FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Organizers of the University of Arkansas’ second annual Symposium on Autism Spectrum Disorders in March represent several professions, and they hope to increase the knowledge of educators and health practitioners from various fields who share a common goal of helping children with autism.

Sessions on March 4 and 5 at the Center for Continuing Education in Fayetteville are also open to parents of children with autism. “Tools to Succeed” is this year’s symposium theme.

Autism is a neurological disorder. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network released data in 2007 that found about 1 in 150 eight-year-old children in multiple areas of the United States had an autism spectrum disorder. Five pervasive developmental disorders make up autism spectrum disorders, all characterized by varying degrees of impairment in communication skills, social interactions, and restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior.

The university symposium planning committee – made up of College of Education and Health Professions faculty members from the areas of special education, communication disorders, rehabilitation education and counselor education – asked another faculty member and his wife, who have a child with autism, to speak on the first day of the symposium.

Michael Daugherty is a professor of vocational education. He and his wife, Gina, will talk about raising a child with autism. Other sessions on March 4 provide information for educators, parents, speech-language pathologists, nurses, physical and occupational therapists.

The second day of the symposium features Timothy Kowalski of Orlando, Fla., a speech-language pathologist with extensive experience working with people with Asperger’s Syndrome. His presentation March 5 is titled “The Importance of Social Pragmatic Communication to Life Success.” Two members of the planning committee from different disciplines were familiar with Kowalski’s work and presentations and recommended him for the symposium.

“He’s a very dynamic speaker,” said Kristin Higgins, assistant professor of counselor education. “He gives you the background and knowledge you need, then takes you through to ‘here’s what you do.’ He describes what methods work best in helping people with autism spectrum disorders.”

Break-out sessions planned for March 5 will focus on speech/language issues, behavior management, parenting issues and administrative concerns.

Registration is required and can be done online. Cost and other information is available at http://cied.uark.edu/AutismRegistration2009.pdf.  

Higgins and three other faculty members also will conduct focus groups with parents and professionals during the symposium to learn from their experiences what assistance students with autism need and what services have benefited them. A town hall meeting is also scheduled for 7 to 8:30 p.m. March 4 at the Center for Continuing Education. It’s free and open to the public, but people who plan to attend are asked to register on the symposium registration form.