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Opportunity to help improve care services for adults with autism

30 Jul

A consultation to help improve care services and healthcare outcomes for adults with autism in England was launched today by Care Services Minister Paul Burstow.

This is the next step to help adults with autism live full and independent lives as equal and included citizens and follows the publication of the strategy for adults with autism: Fulfilling and rewarding lives.

The strategy sets a clear framework for all mainstream public sector services to support adults with autism and is backed up by the Autism Act 2009, the first ever condition specific legislation.

The 12-week consultation process seeks views from those with autism, their families, carers, representative organisations and all sectors of society on a number of important issues such as:

*diagnosis of autism

*increasing awareness of autism amongst frontline staff

*provision of training and specialist training for frontline staff

*appropriate assessment of needs for those with autism

*provision of relevant services for young people and adults with autism

*local leadership for NHS and social care in relation to the provision of services for adults with autism

Care Services Minister Paul Burstow said:

“I hope people will take part in this opportunity to influence the direction and progress of our autism programme.

“It is unacceptable when adults with autism do not get the right care and support they need from health and social care services.

“The Government wants the consultation to reach as many people as possible, in line with our goal of giving people more say in the decisions that affect their lives. These views will help shape our priorities as we seek to help adults with autism live fulfilling and rewarding lives.”

Mark Lever, Chief Executive of the National Autistic Society, said:

“This is the vital next step people with autism and their families have been waiting for. During the passage of the Autism Act, Parliament described this statutory guidance as the ‘teeth’ of the Act, so it is vital that it secures real and lasting change at ground level.

“Now, I’d like to urge as many adults with autism, their parents and carers to take part in the consultation to make sure it is robust and can be used to hold their local services to account. The right support at the right time can make an enormous difference to peoples’ lives.”

The statutory guidance for health and social care will be published by December 2010. The strategy will be reviewed in 2013.

Go to http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Consultations/Liveconsultations/DH_118058 for info packs.

Autistic adult left in van on hot day, dies of exposure

28 Jul

I have a real hard time discussing these events. The story Woods Services client dies in van appeared on a site called PhillyBurbs.com. Here are the opening paragraphs:

Middletown police are investigating the death of a 20-year-old Woods Services resident with severe autism who was left inside a van parked on the campus for more than five hours on the hottest day of the year.

Brian Nevins, originally from Queens, N.Y., died of hyperthermia Saturday after he returned with several others from a day trip to the Sesame Place theme park, said Bucks County Coroner Dr. Joseph Campbell.

More unidentified autistic adults found

17 Jul

One of the recurring themes heard in online discussions of autism is “where are the autistic adults?” The low number of identified adults is used as evidence of an epidemic and used to promote the vaccine-causation hypothesis.

A number of studies have started looking at adult populations and they always find a greater number of autistic adults than previously identified. Probably the largest study and the most discussed is one performed by the NHS in the UK which found a prevalence of about 1% in adults.

The NHS study looked at adults in the general population, outside of any institutional type setting.

One complaint that is often raised is where are the more severely challenged adults? The “obvious” autistics? How could they have been missed. Studies by Prof. Peter Bearman at Columbia and Prof. David Mandell have shown that, yes, we have miss counted autism in more challenged groups in the past.

Now a recent study from Iceland looks at autism in adults in Reykjavik with intellectual disabilities. They found that there were twice as many autistic adults than previously thought.

Prevalence of autism in an urban population of adults with severe intellectual disabilities – a preliminary study.

Saemundsen E, Juliusson H, Hjaltested S, Gunnarsdottir T, Halldorsdottir T, Hreidarsson S, Magnusson P.

