The National Autism Conference, to be held from Aug. 6 to 9, focuses on the educational needs of students with autism and welcomes parents, educators and service providers to learn about autism research updates and to promote evidence-based interventions for school-based services.
The 20th annual National Autism Conference from Aug. 1-4 at the Penn State Conference Center Hotel. The conference’s nearly 90 sessions will welcome approximately 1,300 parents, educators and service providers to learn about autism research updates and to promote evidence-based interventions for school-based services.
More than 28,000 students in Pennsylvania receive special education services for autism. Parents, educators and service providers of children living with autism will converge upon Penn State to share the latest updates and best practices to better serve the growing demographic. The National Autism Conference will be held Aug. 3-6 at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel at the University Park campus.
Lauren Zima, supervisor for autism services at Chambersburg Area School District, has attended the National Autism Conference for six years and, while the conference spans just four days, she knows its resources are just a click away.
“As a parent there’s a lot of uncertainty, there's still uncertainty. I would say the thing would be 'ongoing,' 'autism and ongoing,' because it doesn’t stop. It doesn’t end. You can’t put it in reverse. You can’t back it up. You just have to deal with it.”
Curt Warner, who gave the closing keynote speech Aug. 1 with his wife, Ana, and son Jonathan at the National Autism Conference in The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
The abundance of information online is both a virtue and a vice when it comes to understanding autism and how the public perceives the disorder. Mike Miklos, an educational consultant at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN), believes that there are fewer misconceptions about autism but says many still remain among the general public. Penn State and PaTTAN have collaborated on the conference for the past 17 years.
More students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) diagnosis are being accepted into college, and while many may have the grades, experts are concerned that some students do not have the appropriate social skills to maneuver through that crucial first year of college. For a teenager with ASD, living away from home and managing school work might be too much to handle without proper training and support.
This topic, along with many others related to autism, will be featured at Penn State's 2011 National Autism Conference, Aug. 1-4 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
Heidi Wettlaufer takes the hand of one of the girls and tells her to grab another hand until all 16 children in the room are linked and weaving in and out of each other--resembling a needle and thread. The laughter seems to drown out the music and break the ice. The activity is part of a half-day workshop known as the Sibling Group, offered by the Children's Institute at the annual National Autism Conference that takes place at Penn State each summer.
For the past decade, parents who attend the National Autism Conference held annually at Penn State have had the valuable resources of the conference's Children's Institute available to them. The Children's Institute affords parents the opportunity to attend the weeklong conference with their children under the same roof. The staff is highly trained and designs numerous activities for the kids. There even is a sibling workshop for children living with an autistic sister or brother. To see a video about the Children's Institute, visit http://live.psu.edu/youtube/6UgOLCMbXmo online.
Staff members and interns from Penn State Outreach are blogging from the National Autism Conference at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel throughout the week. The conference, which averages about 2,500 participants, features experts in autism, educators, autism advocates, people with autism and their families. In this summary of conference sessions, Erin Rowley, a senior majoring in journalism and history, blogs about issues that college students with Asperger's Syndrome face, and Kyle Casey, a senior majoring in public relations, blogs about support systems at home and school. Both are interns with Penn State Outreach.
Staff members and interns from Penn State Outreach are blogging from the National Autism Conference at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel throughout the week. The conference, which averages about 2,500 participants, features experts in autism, educators, autism advocates, people with autism and their families. Today (Aug. 4), Erin Rowley, a senior majoring in journalism and history, blogs about issues that girls with autism face, and Kyle Casey, a senior majoring in public relations, blogs about sexual education for kids with autism. Both are interns with Penn State Outreach.
Staff members and interns from Penn State Outreach are blogging from the National Autism Conference at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel throughout the week. The conference, which averages about 2,500 participants, features experts in autism, educators, autism advocates, people with autism and their families. Erin Rowley, a senior majoring in journalism and history, blogs about the transition from childhood to adulthood for people with autism.
Staff members and interns from Penn State Outreach will be blogging from the National Autism Conference at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel throughout the week. The conference, which averages about 2,500 participants, features experts in autism, educators, autism advocates, people with autism and their families. Today's blog focuses on the Children's Institute.
A series of topics about the transition from childhood to adulthood for those with autism will be featured at Penn State's 2010 National Autism Conference, Aug. 2-6 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
Educators, interested professionals and families of autistic children who hope to create effective educational programming will descend on Penn State's 2008 National Autism Conference, Aug. 4-8 at The Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel.
