Autism Connections to Present 31st Annual Autism Conference

HADLEY — Autism Connections, the Western Mass. autism center serving families and individuals in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire, and Hampden counties, will host its 31st annual Autism Conference on Thursday, April 28.

The day-long virtual educational conference brings together hundreds of parents, caregivers, educators, people with autism, self-advocates, professionals, organizations, and service providers to build awareness and knowledge, be inspired, and make meaningful connections. Morning and afternoon breakout sessions led by regional experts focus on topics as they relate to autism, including autistic perspectives on post-secondary education, introduction to DIR/Floortime, key components of effective social and emotional skills training, building communication skills, creative employment, and many more!

The conference features two keynote speakers, Alix Generous and Jed Baker. Generous is an advocate for advancing mental-health reform and institutional treatment of autistic people. With five years of professional experience working in behavior analysis, Generous is passionate about expanding the reach of therapies to all continents. Baker is the director of the Social Skills Training Project, an organization serving individuals with autism and social communication problems. He writes, lectures, and provides training internationally on the topic of social-skills training and managing challenging behaviors. He is also an award-winning author of eight books.

For more information about Autism Connections or the 31st annual Autism Conference, visit autismconnectionsma.org or e-mail autismconnections@pathlightgroup.org.