Conference to address autism throughout the lifespan

Noted international speakers to present

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of children diagnosed with autism is rising, creating concern and greater interest in the disorder. Addressing this need for information, the Florida Institute of Technology School of Psychology will host the 2007 Autism Conference, Oct. 18 and 19.

The conference will feature noted autism experts speaking on a variety of related topics. They will offer comprehensive information to assist educators, health care and social service providers, and families in developing effective educational and therapeutic care.

The conference starts Thursday, Oct. 18 at 7 p.m. with a lecture by Anthony Bailey, M.D., in the F.W. Olin Engineering Building auditorium on the Florida Tech campus. Bailey, who is the Cheryl and Reece Scott Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Oxford, UK, will discuss interventions for reversing autistic difficulties throughout the lifespan.

On Friday, Oct. 19, participants will meet from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy (Upper Campus) off the Pineda Causeway in Melbourne.

Presentations this day include “The Neurobiology of Autism” by Bailey; “How a Child with Autism or Asperger’s Syndrome Perceives the World” by Dr. Linda Lotspeich, a child psychiatrist and director of the Autism Spectrum Disorders Center at Kaiser Permanente in California; “Autism and the Scientific Method” by Eb Blakely, a behavior analyst at Quest Inc. and a consultant at Devereux; and “The Benefits of a Language-based Approach in Programs for Children with Autism” by Vince Carbone, a board-certified behavioral analyst with extensive experience in designing learning environments for ppindividuals with autism and developmental disabilities.

The conference qualifies for professional education hours for teachers and continuing education credit for psychologists and behavior analysts.

Registrations are being accepted between Aug. 27 and Oct. 8. For more information or to register online, visit http://research.fit.edu/autismconference2007.

Registration fees are $50 for parent or student preregistration and $95 for a professional to preregister; the fees are $75 for a parent or student registering on-site and $125 for a professional who registers on-site.

For more information, contact Cynthia Smith at 321-674-6076 or or Theresa Travis at 321-674-8104 or .