Cooley Dickinson to Host ‘Supporting Patients with Autism’ Lecture April 6

NORTHAMPTON — Community members are invited to attend the next Cooley Dickinson Health Care lecture, “Supporting Patients with Autism in a Health Care Setting,” with Dr. Christopher John McDougle, on Thursday, April 6 from 6 to 8 p.m. at Cooley Dickinson Hospital, 30 Locust St.

The event will be held in the Dakin Conference Room, and the presentation will be accompanied by light dinner fare provided by the hospital. Attendees may choose to wear blue to show their support for autism awareness in conjunction with the Light It Up Blue initiative.

The presentation will focus on the challenges of integrating individuals with autism-spectrum disorder (ASD), and their families, into today’s healthcare environment. McDougle will speak about efforts to address these challenges so that the quality of medical care for persons with ASD, including the patient/family experience, is comparable to the medical care of more neurotypical peers.

McDougle is keenly interested in leveraging the vast resources that exist at Massachusetts General Hospital and elsewhere in Boston to advance new discoveries and treatments for children, adolescents, and adults with ASDs. Building on the hospital’s expertise in genetics, brain imaging, electrophysiology, informatics, neuroscience, pediatric and developmental medicine, neurology, and psychiatry, his organization continues to look for better, faster ways to diagnose and treat children, adolescents, and adults with ASDs.

Following the presentation, there will be a panel consisting of individuals from the community involved in advocating and caring for individuals with ASD. A question-and-answer session will conclude the formal aspects of the program.

The lecture is free and open to all. To register, call (888) 554-4234 or visit www.cooley-dickinson.org/events/integratingasd.