Understanding Autism: From Confusion to Awareness

FREE Webinar:

FREE WEBINAR:  1 p.m. Eastern time (US), Wednesday, December 11, 2024

Paul Shattock (B.Pharm, Dip.Ag.Vet.Pharm, OBE)

Join us in this presentation by Paul Shattock, a pharmacist and parent of an autistic son: In the past, families were confused when they noticed something different about their children but couldn’t figure out what it was. Even after getting a diagnosis, parents still struggled because many people didn’t believe autism was real. Pioneers like Bernard Rimland, who started studying autism over 60 years ago, helped change how people thought about it. There was a lot of debate over whether autism was a mental illness, a behavior problem, or something else. As more people became aware of autism, the number of diagnosed cases seemed to grow quickly, raising questions about why this was happening. Scientists are still exploring reasons for this increase, including how our environment and the diversity of living things might play a role. This is a joint presentation by ARI and The World Autism Organisation. REGISTER HERE: https://autism.org/understanding-autism-from-confusion-to-awareness/

Paul Shattock (B.Pharm, Dip.Ag.Vet.Pharm, OBE), a pharmacist and parent of an autistic son, was Honorary Director of the Autism Research Unit (ARU), University of Sunderland, UK now called ESPA Research. He is Chairman of ESPA (Education and Services for People with Autism) which provides teaching and residential services for young adults with autism and President-Elect of the World Autism Organisation (WAO) having previously been secretary for Autisme-Europe. His research interests include rights and models of service provision for people with autism, biomedical and environmental factors implicated in autism, and the use and abuse of medication for autism.

INVITATION:
Call for Bids to host the World Autism Organisation Congress 2026

You are hereby invited to send an email to info.wao22@gmail.com with
Subject: REQUEST FOR INVITATION i.r.o. BID DOCUMENT for WAO CONGRESS 2026

The Congress will be a joint venture between WAO,
the local Autism association, and the Congress management company,
with surpluses shared by agreement.

Proposal submission deadline is at 23h59 PST, on 31 October 2024
EXTENDED TO 30 November 2024!

The Executive Committee of the WAO will adjudicate the submitted bids
and the final decision will be announced by 30^th January 2025,
with a contract being agreed upon and signed by all relevant parties before 30 ^th April 2025.

25th – 27th October 2024 – Ayia Napa – Cyprus

Autism:  A Complex Riddle

Balkan International Autism Conference

Hosted by: Autism Support Famagusta

Endorsed by: World Autism Organisation

Registration and Information:

https://autismedi-biac.com/

Supported By: 
Autism Austria;  Autism Europe;  Autism Medical Institute-Turkey;  Qendra Terapeutike Heimerer-Kosovo;  ESPA Research-United Kingdom;  World in Pictures-Bosnia and Herzegovina;  Consultants Gate-United Arab Emirates;  Sen Assistance-Turkey;  

FREE 2-day  HYBRID conference:

27th of April – 28th of April 2024 – Ulaanbaatar – Mongolia

Hosted by: Аутизмд хийсэн аялал НҮТББ / Travel to Autism, United Nations – Mongolia

Endorsed by: World Autism Organisation

Time: Apr 27, 2024 13:00 Irkutsk, Ulaanbaatar  (5h00 UTC – Universal Standard Time)

         Apr 27, 2024 13:00  (5h00 UTC – Universal Standard Time)

        Apr 28, 2024 09:00  (9h00 UTC – Universal Standard Time)

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84573407335?pwd=dUM5OFhVczZBY1prRVZxVWU0UFJ5dz09

Meeting ID: 845 7340 7335

Passcode: 881188

Supported By: 
Ulster University, College of Medicine and Dentistry-United Kingdom;  Autism Medical Institute-Turkey;  Qendra Terapeutike Heimerer-Kosovo;  ESPA Research-United Kingdom;  World in Pictures-Bosnia and Herzegovina;  Consultants Gate-United Arab Emirates;  Sen Assistance-Turkey;  Autism Austria-Austria;  Metropolitan Education Department-Mongolia

Autism and Aging - Cognition and Well-being

FREE Webinar:

1 p.m. Eastern time (US), Wednesday, April 10, 2024

Hilde Geurts, Ph.D.

Tune in to this presentation by Hilde Geurts, Ph.D. on research investigating autism, age-related cognition, and well-being.

When we become older, we all hope to become wiser and happier, but we also know that someday we will decline. This decline is apparent in both cognition and health. This is true for everyone, although large individual differences exist in when and how fast one declines. Whether or not being autistic impacts the when and how of this decline is the central question that will be addressed in the current talk. You will learn that the findings are mixed and the literature is still scarce. However, in general the future outlook seems highly similar for autistic and non-autistic people even though autistic people do seem to have an increased risk for specific health related conditions. I will touch upon topics such as menopause, camouflaging, and feelings of being in control as these are all relevant factors for one’s well-being.