State Diagnostic and Counselling Centre, Division of Autism, Kopavogur, Iceland.
Abstract

Background Research on the prevalence of autism in Iceland has indicated that one possible explanation of fewer autism cases in older age groups was due to an underestimation of autism in individuals with intellectual disabilities (IDs). The present study systematically searched for autism cases in the adult population of individuals with severe ID living in the city of Reykjavik, Iceland. Methods Potential participants (n = 256) were recruited through the Regional Office for the Affairs of the Handicapped in Reykjavik. First, a screening tool for autism was applied, followed by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale and finally the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (ADI-R). Results The point prevalence of severe ID was 3.7/1000 (95% CI 3.2-4.1) with a male-female ratio of 1.2:1. Participation rate in the study was 46.5%. Participants were younger than non-participants and more often residents of group homes. The prevalence of autism was 21% (25/119) (95% CI 14.7-29.2) with a male-female ratio of 1.8:1. Of the individuals with autism, 10/25 (40%) were verbal according to the ADI-R definition, and 18/25 (72%) had active epilepsy and/or other neurological conditions and handicaps. Conclusion The study identified twice the number of autism cases than those previously recognised within the service system. Autism is a prevalent additional handicap in individuals with severe ID, which should always be considered in this population. There are indications that the estimated prevalence of autism found should be considered minimal.

Does this show that there has been no “epidemic”? No. But it does show (again) that the idea that autistics are so obvious that they couldn’t be missed is, well, a myth.

Polly Tommey poses as advocate for autistic adults

7 Apr

Polly Tommey is in the news again with this piece in the Guardian, Attention-grabbing antics for autism. It concerns her latest poster campaign, timed to coincide with the start of the General Election.
Hello boys polle tommey poster

I have left the following comment.

I have followed Ms Tommey’s attempts to present herself as a mainstream autism advocate for some time now on my blog, Action for Autism, and your headline,”Attention Grabbing Antics” is apt. If Ms Tommey wants us “to move away from the discussion about vaccines because she knows how divisive it is” she could make a start by removing her current Face Book campaign, “Mothers Supporting Andrew Wakefield’s Work.”

Ms Tommey complains about “bickering.” But other organizations have no problem working together. The Autism Act came about with the support of 15 autism organizations working together. Many of their members served on the External Reference Group for the Autism Adult Strategy for England which reported to the government. They mobilized their members to submit over a thousand responses to help shape government strategy. This will be reflected in the statutory guidance that will be published later this year. Ms Tommey’s contribution to all this was nil.

She states that “we haven’t a clue what to do with adults with autism.” That is because she and her supporters have spent the last 10 years arguing that autism is a biomedical disorder of childhood that is treatable with the untested and unproven interventions marketed by her husband. The National Autistic Society has taken a different stance with its Don’t write Me Off campaign Most of us are not interested in what to do with autistic adults. But we we are trying to find out what we can do for them and what they want for themselves.

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Specialist People: looking to find 1 million jobs for autistics

1 Apr

ABC News has a story that caught my eye: Software Company Only Hires People who Have Autism. The company, Specialisterne, is a Danish company that is looking to capitalize on the strengths of autistics in the workplace.

On the name of the company:

The company name ‘SPECIALISTERNE’ is a danish word for ‘The Specialists’ and alludes to that we are the opposite of ‘Generalists’. Our strength is in the details where our employees have a special skill for immersing themselves in their work.

We use the company name internationally though the term ‘specialister’ is phrased differently in different languages.

In the graphics of the company name the I’s are highlighted with the colour of the Dandelion flower.

and the idea behind the company:

Thorkil Sonne’s son was given the diagnosis “infantile autism with normal intelligence” at age 3. This gave Thorkil the chance to get to know a fascinating and vulnerable handicap world.

Thorkil has been behind many of the initiatives in the area of autism and was president of the local chapter of Autism Denmark in the West Zealand County for three years.

Thorkil got to know many adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) – and he wondered why these intelligent young people couldn’t use their energy and skills in the business community, doing what they do best and yearn to do.

Thorkil concluded that out welfare system works best if you have a visible handicap – but lacks much in experience and knowledge when it comes to handling invisible handicaps like ASD.

There was obviously a shortage of job opportunities where people with ASD can meet understanding and support and through that get the opportunity to use their special skills. Thorkil didn’t see enough opportunities within the existing system.

After 15 years in the world of tele-communications Thorkil knew the value of the skills he saw in young people with ASD.
Thanks to the support of his family Thorkil was able to start SPECIALISTERNE based on a loan on their house and his family’s belief in his vision.

If I can get the embed code for the video on the ABC News site, I’ll post it here.

Specialisterne has expanded to the UK, with a website SpecialstPeople.com and a plan to create 60 jobs in Glasgow. This was discussed on the BBC website last year. A video is on the Specialst People website.

