When Cindy Waeltermann got the diagnosis for her son, who was almost 3, "All I heard was 'autism,' and I think my ears started ringing. I heard nothing after that."

Her younger son later received the diagnosis as well.

"That truck didn't kill me when it ran over me, so it backed up to make sure I was completely dead," she said.

Such reactions are common among parents in her position; that's part of the reason for the group she directs, the Autism Center of Pittsburgh/AutismLink.

The centers, located in McCandless and Robinson, help connect parents with each other and with therapists who can help their children with speech, movement and other therapies. The group is proud that it has no waiting list for diagnosis or treatment. Compounding the problem is the huge rise in autism diagnosis; one in 150 children is diagnosed with the disorder, which has symptoms ranging from mild problems with social skills to complete withdrawal.

The center now needs a South Hills location, which could cost $15,000. That's where ULTRAparty comes in.

ULTRAparty, Mt. Lebanon's first street jam on Washington Road, will be Aug. 3, with music, food and drinks; proceeds will benefit the Autism Center of Pittsburgh/AutismLink.

First off will be Mt. Lebanon's First Friday, the monthly concerts and street festivals on the main drag, at 6. The evening gears up with ULTRAparty from 8 p.m. to midnight.

ULTRAparty is the baby of LEBO, which stands for Lifestyles Enriched by Opportunity. The group, which focuses on young leaders and has an online community of about 500 people, helps to spotlight social and business opportunities in Mt. Lebanon for people ages 21 to 35.

Washington Road will be closed from Castle Shannon Boulevard near the library to Cedar Boulevard. Parking will not be available on Washington Road after 6 p.m. However the North Parking Garage will be open. People who park in the South garage prior to 8 p.m. can exit, as the garage exits in the rear of the building.

Alfred Street also will be closed.

Title sponsors, Miller Lite and Heineken, are providing the beer.

Admission will be a $5 donation to the Autism Center, and party-goers will get a blue rubber wristband to promote autism awareness.

The headlining act will be '80s cover band, Velveeta, which will perform at 8:30 p.m. The opening act is Maddie Georgi, who wrote a song about her brother, who has autism.

The Pump Fakes also will be playing, both for First Friday, and ULTRAparty.

A ticket auction will include baskets with items from signed Steelers footballs to game tickets and restaurant certificates.

Event chair Anne Fleming Babish said security will be tight, with undercover and uniformed police officers and K-9s. Public restrooms will be available in the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Building, 710 Washington Road.

Luma South will be the food sponsor; restaurants and taverns on the road will be open.

Dorene Ciletti, a Mt. Lebanon resident, is on the planning committee. A mother of a child with autism, she said the need has never been greater for increased awareness and funding.

The center provides speech physical and occupational therapies, evaluations, parental support and the new equestrian therapy for children with autism.

Private health insurers rarely, if ever, cover treatments for autism and if they do, "They pay so little that a lot of providers won't accept those assignments," Ms. Ciletti said.

Anecdotally, Ms. Ciletti believes a lot of children in the South Hills have conditions on the autism spectrum, although it's impossible to know.

Further, she said many autism fund-raising organizations send the money to national groups with very little of it returning to directly benefit Pittsburgh families.

The committee organizing the party also includes Brett Satterfield, whose family owns Rollier's Hardware, Joe Ravita, who owns Empire Music and attorney Jaime Lebo. Mr. Satterfield and Mr. Ravita both have parents who founded businesses on Washington Road.

LEBO is hoping for 1,500 people, and the goal is to make ULTRAparty an annual event.

The Autism Center, which operates on a $70,000 budget, is barely making ends meet through donations, grants and proceeds from an online store.

But Mrs. Waeltermann vows to keep going and raise more money to help families.

"We provide the road map and help you through it" she said.