Welcome to the Autism Society of America Conference
This is my first time attending the Autism Society of America conference - their 39th - and its been quite an enlightening and educational experience after only half a day.
The conference, held at the Gaylord Palms Resort in Orlando, kicked off this morning with some opening remarks and the keynote speech.
First up was a darling little 6-year-old girl, Gina Incandela, who sang the national anthem to start things off. Gina may have autism, but she's also got one heck of a voice! While attendees usually clap after any event where the national anthem is sung, I'm pretty sure the rousing ovation this morning was more for Gina than for the anthem.
Next up, Juan Carlos Brandt from the United Nations addressed attendees. Brandt, Chief of the Non Governmental Organizations' Section (NGOs) in the UN's Department of Public Information, spearheaded the UN's move to declare April 2 World Autism Awareness Day. While many things at the UN take years to get the member nations to agree to, Brandt said the resolution to create the awareness day was approved with unprecedented speed. The proposal was made only last June, and by the end of 2007 the measure was approved to name April 2, 2008 the very first World Autism Awareness Day.
Dr. Paul Shattock of the World Autism Organization next addressed the group, reminding us that autism exists all over the world. "The problems are the same, and the solutions are the same," he explained. What differs is the culture and the resources available to get the solutions to children and their families. After he finished joking with the crowd, he and ASA president and CEO Lee Grossman signed a Friendship Agreement between the two organizations, signifying their partnership and commitment to work together.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Robert Hendren, DO, a child psychiatrist who is director of the MIND Institute at the University of California - Davis, and president of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. He spoke extensively on the research being conducted at the MIND Institute as well as other research centers to learn what causes autism (no, there's still no definitive answer) and how to treat it. Research on many different treatment methodologies often shows that a particular approach will work well for some children, but not for others. Through genetic profiles and other tests, he and other researchers are trying to learn what markers in a child will predict his or her likelihood to respond to a particular type of treatment.
So far, this conference has been very thought-provoking! I'll check back in later today with information from the educational sessions I'll be attending, including information presented by OTs.