Ari Ne’eman’s appointment to the National Council on Disability on hold

28 Mar

In a piece in the New York Times, Nominee to Disability Council Is Lightning Rod for Dispute on Views of Autism, Amy Harmon discusses Ari Ne’eman and his nomination to the National Council on Disability (NCD).

Mr. Ne’eman’s name was submitted by the White House as part of a group of nominees to the NCD. His nomination is to succeed Robert Davila, whose term has expired. Mr. Ne’eman’s nomination was “ordered to be reported favorably” by the Senate HELP committee on March 10th and sent to the full senate. At present, the nomination is on hold.

Mr. Ne’eman is an autistic adult. If his nomination is confirmed he will be the first autistic to serve on the NCD. He is probably best known his efforts with the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN), which he founded. ASAN seeks to advance rights of autistcs as reflected in its mission statement:

The Autistic Self Advocacy Network seeks to advance the principles of the disability rights movement in the world of autism. Drawing on the principles of the cross-disability community on issues such as inclusive education, community living supports and others, ASAN seeks to organize the community of Autistic adults and youth to have our voices heard in the national conversation about us. In addition, ASAN seeks to advance the idea of neurological diversity, putting forward the concept that the goal of autism advocacy should not be a world without Autistic people. Instead, it should be a world in which Autistic people enjoy the same access, rights and opportunities as all other citizens. Working in fields such as public policy, media representation, research and systems change, ASAN hopes to empower Autistic people across the world to take control of their own lives and the future of our common community. Nothing About Us, Without Us!

I will repeat for emphasis: “ASAN seeks to advance the idea of neurological diversity, putting forward the concept that the goal of autism advocacy should not be a world without Autistic people. Instead, it should be a world in which Autistic people enjoy the same access, rights and opportunities as all other citizens”.

I find that a position difficult to argue with. Who wouldn’t support access, rights and opportunities for autistics?

This mission statement is fully in line with the purpose of the National Council on Disability, which also promotes rights and opportunity:

The purpose of NCD is to promote policies, programs, practices, and procedures that guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals with disabilities, and that empower individuals with disabilities to achieve economic self-sufficiency, independent living, and inclusion and integration into all aspects of society.

As the parent of an autistic child with very significant disabilities, I can say without reservation we need groups working on improving the rights and access and opportunities of autistics. I believe Mr. Ne’eman and the National Council on Disability would be an excellent match.

In her piece in the Times, Ms. Harmon notes that it is unclear who put the hold on the nomination and what the reason may be. Senate rules allow for a single senator to place a hold, anonymously, for any reason (including just plain obstructionism):

Mr. Obama’s seven other nominees to the council were confirmed this month. But parliamentary procedure in the Senate allows one or more members to prevent a motion from reaching the floor for a vote by placing an anonymous hold on the action, which an official with knowledge of the proceedings said had been done in Mr. Ne’eman’s case.

The Senate has been rather obstructionist in approving many Obama administration appointments, leading the President to employ recess appointments in order to get some of his nominees into jobs. Recess appointments are not the sort of action the President takes lightly, indicating the level of obstructionism in place.

Mr. Ne’eman’s nomination to the NCD generated some discussion within the online autism communities when it was announced. For many people this centered on a question of whether Mr. Ne’eman viewed autism as a disability. Many went so far as to outright claim that he does not see autism as a disability. It would seem clear that Mr. Ne’eman views autism as a disability merely from ASAN’s mission statement which places ASAN as a disability rights organization. For those who remained unsure, Mr. Ne’eman answered this claim quite clearly in a recent piece he wrote for Disabilty Studies Quarterly:

It should be stressed: none of this is meant to deny the very real fact that autism is a disability. It is only to point out that disability is as much a social as a medical phenomenon and that the “cure” approach is not the best way forward for securing people’s quality of life.

Mr. Ne’eman and ASAN have been very active in united efforts by multiple disability groups, such as the recent request for an investigation into the methods employed by the Judge Rotenberg Center (which includes electric shocks and seclusion). One thing lacking in most autism organizations, in my view, is the recognition of our place within a larger disability community. Mr. Ne’eman’s track record of collaborations within this broader community is another sign that he would be an excellent candidate for the NCD.

