Conference on autism draws national experts

Local and national experts will discuss teaching strategies for children with autism or Asperger’s Syndrome at Grand Valley State University’s Statewide Autism and Training project (START) 2010 conference.

The conference, “One Size Does Not Fit All: Effective Practices for Each Student” will take place Tuesday and Wednesday, April 27 and 28, at the Lexington Lansing Hotel, in Lansing. The conference runs from 8:30 a.m.-4 p.m. each day.

Paul H. Wehman, professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Virginia Commonwealth University, is the keynote speaker on April 27. Wehman will talk about vocational and community integration for youth with autism.

Laura Schreibman, professor of psychology at the University of California, is the keynote speaker on April 28. Schreibman will talk about tailoring treatments to individual children with autism.

Breakout sessions include discussions on customized employment, components of high quality public school programs and promoting learning opportunities through structured play.

Grand Valley faculty participating in the conference include START project director Amy Matthews and START project faculty Jamie Owen-DeSchryver, who will speak about learning opportunities for children with autism in early childhood classroom settings.

For details on conference sessions and costs, visit www.gvsu.edu/autismcenter or call (616) 331-6480.

BACKGROUND
Paul H. Wehman is director of the Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Workplace Supports at Virginia Commonwealth University. He pioneered the development of supported employment at Virginia Commonwealth University in the early 1980s and has been involved in the use of support employment with people who have severe disabilities, such as those with severe mental retardation, brain injury, spinal cord injury or autism.

Laura Schreibman directs the UCSD Autism Intervention Research Program, which focuses on the experimental analysis and treatment of autism. Her research interests include naturalistic behavioral intervention, individualized treatment protocols, analysis of language and attention deficits and parent training. She is the author of three books and more than 140 research articles and book chapters.