Author: The Autism Blog

Please join us for Autism 204: Supporting the Autism Community in Central and Eastern Washington

April 15, 2021 7-8:30 pm

Welcome to the 1^st ever Autism 200 class for individuals and families living in central and eastern Washington; presented by Central/Eastern Washington providers, professionals, parents and advocates.  

This virtual panel presentation will provide information about the unique issues and support available for the autism community in central and eastern Washington.  Topics that will be discussed include getting an evaluation and diagnosis, supports for families following a diagnosis, advocacy and communication with the public schools, available therapies including Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA), autistic advocate and parent perspectives, and information related to resources. 

Date: April 15, 2021

Time: 7-8:30 pm PT

Registration is not required

Watch live on Seattle Children’s Facebook page

Following the presentation, it can be viewed on Seattle Children’s Facebook and will be added to Seattle Children’s Autism 200 YouTube channel within two weeks of the lecture date.

Moderator: Tracie Hoppis, Children’s Village, Yakima– State Coordinator for Parent to Parent Program and lead for Yakima County Children with Special Health Care Needs Program

Speakers and Topics:

Jill Bross, MD, FAAP Parkview Medical Group, Grant County Getting an Evaluation and Diagnosis – what do you need to know

Melissa Brooks, RN, Parent to Parent Coordinator, the Arc of Tri-Cities Parent and Family Perspective

Tracie Hoppis, Washington State Parent to Parent Network Coordinator, Supervisor for Yakima County Children with Special Health Care Needs Program and Yakima County Parent to Parent, Parent-  Children’s Village, Yakima Where/how to get family support following the diagnosis 

Maria Pulido, Community Health Worker, Parent to Parent and Children with Special Health Care Needs Program- Children’s Village, Yakima  Barriers/considerations for Hispanic families and tips for getting what you need 

Lori Garcia, MSW, Family Resources Coordinator and Children and Youth with Special Health Care Needs (CYSHCN) Program Coordinator, Children’s Village, Yakima Supports available from Early Supports for Infant and Toddlers (ESIT) Program and CYSHCN public health programs

Sharon Loudon, Autism Consultant, Educational Service District (ESD) 105, Yakima How schools can help- ESD 105 model and general services/supports you can ask for in any district

Dana Stevens, ABD, BCBA, LBA, Director, Training and Education and Chief Clinical Advisor Northwest Autism Center, Spokane What’s ABA therapy, what to do while waiting for it

John Lemus, UW LEND Program, Vice President – Spokane Chapter of People First of WA An Autistic perspective- what’s important for parents and providers to understand about the lived autistic experience and how to support autistic individuals

Here is a link to the slideshow: Autism 204 Slides

One of the purposes of Autism 200 is to present many of the different perspectives that exist across the wide autism spectrum. 

We at Seattle Children’s are strong advocates for empowerment and celebrate the many individual and collective voices that have been raised within the autism community.  Listening to autistic self-advocates has informed our care as providers and changed how we communicate to families.  We always strive to presume competence in all people with autism and the advent of assistive technology has given many individuals the capability of sharing their voices.  This has been a tremendous advance and benefit for our community.

There is still a population within the autism community whose voice is rarely heard.  Individuals with severe intellectual, communication and behavioral deficits who have not responded well to the therapeutic interventions available and the families who care and advocate for them.  Many of these families have spent a lifetime attempting to teach communication, adaptive behavior and self-advocacy skills.  Who speaks for these individuals better than those families who are forced to advocate for them?

The Arc of King County recently announced a presentation entitled Unmasking the Rhetoric of Severe Autism.  The date of this presentation is scheduled for February 18 which coincides with the Autism 200 class entitled A Voice for Severe Autism.  We are pleased to promote both of these presentations which will provide valuable information for families.