The Times article concludes with:

But the split among autism advocates, suggests Lee Grossman, director of the Autism Society of America, may simply reflect the unmet needs of a growing population, for both research into potential treatments and for programs to support jobs and independent living.

“We have this community out there frustrated and bewildered and reaching out for any assistance, and that makes us battle-hardened,” Mr. Grossman said. “We need to reframe the discussion. From our perspective, it’s great to have a person on the spectrum being nominated to this committee.”

I agree with Mr. Grossman that this is a great thing to have an autistic nominated to the NCD. As I’ve already pointed out, Mr. Ne’eman’s goals fit those of the NCD quite well.

One notable piece of irony in this story is that the organizations which are critical of Mr. Ne’eman’s nomination have no positions held by autistics. The notable exception is Autism Speaks, which only recently added an adult autistic (John Elder Robinson) to an advisory position. As an additional irony, it is very likely that Mr. Ne’eman’s own advocacy efforts were partly responsible for Autism Speaks giving a position to an adult autistic.

Autism represents a “spectrum” of disabilities. All to often, Mr. Ne’eman’s efforts are framed as being part of some divide between the “high functioning” and “low functioning” ends of the spectrum.

The New York Times piece noted this in this section:

But that viewpoint [neurodiversity], critics say, represents only those on the autism spectrum who at least have basic communication skills and are able to care of themselves.

“Why people have gotten upset is, he doesn’t seem to represent, understand or have great sympathy for all the people who are truly, deeply affected in a way that he isn’t,” said Jonathan Shestack, a co-founder of the advocacy group Autism Speaks, whose mission is to help finance research to find a cure.

Neurodiversity certainly does not represent only “high functioning” autistics as its critics would imply. I will not speak for Mr. Ne’eman nor ASAN, but from my own perspective. First, neurodiversity is not limited to autism. Second, within autism, neurodiversity does not apply only to the “high functioning” autistics. In my opinion, the neurodiveristy “viewpoint” is one that stresses rights for all, regardless of the level of “functioning” or presence or lack of any neurological “disorders”.

There are those who try to downplay Mr. Ne’eman’s disability. Keep in mind, we are talking about a man who spent part of his education in a segregated special education program. The fact that he was able to self advocate his way out of this program is to his credit.

For the record, my perspective is that of the parent of a young child with multiple disabilities including very significant challenges due to autism. I would argue that it is precisely children like my own who most need other people to fight to protect their rights. It is from that perspective that I welcome the nomination of Mr. Ne’eman and look forward to his confirmation in the full senate.

AOL Health interviews Dora Raymaker

12 Mar

AOL Health as a series of articles on autism. One, well worth your time to read, is by Dora Raymaker. The piece is Living with Autism, as Ms. Raymaker is an adult autistic.

I first became aware of Ms. Raymaker when she was blogging on Change.org. She is a member of the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership In Research and Education (AASPIRE) and the Autistic Self Advocacy Network (ASAN).

The interview is well worth the time, take the time to go and check it out. Here is a snippet:

AOL Health: So, how does autism affect your life?

DR: This question has never made much sense to me. There is no part of my daily life that is not affected by my developmental disability. At the same time, I am a complete person, and more things than just my developmental disability color my experiences. I can’t separate out the integrated parts of me. How does not having a developmental disability affect the life of someone who does not have one? How can that question be answered?

U.S. Government Committee recomends increased research into the needs of autistic adults

5 Feb

The Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee is a group representing government agencies that research autism and some segments of the autism community. It was reenacted as a result of the Combating Autism Act. The main product, if you will, of the IACC is the Strategic Plan, which lays out a suggested framework for the U.S. government’s autism research activities.

The main section of the Plan is divided into seven sections, framed around questions. I think it unfortunate that the questions are voiced as though they are posed by a parent. Be that as it may, here are the sections/questions:

1. When Should I Be Concerned?
2. How Can I Understand What Is Happening?
3. What Caused This To Happen And Can This Be Prevented?
4. Which Treatments And Interventions Will Help?
5. Where Can I Turn For Services?
6. What Does The Future Hold?
7. What other Infrastructure and Surveillance Needs Must be Met?

It is my belief, and that of many others, that the most important section is number 6: what does the future hold? This section covers research into understanding autistic adults. This is an area that has been woefully neglected in my opinion.