This is a joint presentation by ARI and The World Autism Organisation.

REGISTER HERE:  https://autism.org/aging-cognition-wellbeing/

• About the speaker:

  Hilde Geurts, Ph.D., is currently a professor in clinical neuropsychology and head of the section Brain & Cogntion at the Department of Psychology of the University of Amsterdam. Dr. Geurts studies autism and ADHD. Her starting point is the neurodiversity perspective, and she focuses on cognition (especially cognitive control/executive functioning), inter & intra individual variability, quality of life as well as interventions across the life span.

   
   

Biomarkers start telling us a story:
Autism pathophysiology revisited

FREE Webinar:

27 March 2024, 3 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

Antonio Persico, MD

Learn about emerging research on biomarkers and autism from a recent ARI Research Grant recipient.

REGISTER HERE:  https://autism.org/biomarkers-and-pathophysiology/

• About the speaker:

  Antonio Persico, MD, studied Psychiatry at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart (Rome, Italy) in 1990 and worked as Visiting Foreign Fellow at the Natl. Inst. on Drug Abuse (Baltimore, MD) between 1991 and 1994, with a focus on the genetics of drug addiction. Starting in 1995, at University “Campus Bio-Medico” (Rome, Italy), Dr. Persico began exploring the role of serotonin in neurodevelopment and the genetics of autism. Since then, autism and neurodevelopmental disorders have been his primary focus. In 2010, he started the clinical Unit of Child & Adolescent Neuropsychiatry at UCBM, then becoming in 2015 Full Professor of Child and Adolescent Neuropsychiatry at the University of Messina (Italy). Here he directed the Interdepartmental Program “Autism 0-90” at the “G. Martino” University Hospital. Dr. Persico’s overarching target is to “link clinical phenomena to their genetic, epigenetic and neurobiological underpinnings in neurodevelopmental disorders.” His specific research interests are thus primarily translational: clustering autistic patients in biologically meaningful ways, identifying biomarkers for early diagnosis and to predict response/non-response to specific forms of therapies, developing novel evidence-based pharmacological, behavioral and occupational interventions. Dr. Persico’s goal is to “improve as much as possible the long-term trajectory and the quality of life of autistic individuals and their families at all ages.” Currently, Dr. Persico is at Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia.

From I am Special to H.A.P.P.Y.

Autism:  Moving  towards a neurodiversity perspective where we see neurological differences as a positive thing

FREE Webinar:

13 December 2023, 1 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

Peter Vermeulen, PhD

A little bit more than 20 years ago, Peter Vermeulen developed a psycho-education program for children and youngsters on the autism spectrum, named ‘I am Special’ It was translated into more than 10 different languages and it is being used all over the world – also in Norwegian: Jeg er noe helt spesielt!

Times have changed. We are looking at autism in a quite different way than we did 20 years ago. We made the move from a purely deficit-based conceptualization of autism towards a neurodiversity perspective where we see neurological differences as a positive thing.

Despite having a brain that is differently wired, autistic individuals have the same human needs as any other human being. Now the time has come to focus on the similarities and not only the differences between autistic and non-autistic people. We are all a bit special! A shift towards a more positive approach with a focus on well-being, and not just the lack of well-being, is happening. This will also affect how we help autistic people to understand themselves and their needs.

Based on this evolution, we made a shift from ‘I am Special’ to ‘H.A.P.P.Y.’, a new psycho-education program focusing on happiness and well-being in autism. The H.A.P.P.Y. program results in an individualized well-being plan for an autistic child, youngster or adult, based on 10 evidence-based well-being strategies. These strategies are made autism friendly in the program. H.A.P.P.Y. is where autistic thinking and well-being meet each other.

In this presentation Peter will describe the shift in focus towards well-being and the backgrounds and content of the H.A.P.P.Y.-program.

REGISTER HERE:  http://autism.org/from-special-to-happy/

• About the speaker:
•  
•  
•  
• Peter Vermeulen, PhD, in Psychology and Clinical Educational Sciences, has more than 35 years of experience in the field of autism. Founder of “Autism in Context”, where autism is understood in context. Peter is an internationally respected lecturer/trainer and he presents all over the world. Peter wrote more than 15 books and several articles on autism, some of them translated into more than 10 languages. For his +30 years of work in the field of autism, he received in 2019 a Lifetime Achievement Award.

7TH BALKAN INTERNATIONAL AUTISM CONFERENCE

Challenges and solutions for children with ASD!

In conjunction with AutisMedi, Espa Research, UEOM & World In Pictures

Endorsed by the World Autism Organisation

November 10 - 11, 2023

In person only - limited to 100 participants

Lectures by 15 Experts
TIRANA, ALBANIA

Conference Location

Medical University, Medical Faculty, Dibra str., no. 371, 1005, Tirana - ALBANIA

..

