In light of National Autism Awareness month, Gov. Ed Rendell will award 700 grants of $500 each to autistic Pennsylvanians -- but some, including Penn State Professor Pamela Wolfe, say it's not enough to support ongoing needs.

Wolfe said the grant program has its heart in the right place but does not go far enough in supporting long-term needs.

"Seeing the family as a whole is important," she said. "This is a good first step in recognizing what families are faced with."

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare's Web site, it wants to spread the grants over different regions of the state and age groups of people.

Department Spokeswoman Stacey Ward said the grant program is an effort to make inroads for families to break down barriers to essential services.

"Often they run into various problems that keep them from getting vital services they need and most of the time, it is funding," she said. "This will give people a chance to provide for a loved one without worrying about affordability."

Wolfe is teaching a course called Students with Autism in Inclusive Settings at 20 campus locations throughout April. At the commonwealth campuses, an on-site instructor will lead the class while Wolfe teaches via videotape.

"With this course, we are making an effort to connect individuals with autism to the community," she said.

Professor David Lee, who heads Penn State's online certificate program in Applied Behavior Analysis, said he supports Rendell's grants because anything to offset costs is a step in the right direction.

"I have not heard of anything like this before but it is a good start because one of the things we run into is that autism becomes really expensive for parents and families," he said.

Lee said Penn State is very proactive in autism awareness.

"We are celebrating Autism Awareness month by kicking off the new autism course and participating in the Cure Autism Now 5K as a department," he said.

Lee said Penn State also hosts the annual National Autism Conference, which will be held the first week of August.

It is now the largest autism conference in the country, with 2,500 people in attendance last year.

Easter Seals Child Development Center Director Nancy Turow said one in 150 people have autism but many cases go undiagnosed.

"No one knows where it comes from," she said. "It could be environmental, chemical or genetic."

Turow said she hopes the grants will increase awareness as well as alleviate stress for families.

"The college community needs to look out because there may be undiagnosed folks among you," she said. "It is all about understanding."

Ward said the grants will be awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis once eligibility is determined.

"Families will use the money for home training tools, day programs, home modifications and summer camps," she said.

Ward said the Bureau of Autism's funding would finance all grants.