The goals below have a projected total budget of over US$50 million. I’d like to see a lot more. I’d like to see it now. But this is a good step forward.

Short-Term Objectives

1. New objective
Launch at least two studies to assess and characterize variation in the quality of life for adults on the ASD spectrum as it relates to characteristics of the service delivery system (e.g., safety, integrated employment, post-secondary educational opportunities, community inclusion, self-determination, relationships, and access to health services and community-based services) and determine best practices by 2012. IACC Recommended Budget: $5,000,000 over 3 years.
2. New objective
Evaluate at least one model, at the state and local level, in which existing programs to assist people with disabilities (e.g., Social Security Administration, Rehabilitation Services Administration) meet the needs of transitioning youth and adults with ASD by 2013. IACC Recommended Budget: $5,000,000 over 3 years.
3. New objective
Develop one method to identify adults across the ASD spectrum who may not be diagnosed, or are misdiagnosed, to support service linkage, better understand prevalence, track outcomes, with consideration of ethical issues (insurance, employment, stigma) by 2015. IACC Recommended Budget: $8,400,000 over 5 years.
4. New objective
Conduct at least one study to measure and improve the quality of life-long supports being delivered in community settings to adults across the spectrum with ASD through provision of specialized training for direct care staff, parents, and legal guardians, including assessment and development of ASD-specific training, if necessary, by 2015. IACC Recommended Budget: $7,500,000 over 5 years.

Long-Term Objectives

1. New objective
Develop at least two individualized community-based interventions that improve quality of life or health outcomes for the spectrum of adults with ASD by 2015. IACC Recommended Budget: $12,900,000 over 5 years.
2. New objective
Conduct one study that builds on carefully characterized cohorts of children and youth with ASD to determine how interventions, services, and supports delivered during childhood impact adult health and quality of life outcomes by 2015. IACC Recommended Budget: $5,000,000 over 5 years.
3. New objective
Conduct comparative effectiveness research that includes a cost-effectiveness component to examine community-based interventions, services and supports to improve health outcomes and quality of life for adults on the ASD spectrum over age 21 by 2018. IACC Recommended Budget: $6,000,000 over 5 years.
4. New objective
Conduct implementation research to test the results from comparative effectiveness research in real-world settings including a cost-effectiveness component to improve health outcomes and quality of life for adults on the ASD spectrum over age 21 by 2023. IACC Recommended Budget: $4,000,000 over 5 years.

Older dads contribute to autism

31 Dec

Just a quick one as I haven’t read the whole paper yet but it’ll be of interest to readers of this blog so:

Advancing paternal age is associated with deficits in social and exploratory behaviors in the offspring: a mouse model.

BACKGROUND: Accumulating evidence from epidemiological research has demonstrated an association between advanced paternal age and risk for several psychiatric disorders including autism, schizophrenia and early-onset bipolar disorder. In order to establish causality, this study used an animal model to investigate the effects of advanced paternal age on behavioural deficits in the offspring.

METHODS: C57BL/6J offspring (n = 12 per group) were bred from fathers of two different ages, 2 months (young) and 10 months (old), and mothers aged 2 months (n = 6 breeding pairs per group). Social and exploratory behaviors were examined
in the offspring.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The offspring of older fathers were found to engage in significantly less social (p = 0.02) and exploratory (p = 0.02) behaviors than the offspring of younger fathers. There were no significant differences in measures of motor activity.

CONCLUSIONS: Given the well-controlled nature of this study, this provides the strongest evidence for deleterious effects of advancing paternal age on social and exploratory behavior. De-novo chromosomal changes and/or inherited epigenetic changes are the most plausible explanatory factors.

Autreat 2010 Call for Proposals

2 Dec

Autreat is a retreat-style conference run by Autism Network International (www.ani.ac), for autistic people and our families,friends, supporters, and interested professionals. We are accepting presentation proposals for Autreat 2010, to be held Monday-Friday, June 28-July 2, 2010, in Bradford, Pennsylvania (approximately 80 miles from the nearest major airport at Buffalo, New York).

FOR HELP PREPARING A PROPOSAL:

If you want to submit a proposal but you have trouble reading these instructions and putting your proposal in the requested format, contactcfp-help (at) autreat.com for help. Please send only plain text messages, with no attachments.

