Camp AUsome! Camp AUsome! is a great opportunity for autistic children to connect with others and have fun in a safe and inclusive environment. Our week-long programs are affordable and specifically designed to meet the unique needs of the neurodiverse community. The experienced staff is equipped to handle a variety of needs, ensuring that every child has a fun and successful camp experience. We also offer camp opportunities for neurotypical siblings. Check out Camp WeGo! 02 Camp We:Code. 2026 Camp Dates June 22nd - 26th Camp We:Code is designed to inspire middle and high school students on the autism spectrum to explore the exciting world of computer science. Partnering with Youth Code Jam, we offer a five-day program focused on getting children excited about coding and the endless possibilities it offers, including future career paths. Join us for an innovative experience which will inspire, challenge, and delight your child! But wait ... there's more! We are now partnering with Youth Code Jam to offer coding opportunities to younger autistic children. Third through fifth graders are invited to join us for an hour, once a week, for a series of 26 weeks, in the Valero Community Center annex on our campus, as a part of our new collaborative After School Coding Club. After School Coding Club. This club is a safe space where any young coder can be comfortable having fun and being creative with code. Contact adrienne@acn-sa.org for more information about Club We:Code. 01 Camp We:Play 2026 Camp Dates June 8th - 12th Camp We:Play is dedicated to providing a safe and fun-filled environment for children developmental ages 5-12. Our unique sensory-based activities offer a balance of exploration play and structured activities, ensuring that your child learns while having fun. Join us at our own Valero Community Center and let your child experience a summer camp they'll never forget! Contact adrienne@ 03 Camp We:Go. 2026 Camp Dates July 20th - 24th Camp We:Go offers a special experience for neurotypical siblings to come together and create lasting memories. Our 5-day sleep away camp, held in partnership with Camp Aranzazu in Rockport, Texas, is an opportunity for kids ages 7-10 and 11-16 to bond with each other while experiencing traditional camp activities and nature. Our experienced staff is dedicated to making this a special and memorable experience for every camper. How to start: Apply for Camp AUsome! Autism Community Network is begining to take applications for our summer program and we want you to get in because spaces will be limited. It all starts by filling out the following form... Enroll Cost of Camp Cancellation Policy In the event of a cancellation, ACN asks that you notify us at least a week in advance, so that we may offer the spot to another camper and return your investment. Failure to notify ACN will result in the forfeit of your fee for camp. Late Arrivals We understand that delays can happen however we ask that you notify us if your camper will be more than 10 minutes late to camp, so that, if necessary, we can adjust locations and activities accordingly to receive them. To find out more information about Camp AUsome pricing, please email Katie Benson at: katie@acn-sa.org

Frequently asked questions. General Services Autism Clinic How is ACN connected to the neurodiversity movement? Who leads ACN and provides its services? How can I get involved with ACN? How can families benefit from ACN's services? Is ACN's assistance available in Spanish? (hablamos español?) How can I support ACN's mission? How can I become a volunteer for ACN? Does ACN collaborate with other organizations? How does ACN contribute to the San Antonio community? How does ACN promote autism awareness and acceptance? How can I stay informed about ACN's events and programs? What is the difference between Pre-K and ECSE? Does my child have to be toilet-trained to go to school? My child has a school diagnosis, do they need a medical diagnosis as well? How do I know if my child has been medically diagnosed? Still can't find what you're looking for? Write us a short message and well get back to you right away! First Name Last Name Email Write a message Thanks for submitting! Submit

Our Valero Community Center is your next spot . The valero cc offers 986 sqft of Check Availability About the Valero Community Center Amenities Degree University Name Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education. Scheduling Degree University Name Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education. Table of Fees Degree University Name Briefly describe your degree and any other highlights about your studies you want to share. Be sure to include relevant skills you gained, accomplishments you achieved or milestones you reached during your education. Rental options. 2 day rental I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Book now 1 day rental I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Book now 4 hr Rental I’m a paragraph. Double click me or click Edit Text, it's easy. Book now Valero supports ACN you can too! As a non-profit, ACN depends on the support of companies like yours. No matter the size, your gift makes a difference. Donate

