If you’ve been wanting to learn more about autism, plan to attend the 1st Annual Midsouth Autism Conference in Tunica, Mississippi. The theme for the event, which is hosted by the Transformations Autism Treatment Center of Memphis, is Discovering The Missing Pieces. The conference takes place Thursday, April 7th, through Saturday, April 9th, at Harrah’s Convention Center and Veranda Hotel. It is open to the public.
One guest speaker of special note is animal scientist and professor Temple Grandin, who was the first autistic person to write about living with autism. A documentary about her life, produced by HBO, received a host of accolades at the 62nd Annual Emmy Awards last year, including Best Made-for-Television Movie, and Best Lead Actress for Claire Danes, who portrayed Grandin. Grandin’s writing has helped scientists and psychologists better understand animal behavior (Grandin’s specialty is cattle) as well as how people with autism perceive and respond to the world around them.
The conference is open to parents as well as educators and practitioners. The registration fee for the three-day conference is $25 for parents, paraprofessionals, and students. Registration for educators is $150. For registration information, call 231-1931.