Social Media Use and Autism – Teens and Adults:

Learn research updates on the impact of social media use on teens and adults with autism

FREE Webinar:

20 September 2023, 1 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

Pamela Wisniewski, PhD.

We often equate keeping teens safe online to shielding them from experiencing online risks – such as information breaches, cyberbullying, sexual solicitations, and exposure to explicit content. However, this abstinence-only approach tends to be very parent-centric and does not take into account the developmental needs and teen-centric experiences of our youth, including those who are on the Autism Spectrum. Instead, Dr. Wisniewski’s research emphasizes teaching teens how to appropriately leverage technology to their advantage, stay safe while doing so, and learn how to cope with online risks when they encounter them. As adults, we often assume teens have no personal agency when it comes to their own online safety, and that they cannot effectively manage online risks by themselves. Yet, as parents and educators, it is our job to teach Autistic teens these skills, so that they can become well-formed and independent adults. Autistic teens can disproportionately benefit and be harmed online; therefore, it is important to take evidence-based precautions that protect them from harm without limiting their opportunities to connect with others and benefit from what the internet has to offer. Note: Just like everyone else, Autistic teens all have different strengths and weaknesses. Therefore, the perspectives shared during this talk may not be generalizable to all Autistic teens, particularly those who require more significant (i.e., Level 3) support in their daily lives.

REGISTER HERE: https://autism.org/social-media-use-and-autism-teens-and-adults/

• About the speaker:
• 
• Pamela Wisniewski,PhD, is an endowed, Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Vanderbilt University. She is a Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) scholar whose research lies at the intersection of Social Computing and Privacy. Dr. Wisniewski is an expert in the interplay between social media, privacy, and online safety for adolescents. She was one of the first researchers to recognize the need for a resilience-based approach, rather than an abstinence-based approaches to adolescent online safety, and to back this stance up with empirical data. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications and has won multiple best papers (top 1%) and best paper honorable mentions (top 5%) at top conferences in HCI. She has been awarded over $4.72 million in external grant funding, including two prestigious career awards. She is the recipient of the National Science Foundation’s prestigious CAREER Award for her innovative, teen-centric approach to adolescent online safety, “Safety by Design: Protecting Adolescents from Online Risks,” and was the first computer scientist to ever be selected as a William T. Grant Scholar. Her research has been featured by popular news media outlets, including ABC News, NPR, Psychology Today, and U.S. News and World Report. In addition to her scholarly research with teens, Dr. Wisniewski is the wife of an AuDHD man and mother to an AuDHD daughter.

AUTISM AND PICA

FREE Webinar: 12 April 2023, 1 p.m. Eastern Time (U.S.)

Dean Alexander, Ph.D.

AUTISM SOUTH AFRICA:
WORLD AUTISM AWARENESS AND ACCEPTANCE MONTH:

Autistic Voices Matter!

What’s included in the pack?  (Great ideas on what activities can be done for Autism Acceptance - April and beyond!)

∞ Autistic persons speak out about their rights.
∞ Identity First Language – Why and what?
∞ Nothing about us without us – where does this come from?
∞ Ideas on how to create acceptance and awareness.
∞ How to help Autism South Africa Raise Money.  (You could create ideas of how to raise funds within your community).
∞ Where does that money go?  (what pertinent projects or needs do you have in your country?)
∞ Autism Word Search.
∞ What is Autism Poster?
∞ Decorative Bunting.
∞ Colouring in page designed by autistic adult, Lindsey Carter.
∞ Word Search Answers.

Access the pack here:  https://aut2know.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/WAAD-2023-FINAL.pdf

You can link to Autism South Africa and their resources at:  https://www.aut2know.co.za

ONGOING:
AUTISM RESEARCH INSTITUTE WEBINARS:

Regular FREE webinars on various topics which can be viewed in recorded form too:

https://www.autism.org/webinars/

You can link to the ARI newsletter here:  ARI Newsletter

2022 & beyond WAO International Activities

Due to circumstances beyond our control, the 2022 congress had to be cancelled.  We are looking at holding a WAO congress in 2026.  In the interim, we are looking at hosting live meeting style FREE seminars or webinars.  Most of the requests for assistance and practical knowledge building come from poorly resourced countries and organisations.  If you would like to take part in this project and impart your knowledge at no cost to the WAO or to the participants, send us an email with your details, your specialisation/topic of interest or your practical workshop information, including references and/or a website which details some of your work.  (NO ABA, hyperbaric oxygen, bleach or other Autism unfriendly methods and therapies/treatments will be considered).  Please include your favoured time for presentations and the country you are presenting from.  If your country or organisation is interested in hosting a little conference or day-seminar (unfortunately we cannot help with sponsorships or donations), please send an email to info@worldautismorganisation.com to be put on the call-for-tender list.