is the world's largest exchange company. It delivers trading, exchange technology and public company services across six continents, with over 3,800 listed companies. NASDAQ OMX Group offers multiple capital raising solutions to companies around the globe, including its U.S. listings market; NASDAQ OMX Nordic, NASDAQ OMX Baltic, NASDAQ OMX First North; and the U.S. 144A sector. The company offers trading across multiple asset classes including equities, derivatives, debt, commodities, structured products and ETFs. NASDAQ OMX Group technology supports the operations of over 70 exchanges, clearing organizations and central securities depositories in more than 50 countries. NASDAQ OMX Nordic and NASDAQ OMX Baltic are not legal entities but describe the common offering from NASDAQ OMX Group exchanges in Helsinki, Copenhagen, Stockholm, Iceland, Tallinn, Riga, and Vilnius. For more information about NASDAQ OMX, visit http://www.nasdaqomx.com.

NDAQG