These presentations provide two different perspectives that deserve to be heard. One is that of individuals and their families with high support needs who have responded to therapeutic interventions and benefit from assistive technology.  They have found their voice and can advocate for themselves in many ways.  We celebrate the accomplishments of these individuals and want to hear their stories.  The second is from the perspective of those who love and care for those who have not responded to interventions and advances in technology, who speak and advocate on their loved one’s behalf.   

It is our hope that these perspectives can co-exist as everyone strives to understand the perspectives of all within the autism community.  Information related to both presentations can be found below:

Autism 202: A Voice for Severe Autism

Seattle Children’s Autism Center

Thursday, February 18, 2021

7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Registration not required

View via Facebook Live at Seattle Children’s Facebook page.

The event will start at 7:00 p.m.

Following the presentation, it can be viewed on Seattle Children’s Facebook indefinitely and will be added to Seattle Children’s Autism 200 YouTube channel within two weeks of the lecture date.

Unmasking the Rhetoric of Severe Autism

The Arc of King County

Thursday, February 18, 2021

7:00 to 8:30 p.m.

Register to receive a link:

https://forms.gle/wvLuwzVsRFWLjAXT6    

Join us for Autism 202: A Voice for Severe Autism, a virtual presentation by Jill Escher, President of National Council of Severe Autism, and Amy Lutz, Vice President of National Council of Severe Autism.

The presentation will cover:

• What is meant by severe autism
• The dramatically growing prevalence of severe autism, and implications for policy
• Challenges: therapeutics, appropriate education, adult programs, housing, crisis support
• The importance of advocacy and standing up for difficult realities

Many millions of people have traits associated with autism. This presentation will focus on important issues and concerns impacting the growing population of children and adults affected by severe forms of autism or related disorders. This population includes those who, by virtue of any combination of cognitive and functional impairments, require continuous or near-continuous, lifelong services, supports, and supervision. Individuals in this category are often nonverbal or have limited use of language, have intellectual impairment, and, in a subset, exhibit challenging behaviors that interfere with safety and well-being.

Due to the reasonable caution surrounding reducing the spread of COVID-19, this month’s Autism 200 lecture will be streamed live through Facebook Live on Seattle Children’s, Seattle Children’s Autism Center and Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center’s Facebook pages. There will be no in-person attendance. Thanks to everyone for your understanding. Further announcements regarding future Autism 200 lectures will be forthcoming.

If you are unable to watch the stream live, a video of the presentation will be available immediately after the lecture on Seattle Children’s, Seattle Children’s Autism Center and Seattle Children’s Alyssa Burnett Adult Life Center’s Facebook pages. It will also be available in the future on Seattle Children’s Autism 200 Series YouTube playlist.

Learn more about Seattle Children’s Autism 200 Series Lectures.

Date: Thursday Feb 18, 2021

Time: 7:00 – 8:30pm Pacific Time

Presenter bios:

Jill Escher is an autism research philanthropist (Escher Fund for Autism), real estate investor who provides low-income housing for adults with developmental disabilities, former lawyer, and mother of two children with nonverbal autism. In her role as an advocate, she serves as president of National Council on Severe Autism, and immediate past president of Autism Society San Francisco Bay Area. In her role as a promoter of innovative research she was recently elected to serve on the governing council of the Environmental Mutagenesis and Genomics Society. Escher is a graduate of Stanford University and the UC Berkeley School of Law.  Most importantly she is the mother of two children, a 22 year old man and a 14 year-old girl, with nonverbal forms of autism.

Amy S.F. Lutz is an advocate and writer based in Pennsylvania. Amy’s work has been featured in The Atlantic, Slate and Babble, among others, and she writes about autism at Inspectrum for Psychology Today. Her essay collection We Walk: Life with Severe Autism was published in October 2020, and her first book, Each Day I Like It Better: Autism, ECT, and the Treatment of Our Most Impaired Children came out in 2014. She is currently pursuing a PhD in History and Sociology of Science at University of Pennsylvania. She is the mother of five children, one of whom has a severe form of autism.