WHAT KINDS OF WORKSHOPS ARE WANTED AT AUTREAT?

Autreat is very different from typical autism conferences:

WHEN PREPARING A PROPOSAL FOR CONSIDERATION, BE AWARE THAT THE *PRIMARY* AUDIENCE AT AUTREAT IS AUTISTIC PEOPLE.

Parents and professionals do attend, and most who attend find the presentations to be of interest, but Autreat is basically autistic space.

Be sure your information is being presented in a manner that is both helpful to and respectful of autistic people.

We expect that you will be speaking *to* us, not speaking to non-autistic people *about* us.

We are interested in presentations, by either autistic or non-autistic people, about POSITIVE WAYS OF LIVING WITH AUTISM, about functioning as autistic people in a neurotypical world, and about the disability movement and its significance for autistic people.

We are interested in educational and informative presentations, not in sales pitches for a presenter?s products or services. If you are representing a commercial enterprise and would like a forum to sell products or services at Autreat, please contact exhibitors (at) autreat.com for information about attending Autreat as a vendor.

We are *not* interested in presentations about how to cure, prevent, or overcome autism.

We do *not* appreciate having non-autistic people come into our space to talk to each other about how difficult we are to deal with, or how heroic they are for putting up with us.

If your presentation is geared toward the interests of parents or professionals, it should focus on positive ways of appreciating and supporting autistic people, not on reinforcing negative attitudes about autism and autistic people.

AUTREAT AIMS TO BE WELCOMING AND RELEVANT TO THE BROADEST POSSIBLE CROSS-SECTION OF THE AUTISTIC POPULATION.

Autreat is attended by autistic people who speak and by autistic people who do not speak;

by autistic people who communicate fluently and by autistic people who have limited communication;

by autistic people who live independently and by autistic people who need intensive support with daily living;

by autistic people who have jobs and by autistic people who live on disability benefits;

by autistic people who are able to present as “socially acceptable” and by autistic people who require support to help them manage their behavior;

by autistic people who have been labeled “high-functioning” and by autistic people who have been labeled “low-functioning”?including some autistic people who have had *both* labels, at different times or under different circumstances.

While it is not expected that any one presentation will be of interest to each and every autistic person, we do look for presentations that will appeal to the widest possible audience.

We are *not* interested in presentations that reinforce what we consider to be artificial distinctions between members of our community who are labeled “low-” vs.”high-functioning.”

A NOTE ABOUT “PERSONAL EXPERIENCE” PRESENTATIONS:

Be aware that everyone at Autreat either knows what it’s like to be autistic, or knows what it’s like to care about someone who is autistic.

All of us have our own personal stories. Presentations about the presenters’ personal stories are not going to generate much interest, unless you’re able to use your story in a way that will help other people to share and understand their own experiences in a new way.

Your proposal should describe what participants can expect to get out of your presentation, not just what personal experiences you’re going to talk about.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PRESENTATION TOPICS OF INTEREST

Please review the ANI web site (www.ani.ac) and the past Autreat brochures (http://www.ani.ac/past-workshops.htm), to get an idea of ANI’s philosophy and what Autreat is about. This will help you create the kind of presentation most likely to interest Autreat participants.

If you have never attended Autreat before, you may wish to consider attending first, before submitting a proposal to give a presentation. In our experience, presentations usually get more positive feedback when presenters have some familiarity with Autreat and its participants, before they give presentations there. Active participation in ANI?s online community, and attendance at other self-advocacy events run by and for autistic people, are other good ways to get a feel for how Autreat is different from typical autism conferences. If you wish to submit a proposal and you?ve never been to Autreat before, please give us as much information as possible about your past experience with other autistic-run activities and events.

WHAT IS EXPECTED OF PRESENTERS?

If you submit a proposal, we expect you to be available to attend Autreat if we accept your proposal, and to give your presentation on the day and time scheduled. We make every effort to accommodate presenters’ preferences in setting the Autreat schedule, but it is not always possible to give every presenter his or her preferred time slot.

Presenters are expected to send advance copies of any handouts or slides they plan to use, so that we can prepare alternate format copies for print-impaired attendees.

