Last IIACC Quarterly Meeting of 2022: Summary

On December 8, we held our last quarterly meeting for 2022. We extend our gratitude to everyone who joined and shared their insights, recommendations, and suggestions during the review and planning activities.

Congratulations to all the participants throughout this year, as with your tremendous help we were ale to update the language of the Comprehensive plan to make it more accessible. The finalized version will be available within the next few weeks.

2023 is all about you, as a member of IIACC and individual/organization supporting people with ASD. We want to make sure that IIACC meetings are welcoming and beneficial for all members while providing support and resources to diverse stakeholders who have autism or support those on the spectrum. That is why we would love to learn more about your thoughts and recommendations for our meetings next year, as well as ways to support you between meetings. If you were not able to join or if you have suggestions or insights, please share them at your earlier convenience. This will help us with the development of new resources and planning for the upcoming year.

We also discussed the preferred focus for the upcoming year. Please add your recommendations if you have not done so yet.

Visit: https://indiananetwork.org/quarterly-meeting-december-2022/

Videos From Autism Science Foundation Annual Day of Learning

Videos From Autism Science Foundation Annual Day of Learning

The Day of Learning at the Autism Science Foundation (ASF), is a TED-style science conference that brings together leading autism researchers to present new findings to members of the autism community. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s Day of Learning was held virtually. Over 800 people from across the world took part in the event.

Below are links to recorded presentations paired with ways to learn more on topics on the INformation Network website.

Do We Need New Terms for Autism? – Dr. Catherine Lord – School of Medicine at UCLA

Dr. Lord called for a new term: “profound autism.” Announced publicly for the first time at the Day of Learning, the term is intended to help individuals with the highest level of needs gain access to appropriate services and to increase research participation by this understudied subpopulation.

Read More: What is ASD?

Autism Research in 2020: What Do We Know? What Do We Need? – Dr. James McPartland – Yale Child Study Center

Dr. McPartland explains that many of the advancements made this year amid the pandemic will benefit individuals on the autism spectrum long after the current crisis is over.

Read More: About the Diagnosis, What is Evidence-Based?

Developing Personalized Social Interventions for Adolescents with Autism – Dr. Matthew Lerner – Stony Brook University

Dr. Matthew Lerner explained how he and his team are moving toward an “evidence-based menu” of interventions to develop social skills in adolescents with autism, which will allow families to take more targeted actions to improve outcomes.

Read More: Transition

Is ABA Passe? – Dr. Melanie Pellecchia – University of Pennsylvania

Dr. Pellecchia outlined some of the historic problems of applied behavioral analysis (ABA) and showed how increased knowledge of childhood development has significantly improved the practice in recent years, with a greater emphasis on fun, play-based therapy sessions and a de-emphasis on “teacher-led, didactic” sessions.

Read More: Applied Behavior Analysis

Research on Adults with Autism in Natural Settings – Dr. Vanessa Hus Bal – Rutgers University

Dr. Hus Bal argued that while support for adults with autism often focuses on the transition to adulthood and associated milestones, there is not enough being done to provide adults with ongoing support throughout their lives.

Read More: Adulthood and Aging

Robots as Autism Therapy Partners – Dr. Brian Scasselatti – Yale University

Dr. Scassellati demonstrated the powerful effect that robots can have as autism therapy partners and explained what parents should look for in evaluating these solutions.

Read More: Technology

2019-2020 IIACC Annual Report

2019-2020 Annual Report is Available for Download

This report provides a year-in-review snapshot. It reviews actions of the Indiana Interagency Autism Coordinating Council (IIACC), updates about global research findings, and plans moving forward in pursuit of the 8 stated goals of the IIACC.

Download your copy today, and share with your colleagues.