Each year the onset of spring means one thing across the country when you have a child with autism, conferences! Information on a variety of topics can be found across the world on subjects like social skills, behavior management, self help, independent living and last but not least, biomedical interventions. Small, local non-profits as well as large formal organizations continue to realize the need to further the understanding of autism in order to promote purposeful change. Conferences can be encouraging, inspiring, and provide a wonderful opportunity for parents and professionals to network, share personal stories, while connecting with real people who understand the struggles our families face. Autism seems to have a language all its own with acronyms, like BIP, IEP, IGG, SCD, GF/CF, CDSA as well as words with as many syllables as I have fingers and toes.

Running the race for recovery or improvement in the quality of life for our children is the driving force why many of us spend thousands of hours learning how to become therapist, doctors and attorneys. For any parent who has attended a biomedical conference on autism for the first time, I'm sure you would describe it as the most overwhelming weekend of your life. Yes, maybe even more than the weekend you received your child's diagnosis. I only say this because most likely your motivation and determination will have your adrenaline racing as you try to absorb every morsel of input, research, and data you encounter. The hope for each parent is that you will valiantly finish the race of your life, the race to improve your child's quality of life as quickly as possible.

After eleven years of reading, googling, researching and networking with parents and professionals across the country I still get that exciting rush of hope when I walk into the lobby of a hotel or conference center. People from all over the world gather together two to four days to banter, pour over new research, technical literature and of course lab results of specific children. If you have never attended a biomedical conference on autism, you should! Regardless of your opinion or position on what has contributed to your child’s diagnosis, you will walk away with information you did not know existed or had only heard bits and pieces of. I recently attended the DAN!, Defeat Autism Now conference in Atlanta, Georgia where featured presenters include professionals from areas of specialty in nutrition, gastroenterology, allergies and more. DAN! has been a leader in uniting medical professionals on behalf of autism research from around the world for well over a decade. For more information on the DAN approach and conferences visit www.autism.com.

The sign that times are changing and an understanding of the biomedical aspects of autism is being better understood was most evident when Dr. Martha Herbert presented information at DAN on up coming research projects that focused on biological systems in autism and their role in brain functioning and development. Dr. Martha Herbert is an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School, a Pediatric Neurologist at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, a member of the MGH Center for Morphometric Analysis, and an affiliate of the Harvard-MIT-MGH Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging. She is director of the TRANSCEND Research Program (Treatment Research and Neuroscience Evaluation of Neurodevelopmental Disorders). Dr. Herbert is just one of many medical professionals who are leading the way in autism research.

This month parents and professionals will have yet another opportunity to access information on biomedical, nutritional, behavioral and educational interventions when over 100 presenters gather in Chicago, Illinois May 20th through the 24th for the annual “Autism One” conference. This conference brings professionals from around the world with expertise in diverse specialties and includes many forums that focus on the development of long term care programs and services for individuals with autism. I am pleased to have the opportunity to be a part of this conference as a panel member for the “Residential Think Tank” and to present “How to Supplement Their Minds without Losing Yours”. This talk provides ideas and support on a variety of techniques and diverse ways to provide supplements to your child when you feel at a loss and are on the verge of losing your mind. My prayer for each and every one of you is that regardless of your location throughout the world, the level of understanding you or the medical and educational professionals have who work with your children that each of you knows there is HOPE! Science continues to evolve and clearly there is no one size intervention plan that fits all but, what we do know is that we can improve the quality of life our children have and that recovery is in reach for some. Whether you are just starting down the path of an autism diagnosis or have been searching diligently for answers over the past decade to support your child’s needs, take a moment to realize that there is an abundance of resources available to obtain information related to autism interventions. Conferences, on line supports, books and discussion groups can be found across the world. The race for recovery or improvement in quality of life may seem long at times but the terrain is ever changing and information continues to emerge daily. If you would like more information about Autism One, presenters and presentation topics visit http://www.autismone.org