< Back Anna Paola Smith, LCSW Licensed Clinical Social Worker Anna Paola Smith attended The University of Texas at Austin where she received her BA in Psychology and her Masters degree in Social Work. She has had the opportunity to work with children and families in the school, hospital, and clinical settings. Anna Paola's interests lie in family system and how the development of one child may impact the entire family unit. After living in Austin for 6 years, she relocated to San Antonio with her husband, Daniel. During her free time she enjoys creating recipes for her Paleo-based Instagram account, exploring the culinary scene in San Antonio with her family and friends, and living an active, healthy lifestyle. anna.paola@acn-sa.org (210) 435-1000 ext. 2010

< Back Noelia Cheatham Billing Specialist Noelia Cheatham joins our team as a Billing Specialist with twenty three years of work experience with an Early Childhood Intervention Program (ECI). Her work background also includes working as a Special Education Teacher’s aide, interpreter and Peer Counselor for the Women Infants and Children Program (WIC). At WIC she taught health related classes in English and Spanish. Noelia is very involved with an orphanage in Mexico, Casa Hogar. She organizes drives for school supplies, school uniforms, and bi-yearly summer festivals for the children. She has two grown children and her hobbies are crafting, gardening and baking. Noelia is excited about new opportunities with ACN and helping to serve the community. noelia.cheatham@acn-sa.org (210) 435-1000 ext. 5008

Second Keynote Address: Autism Autonomy: In Search of our Human Dignity Time 12:45-1:30 PM Presenter/Facilitator Elizabeth Torres, PhD Back to Course List < Back Second Keynote Address: Autism Autonomy: In Search of our Human Dignity Elizabeth Torres, PhD presents insights from her book "Autism Autonomy: In Search of our Human Dignity," a profound exploration of what it means to honor the full personhood of autistic individuals. In this keynote, Dr. Torres shares the importance of her research for amplifying autistic agency—centering the voices, choices, and self-determination of those on the spectrum. Drawing on rigorous scientific inquiry and deep respect for lived experience, Torres challenges systems and frameworks that reduce autistic individuals to passive recipients of intervention. Instead, she argues for a paradigm shift: one that recognizes autonomy as foundational to dignity, and data-driven understanding as a tool for empowerment rather than control. Key themes include: Why autonomy matters: The ethical and practical case for supporting self-determination in all aspects of life—communication, movement, decision-making, and daily living Research as advocacy: How objective measurement of sensory-motor processes can validate autistic experiences and challenge deficit-based narratives From compliance to collaboration: Rethinking clinical, educational, and family relationships to prioritize partnership over correction Amplifying agency: Strategies for creating environments, systems, and interactions that honor what autistic individuals are communicating—verbally and non-verbally. Attendees will leave with a deeper understanding of the intersection between science and human rights, and a renewed commitment to practices that uplift rather than diminish autistic dignity. This keynote is a call to action: to listen more deeply, measure more thoughtfully, and advocate more boldly for a world where every autistic person's autonomy is recognized and protected. Learning Outcomes: Participants will explain the ethical case for supporting self-determination in all aspects of autistic life. Participants will define language related to sensory-motor processing and measurement thereof, including but not limited to: vestibular, interoception, proprioception, sensory profile Participants will integrate at least two strategies for creating environments that honor autistic autonomy. Dr. Torres is a Computational Neuroscientist who has been working on theoretical and empirical aspects of sensory motor integration and human cognition since the late 90's. She graduated from Mathematics and Computer Science and spent a year at the NIH as a Pre-IRTA fellow, applying her skill set to the medical field. This work led to Pre-doctoral-fellowship funding (5 years) of graduate school. During her PhD at UCSD, she developed a new theoretical framework for the study of sensory motor integration, employing elements of Differential (Riemannian) geometry and tensor calculus adapted from Contemporary Mechanics and Dynamics to the realm of Cognitive Neuroscience. Upon PhD completion, she moved to CALTECH to receive postdoctoral training in electrophysiology and Computational Neural Systems as a Sloan-Swartz Fellow, a Della Martin Fellow and a Neuroscience Scholar. In parallel, she translated her models to work with humans suffering from pathologies of the nervous systems and built a new platform for personalized analyses of human naturalistic behaviors. She joined Rutgers University in 2008 and deployed her new platform to work on neurodevelopmental disorders with a focus on issues with social interactions. Under an NSF Cyber Enabled Discovery Award, she then launched a transformative research program in autism seeking to build synergies with industry, funded by the NSF Innovation Corps initiative. She filed four patent technologies and with the generous funding of the Nancy Lurie Marks Family Foundation and the New Jersey Governor's Council for the treatment and research of autism, she extended the new platform to study natural dyadic and social behaviors in general. Show More

