Public release date: 16-May-2012 [ | E-mail | Share ]
Contact: Jane Rubinstein jrubinstein@rubenstein.com 516-993-0708 Autism Speaks
NEW YORK, N.Y. (May 15, 2012) Autism Speaks, the world's leading autism science and advocacy organization, is a major sponsor and scientific participant in the 2012 International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR). Organized by the International Society of Autism Research, IMFAR brings together more than 1800 scientists, clinicians, students, parents and individuals with autism from 40 countries to discuss and share the latest research into autism's causes, treatments and diagnoses. The conference is being held May 20-22 at the Sheraton Centre Toronto, 123 Queen Street West, Ontario, Canada.
"Autism is a global challenge," commented Autism Speaks Chief Science Officer Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., "and this conference offers an opportunity to bring together researchers from around the world to share their findings and collaborate, which helps accelerate research on diagnosis, causes and treatments needed by families in every country."
Autism Speaks' Autism Treatment Network, a collaboration of medical centers dedicated to providing families with state of the art, multidisciplinary care, will be participating in numerous presentations throughout IMFAR. These include the technology demonstration Development of a Training Video to Teach Best Practices for Delivering An ASD Diagnosis to Families; an oral presentation titled Spotting Children with Autism in Early Childcare Settings (SPAECS): Workshops to increase knowledge and confidence in Autism for Early Childcare Providers; and several posters including The Relations among Language, Behavior, and Social Skills in Children with High Functioning ASD: Exploration to Inform Pivotal Interventions; Cognitive Assessment of Children with ASD; Autism Symptom Severity as Moderator of IQ and Language Development among Children with Delayed Phrase Speech and Autism Spectrum Disorder; Differential Perceptions of Clinical Anxiety among Clinicians and Parents of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder; and Initial Psychometric Properties of the Autism Impact Measure (AIM): A New Tool for Treatment Outcome Measurement.
During the three-day meeting, Autism Speaks encourages the media to attend the below events. Geraldine Dawson, Ph.D., will be available for interviews along with other scientists.
Wednesday, May 16
8:00 a.m. 5:00 p.m. Toddler Treatment Network Meeting. Autism Speaks is hosting an academic meeting on early interventions in ASD, including both toddlers and infants, and dissemination of these treatment approaches to parents and professionals. This day-long meeting will bring together over 60 researchers from across the world to share their ideas and research plans on early interventions.
11:00 a.m. IMFAR Press Conference. Scientists will discuss key studies to be presented during IMFAR including studies on the outcomes of siblings of children with autism, the impact of early social skill intervention on longer term outcomes, the role of oxytocin on social brain function in persons with autism, and the challenges of meeting the health care needs of children with autism in the primary care setting. In addition, Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D., president of INSAR, will provide commentary on the conference as a whole. Dr. Dawson is available to provide comments on the importance and impact of these research efforts to the autism community represented by Autism Speaks.
Thursday, May 17
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Autism Speaks plays key roles at 2012 International Meeting for Autism Research