Two weeks ago, the Autism Society of America held its annual conference in Dallas, TX, and I was fortunate enough to be there—my first ASA conference! What an amazing experience, with many different sessions occurring simultaneously. I have to say that it was quite a thrill to be standing in line next to Carol Gray, to have Michelle Garcia Winner sign my book, to ride a shuttle bus with Stephen Shore, or to get coffee behind Cathy Pratt. I admit it; I was star struck by these famous names in the autism world. It’s also exciting to know that many of these luminaries either have already spoken at the annual conference of the Autism Society of North Carolina, or will in the future. In 2011, for example, Stephen Shore and Brenda Smith Myles will both be presenting at ASNC’s Annual Conference, which will be in Charlotte (details to be posted on our website soon—save these dates now, March 18-19, 2011!).
I was impressed that the ASA had representatives from President Obama’s administration there and by what they had to say. It was reassuring for me to know that one of Obama’s advisors has a child with autism, for example (Mike Sherman); to see that the Special Assistant to the President for Disability Policy is legally blind (Kareem Dale); and to know that the head of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (Sharon Lewis) has a daughter with a developmental disability. I do not apologize for bringing politics into this: President Obama is the first presidential candidate in recent memory to have highlighted disabilities in his campaign and to have a written policy on autism.
There were so many great sessions that I learned from—too many to write about today. More later on what I learned…In the meantime, take a look at our bookstore, which has books authored by many of the above-mentioned autism experts.
Tags: autism books, Autism Society of America, Autism Society of North Carolina, Stephen Shore Go back
Sounds like a grand affair! I don\’t know any of those people you mentioned but I\’m glad we have people fighting for our kids and taking an interest in helping them.
I didn\’t realize Obama had a policy on autism- what is that all about? Last I heard from him regarding devt\’l disabilities was when he said his bowling was like \”special olympics\” So I just assumed he had deep-seated prejudice and stereotype against people with developmental disability. Glad he has a policy!
Kristine: candidate Obama talked about ASD quite a bit during his campaign and has accomplished some of his goals. He has a special policy advisor on disabilities, an active head of the Administration on Developmental Disabilities, young children are supposed to be screened twice for autism before age two, and health insurance reform will help individuals with autism. He has yet to achieve full funding for IDEA or pass the ATAA, but is still working towards those goals.
It was disappointing, to say the least, to hear his comment about his bowling; our society has yet to erase old stereotypes—one of many reasons I advocate for People First language, because our words DO matter.
Here are some links with more information about his attempts to help people with autism:
http://www.barackobama.com/pdf/AutismSpectrumDisorders.pdf
http://www.autism-society.org/site/DocServer/ASA_-_Obama_letter.pdf
http://www.autismvotes.org/site/apps/nlnet/content2.aspx?c=frKNI3PCImE&b=3930723&ct=6636947
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aJ0z5adj_R4c
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/elaine-hall/obama-and-autism_b_137571.html
http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/?pageId=7&newsId=236&newsType=1
Sorry about the name-dropping…here are some explanations
Carol Gray—created Social Stories
Michelle Garcia Winner—teaches about Social Thinking (as opposed to social skills)
Stephen Shore—professional on the spectrum
Cathy Pratt—head of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism (and President of the Board for Autism Society of America)
Thanks for reading and commenting!