Events coming up. ACN Annual Summit 2026 Toward Neuroharmony: Welcome to the Autism Renaissance Click here for our 2026 Summit Information! More upcoming events. June 8th - 12th March 9th - 14th July 6th - 11th June 22nd - 26th July 20th - 24th Camp AUsome! WE:PLAY Join us for our first camp of the summer, WE:PLAY! This play-based camp focuses on building communication, regulation, and social skills. Camp AUsome! WE:ACT Camp WE:ACT is for autistic middle and high-school students interested in musical theater. Campers will learn and perform scenes and songs from Disney favorites! Camp AUsome! WE:CODE Camp WE:CODE is fun for the techy kids! Learn to code and build with new friends. ACN bring in local experts to teach and build all things technology! Camp AUsome! WE:GO Our only camp for neurotypical/allistic siblings. This week-long camp takes place in Copano Bay, TX along the Gulf Coast where campers spend there time learning to do all kinds of fun things! Let's Get Social

< Back TRANSPORTATION About Transportation Services Transportation can be a significant challenge for individuals with autism and their families. Our resource library provides information on transportation options, including accessible transportation services, school transportation, and public transportation resources. TRANSPORTATION Alamo Regional Transit (ART) 1.866.889.7433 AACOG - Transportation for Seniors 60+. 8700 Tesoro Dr., Ste. 700, SA TX 78217 Alamo Service Connection (Medical Transportation) 210.477.3275 For Medical or dental appointments. Medicaid or CSHCN eligibility required. Area Agencies on Aging Directory https://apps.hhs.texas.gov/contact/aaa.cfm Medicaid Routine Medical Transportation Program 877.633.8747 Web: Click Here 1100 W. 49th St, Austin, TX 78756 There are here to provide Non-Emergency rides if you call and notify them at least 2 working days in advance; but as far as 30 days out; if you are out of town at least 5 days out of town as long as you are receiving Medicaid Benefits. Their ways of transport include; bus; van; taxi; rail for in town and bus; van; rail or airline for out of town. If a child 14 years old or younger they must be accompanied by an adult; 15 - 17 can ride alone if parent fills out consent form; also teen parents may ride alone with their child; without an adult. They are also able to accommodate those with disabilities, such as wheelchair bound. For more information, you may vista their website or call into the office. Monday - Friday 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM to schedule a ride; but transportation 5:30 AM to 7:00 PM Monday - Saturday. They also have a reimbursement plan for gas; lodging and food; for more detailed information, please contact the office. Methodist Healthcare Health Bus 210.647.7433 Web: www.sahealth.com/about/community/health-bus.dot Offers free transportation to Metropolitan Methodist Hospital and any of its facilities, as well as to doctors on the medical staff at Metropolitan Methodist Hospital. Serves select zip codes; wheelchair accessible; call 48 hours in advance to reserve. Patient Air Transport Helpline 1.800.296.1217 Web: www.patienttravel.org Makes referrals and provides assistance for patients who must travel long distances for evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment, and who need financial assistance to do so. VIA Transportation Services 210.362.2140 Web: https://www.viainfo.net/viatrans-paratransit/ 800 W. Myrtle, SA TX 78212 Complimentary para-transit provided to individuals who have disabilities that prevent them from using fixed route bus service; provided during the same hours of the day, same days per week and within three- quarters of a mile of a fixed bus route. Applications must be verified by the applicant’s physician and eligibility is then determined. Well’s Waldo Wheels 210.647.7433 Web: https://sahealth.com/patients-visitors/methodist-healthcare-health-bus.dot Provides services for pregnant women who go to Methodist facilities for well-checks and to assist parents in getting their children to medical appointments; Spanish-speaking drivers are available Previous Next

