09/12/2007
OXFORD, Miss. – Nearly 200 students and professionals from
across the region are expected to gather at the University
of Mississippi Sept. 13-14 to address the assessment and
treatment of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
The annual Fall Institute, hosted at the Yerby Center by
the Department of Communicative Sciences and Disorders,
plans workshops and panel discussions on autism, said Julia
Bledsoe, president of UM’s chapter of the National Student
Speech-Language-Hearing Association.
“Our hope is to increase awareness and knowledge of Autism
Spectrum Disorders,” Bledsoe said. The institute is
co-sponsored by the NSSLHA chapter, communicative sciences
and disorders, and UM’s Center for Speech and Hearing
Research.
“The latest numbers show that in the near future one in
every 150 children will be diagnosed with some type of
Autism Spectrum Disorder,” said Carolyn Higdon, chair and
associate professor of communicative sciences and
disorders. “The topic for this institute grew out of the
idea that students need to know different approaches in
working with children and adults with autism.” Higdon is
also director of UM’s Center for Speec h and Hearing
Research and an adjunct clinical associate professor at the
University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson.
Cost for the institute is $25 for students and $225 for
others. To register, contact Higdon at 662-915-7652 or
visit http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/comm?disorders.
A conference highlight is Thursday’s keynote address by Dr.
Patrick Rydell, owner and director of the Rocky Mountain
Autism Center in Lakewood, Colo. With 26 years of
experience working with ASD, Rydell has co-authored five
book chapters and numerous research articles on autism and
unconventional verbal behaviors.
“Dr. Rydell is nationally known for his Social
Communication, Emotional Regulation and Transactional
Support approach to the challenges and learning styles of
children with ASD, and we are pleased to have him teach
students and professionals during the institute,” Higdon
said.
Thursday’s activities conclude with a reception at Bryant
Hall hosted by UM Vice Chancellor Gloria Kellum, a faculty
member in the department.
On Friday, panelists Higdon, Nicole Boyd, Amy Moore, Julie
Chadwick and Susan McPhail are to discuss issues related to
autism and answer questions from the audience. Boyd, an
attorney, is the mother of a son with high-functioning
autism and has devoted much of her time to her son’s
therapy, autism advocacy issues and providing volunteer
legal assistance to families dealing with autism. Moore, a
speech-language pathologist at Baptist Rehabilitation in
Oxford, is the parent of a preschool child with autism.
Chadwick, director of the North Mississippi Regional
Center’s Technology Assistive Device Center and a licensed
speech/language pathologist, has integrated augmentative
communication, language and learning for children with
autism. McPhail is a special education teacher at NMRC and
the mother of a 20-year-old with autism.
Higdon added that she, Boyd and Chadwick are members of
Gov. Haley Barbour’s Autism Task Force, which has been
charged with recommending a plan by the end of the year to
address the needs of individuals with ASD.
“The task force is in the middle of three public hearings
in Mississippi to obtain consumer input about needs for
individuals with ASD,” she said. “The first was in August
in the Jackson area, the second was in Oxford and the third
will be Sept. 15 in Hattiesburg. The response from the
professional and consumer community has been overwhelming,
showing the task force that training and services for
individuals with ASD should be a high priority.”
To learn more about the Department of Communicative
Sciences and Disorders, visit
http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/comm?disorders/index.htm.
For more information about the institute or assistance
related to a disability, call 662-915-7652.