Presenters are expected to consent for their presentations to be recorded, and for the recordings to be sold by Autism Network International.

Presenters are invited to attend all of Autreat. If presenters opt not to attend the entire event, they are expected to arrive on-site by 8:30 a.m. for afternoon presentations, and to arrive the night before for morning presentations.

Please be prepared to meet these expectations if you decide to submit a proposal.

Presenters are also encouraged to submit an article on their topic for inclusion in the program book. Like handouts and visual aids, articles need to be submitted in a timely manner, so we can prepare copies in alternate formats.

WHAT’S IN IT FOR THE PRESENTERS?

Individual Autreat presenters receive free registration for Autreat,including on-site meals and lodging in a shared (2-person) room. (A private room may be available at the presenter?s own expense.) This free registration is for the presenter *only*, not for a presenter?s family members or support staff.

In the case of panel presentations consisting of three or more presenters, we offer one complete four-day Autreat registration, plus a single-day registration (including three meals and one overnight, if desired) for each additional panelist. Therefore, a panel of X presenters is entitled to a total of 4+(X-1) free days/overnights. Panelists may divide these free days amongst their members as they wish. Panel presenters are of course welcome to register and stay for additional days if they wish.

ANI is a volunteer-run, member-supported grassroots organization with minimal funding. We cannot reimburse for off-site expenses, nor can we pay travel expenses or honoraria. If your proposal is accepted, we will send you a formal letter of invitation if this would help you in raising your own travel funds.

Presenters are entitled to receive one free copy of the recording of their presentations.

PROPOSALS SHOULD INCLUDE:

* Your name and title (if any) exactly as you want them listed in program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Contact information (address, phone, fax and/or email if you have them)

* Title of your proposed presentation

* Detailed description for consideration by the Planning Committee

* Brief (5 sentences or less) abstract exactly as you want it listed in program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Indicate ONE theme that BEST relates to your proposed presentation:

[ ] Advocacy skills
[ ] Life skills/adaptive strategies
[ ] Helpful support services
[ ] Communication
[ ] Social/interpersonal issues
[ ] Personal/self-awareness/self-development issues
[ ] Autistic community and culture
[ ] Education
[ ] Employment
[ ] Family issues
[ ] Residential issues
[ ] Disability rights and politics
[ ] Autism research and theory
[ ] Other (describe):

* Indicate which group(s) you believe would find your proposed presentation of interest. Check as many as apply. Briefly describe what your presentation would offer to each group:

[ ] Autistic adults
[ ] Autistic teenagers
[ ] Family members of autistic people
[ ] Educators
[ ] Clinicians
[ ] Service providers
[ ] Other (specify):

* Brief (5 sentences or less) presenter bio exactly as you want it listed in program materials should your proposal be accepted

* Any audiovisual equipment you would need for your presentation

* If you have never presented at Autreat before, please also include an introduction for the Planning Committee summarizing your relevant experience, including any presentations or other education/advocacy activities elsewhere, and the nature of your interest in autism and/or in general disability issues.

PROPOSAL DEADLINE:

January 20, 2010

HOW TO SUBMIT A PROPOSAL

Proposals can be submitted via email to proposals (at) autreat.com, or submitted online at http://www.ani.ac/aut10cfp.php , or sent via postal mail to

Autism Network International
P.O. Box 35448
Syracuse NY 13235
USA

When your proposal is received, you will be sent a brief acknowledgment confirming that we have received your proposal. If you have not received this confirmation within 48 hours of submitting your proposal, then we may not have received your proposal! If you haven?t received confirmation within 48 hours, please contact proposals (at) autreat.com and let us know. Please save a copy of your proposal, so you can resend it if necessary.

WHAT IF I DON’T WANT TO PRESENT, BUT I HAVE AN IDEA FOR A PRESENTATION I’D LIKE TO SEE?

If you want to make suggestions for Autreat presentations, or make comments about previous presentations or presenters, please fill out the questionnaire available at http://www.ani.ac/autplan2.php.

WHAT IF I WANT MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUTREAT?

You can find a lot of general information, including a link to join the Autreat Information mailing list, at http://www.autreat.com. If you have specific questions and can’t find the answers on the web page, you may send email to info (at) autreat.com.

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