The center. 535 Bandera Rd, San Antonio, TX 78228 Harvey E. Najim Campus The Harvey E. Najim Campus, generously donated by Harvey E. Najim, is dedicated to the service of the autism community. Our new center opened its doors in July 2023 and allows us to provide state-of-the-art treatments and diagnostics for individuals in need. We are also able to scale our services to better meet the needs of the growing population we serve. We are proud to announce that we will begin offering adult services in the near future. Our goal is to ensure the autism community in South Texas has a place to call home with all the support they need. What the new campus means for you. New programs & services Less diagnostic wait time. You have spoken, and we have heard you. Our new campus houses +4 new employees and 2 more observation rooms to handle multiple screenings at once. Our goal is to significantly reduce the time spent on our waiting list. More inclusivity. Our new campus allows us to offer expanded, wrap-around services for the whole family. Additionally, we can now provide more long-term support for our children as they age. Better community integration. Our generous donors at Valero have made it possible to host community events and resource fairs in our fully equipped Valero Community Center. From Camp AUsome! to our sensory-friendly holiday events, we are sparking a flame in the ever-growing autism community. Cozier environments. When you step into our building, you'll notice something special. We've designed it to feel just like home - cozy, welcoming, and peaceful. You won't find harsh fluorescent lights or noisy, echoing hallways here. Instead, we've crafted sensory-friendly spaces, not just rooms. Smarter play. We are huge proponents of learning social skills through play and child-led interactions, so we have created our space to be targeted to the autistic person and their caregivers. From the customizable projections on the climbing wall to the state-of-the-art video rePLAY system, we put play first. Relevant learning spaces. There is a world of opportunity out there, and big futures await. We have added immersive environments dedicated to teaching autistic children and their caregivers daily life skills. We look forward to seeing you in our teaching kitchen or back for Camp We:CODE. Leave your mark. ACN is providing exciting naming opportunities for our new campus. Name a wing, room, or help us pave our entryway with a dedicated brick. You can donate to ACN and support us in our effort to develop an amazing new facility. Donate today and make your mark on ACN! Customize a brick Location location location. Where we are building. Our new campus is located in the inner-west side of San Antonio, Texas. We believe that being in this area provides a centralized location to serve all of San Antonio. We're proud to serve from here and look forward to creating new relationships in the community. Please come by for a visit! Book your next event in our Valero Community Center. ACN's new campus features the amazing Valero Community Center annex space, fully renovated and equipped with a catering kitchen, restrooms, and floor-to-ceiling windows that open to the outdoors. For more information contact: info@acn-sa.org

Does my child have autism? To know for sure, you should have your child screened . We do offer both screenings and diagnostics. Getting Started in 3 Easy Steps 1) Watch this video These are characteristics of children on the autism spectrum compared to children who might have developmental delays. Can you identify the differences? 2) Know the signs Our friends at Autism Navigator have created a pretty great checklist that details the signs to look out for in your child. Bring these behaviors up to your child's doctor if you notice more than one or two of them. View Checklist 3) Give this form to your child's doctor. If you are done with steps 1 and 2 and noticed several similarities in your child's behavior it is a good idea to schedule an appointment with your child's pediatrician. Below is a referral form for them to fill out so that we can schedule a screening. Download Form Our Services Get Support for Your Autism Journey at Autism Community Network Explore