Registration, Opening Session and Exhibitor's Viewing
All exhibits will be open. Learn about new products and services from our exhibiting firms. If you have registered for any day (Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday, your registration includes Wednesday night, too). Don't miss this impoortant opening session.

The Effects of Synergistic Toxicities and Genetic Susceptibilities on the Toxic Effects of Inorganic and Organic Mercury Compounds: The Relationship to Autism and Related Disorders; Research conflicts of Interest /Boyd E. Haley, PhD

Breakthrough Strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorders / Raun Kaufman

The Continuums of Autism: Cognition, Sensory Processing, and Arousal / Marlo Payne Rice, MS

Prioritizing Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders / Patricia Lemer, MEd, NCC

Asperger's Syndrome: Building Confidence through Emerging and Deep Interests / Valerie Paradiz, Phd & Elijah Wapner

Balancing It All - Enriching the Lives of Parents Who Have Children With Autism / Valerie Herskowitz, MA-CCC-SLP

Special Event: Enjoy a fun and relaxing evening featuring a scrumptious buffet dinner with entertainment that includes
performing artist, comedian, Elijah Wapner who was featured on MTV's TrueLife: I Have Autism; singer Jamie Manning, featuring songs from the album What Remains, which chronicles the lives of parents raising children with autism; and music entertainment by disc jockey Pat Downey. Hors D’oeuvres served in the spacious Centenniel Room on the top floor of the Hyatt Regency Tech Center overlooking the Rocky Mountain Range and the Denver Skyline. Hosted in part by Oxy Health Corporation. Call 303-717-2679 for ticket information, or reserve your tickets when you register for the conference online.

Registration, Opening Session and Exhibitor's Viewing
All exhibits will be open. Learn about new products and services from our exhibiting firms. If you have registered for any day (Thursday, Friday and/or Saturday, your registration includes Wednesday night, too). Don't miss this impoortant opening session.

Breakthrough Strategies for Autism Spectrum Disorders / Raun Kaufman
Mr. Kaufman, CEO of the Autism Treatment Center of America™, will provide concrete, bold strategies you can implement now for your child’s immediate gain.  As a child, Mr. Kaufman was diagnosed with severe autism and recommended for lifelong institutionalization.  Instead, his parents developed The Son-Rise Program, which enabled their son to completely recover from his autism.  Now an international speaker and Ivy League graduate with a degree in Biomedical Ethics, Mr. Kaufman bears no traces of his former condition (and is the subject of a book and movie).  His lecture focuses on some innovative, outside-the-box techniques you can use today to help your child: move beyond stimming (without you stopping or discouraging your child’s behavior), learn new skills (without you having to push or pressure), and, most especially, to form meaningful, caring relationships with others.

Bringing Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) Therapy and Biomedical Treatments Together, Part 2 / Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD
At Thoughtful House Center for Children we bring Applied Behavioral Analysis (ABA) therapy and biomedical treatments together; we intend to develop the best-practice treatment for autism. This presentation is a behavioral-educational program for kids, which will work together with biomedical treatments. I'm going to talk about this full-treatment approach, and I'll present a brief introduction to ABA. I'll explain the CARD program, and then show you a curriculum for teaching kids with autism.

Learning Objectives:
1. To review the role, possible mechanisms, and symptom correlations of relative cerebral hypoperfusion in autistic individuals and understand how HBOT may help overcome this finding.
2. To review recent evidence demonstrating that autism is characterized by inflammation in the brain and gastrointestinal tract and understand how HBOT may help overcome this inflammatory process.
3. To review the role of oxidative stress in autism and discuss how HBOT and antioxidants may help impact this finding.

Dr. Rossignol will be presenting "Evidence of Metal Toxicity in Autism" at 4:15pm - 5:15 pm, Saturday, August 11th.

Presentation Abstract:
Dietary enzymes, while relatively new to the autism scene, are now considered mainstays in supporting good gastrointestinal health. As enzyme therapy is now incorporated into accepted treatment protocols, many more companies now offer competing enzyme products. Enzymes are very specific in their function, therefore; knowledge of different kinds of enzymes is necessary to adequately address specific digestive problems. Protease enzymes are helpful in breaking down food proteins such as gluten, casein, soy, cereals, etc. Often, these proteins are involved in the food intolerances suffered by many ASD children. By breaking down these proteins more thoroughly, smaller fragments are produced, which are less likely to be allergenic or to set off the body’s immune system. Carbohydrase enzymes are helpful in disaccharide disorders, such as lactose and starch intolerance, which affect many with inflamed GI tracts. Phenolic intolerance to many fruits and vegetables can also be addressed by appropriate enzyme usage.

The Continuums of Autism: Cognition, Sensory Processing, and Arousal / Marlo Payne Rice, MS
Presentation learning objectives:
1. Understand cognition and learning style as essential, need-to-know characteristics of Autism.
2. Identify sensory states as basis for behavior.
3. Utilize The Learning Model to map cognition, learning style and sensory processing needs.
4. See useful accommodations for sensory processing and learning style implemented in the classroom.
5. Recognize the role of arousal in learning, socialization and behavior.

Prioritizing Therapies for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders / Patricia Lemer, MEd, NCC
Choosing how to allocate financial and time resources for a child with an autism spectrum disorder can be daunting. Parents search out experts who all have something to offer. Experts are certain that their therapies can help a child toward recovery, but are there other disciplines that can work synergistically with theirs? How do parents decide upon an order of business when every child is unique? If a therapist suggests that a family start with an expert from another discipline, maybe the family will never return. If only guidelines were available for educators, healthcare professionals and parents, then all could work collaboratively in the child’s best interest. In this session, Ms. Lemer, a counselor with over 30 years experience, will offer a road map for both families and therapists. She will concentrate on how to pinpoint what is right for a particular child, by looking at his/her history, determining minimal, but necessary testing needs, and how to find competent professionals. Finally, she will focus on how a child’s needs change with age, and how to adjust priorities into adolescence and adulthood.

Learning Objectives:
1. How to look at children with autism spectrum diagnoses from a developmental point of view that naturally leads to a hierarchy of therapy procedures.
2. How to determine which therapies can take place simultaneously and which should be sequential.
3. How to adjust therapy priorities as a child matures.

Learning Objectives:
1.  Participants will be able to identify the core challenges of ASD.
2.  Participants will be able to understand the relationship between Emotional Dysregulation and Behavior Challenges.
3.  Participants will learn 5 practical intervention strategies for reducing "behavior challenges" in learning and naturalistic contexts based on the SCERTS approach and framework. 

Presentation Abstract:
Individuals with autism- children, adolescents, and adults can benefit from utilizing computer-based intervention. Research has indicated that the gains from utilizing this type of therapy often exceeds behaviorally based teaching. Programs are available that teach speech, language, math, reading, social skills, auditory processing, work skills, life skills, etc. These are not the typical computer software that you would purchase at a store, but specialized programs designed for the special needs population. At this time, there are many programs on the market to choose from. Valerie Herskowitz, a 28-year veteran speech pathologist who specializes in computer therapy, will discuss many of these specialized computer programs. In addition, she will disseminate valuable information on how to select the right programs for your child.

Asperger's Syndrome: Building Confidence through Emerging and Deep Interests / Valerie Paradiz, Phd & Elijah Wapner
This workshop offers practical strategies for families, educators, and professionals who care for and work with children and adults diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, high-functioning autism, and PDD-NOS. Participants will learn about the life span of individuals with AS/HFA/PDD-NOS from early childhood to adult life. Practical strategies will be offered in the areas of self-monitoring/self-regulation, self-advocacy, and creating safe, supportive home and school environments that foster social development and emotional confidence.

Balancing It All - Enriching the Lives of Parents Who Have Children With Autism / Valerie Herskowitz, MA-CCC-SLP
This presentation will describe a methodology to help parents enrich their lives. This structured program will help parents improve the quality of their lives and reduce the chaos that is often present when parenting a child with special needs.

Presentation Abstract:
So many times, parents of children with autism complain that they have “no life.” Careers have been abandoned. Marriages are either destroyed or neglected. When the discussion veers in the direction of leisure time activities, tears often flow. “What leisure time?” Between therapy appointments, school IEP’s or doctor visits, these parents are really just having difficulty holding it together. Parenting a child with exceptional needs not only is time-consuming, but emotionally overwhelming. And many children with issues continue to have special needs way past the age of adolescence. Therefore, parents are often committed to a lifetime of care taking. Empty nest syndrome is not a problem that they will ever encounter. Has fate relegated these individuals to a state of constant care taking? Must they accept being totally fulfilled as “therapy mothers?” Is that their only role in life? Valerie Herskowitz, a therapist for the past 29 years and a mother to Blake, her 16 year old son with autism, is first to say that she embraces her job as Blake’s mom. However, she wants it all - career, fulfilling relationship, travel. Ten years ago, she realized that she was in a rut. Taking a proactive role, she spent the next decade changing her life. Today, Ms. Herskowitz is the owner of a successful therapy center, an international speaker, president of a non-profit for families with autism and is in a terrific marriage. It took her 10 years to figure it out and now she is helping other parents of special needs children to realize their potential. This presentation, which is a shortened version of her workshop, will help introduce some worthwhile techniques and tips to help parents of children with autism have a more enriching and fulfilling life.