Search Results

< Back Wishlist Empowering families, one gift at a time. Explore our wish list! The spirit of giving is alive, and you have the power to brighten someone's day in the most meaningful way. We invite you to join us in making a difference by selecting a gift from our carefully curated Amazon Wish List. Every item on this list holds the potential to bring joy and comfort to the lives of those we serve at Autism Community Network. From educational tools that spark curiosity to sensory items that soothe, your thoughtful gesture can create a positive impact that lasts far beyond the moment. How to contribute: Visit our Amazon Wish List Choose an item that resonates with you. Complete your purchase, and it will be sent directly to us. Experience the joy of knowing you've made a positive difference! Your gift, no matter how small, has the potential to make a big impact. Let's get started

< Back EARLY CHILDHOOD INTERVENTION About Early Intervention Services Our early childhood intervention resources provide information on early intervention services available for young children with autism. These resources can help families access services that can improve outcomes and help children with autism reach their full potential. BEXAR COUNTY AVANCE - San Antonio 210.270.4630 Web: www.avancesa.org 118 North Medina Street, San Antonio, TX 78207 Meaning "advance" or “progress,” AVANCE serves as a trusted guide to assist under-resourced families of young children in overcoming isolation and lack of opportunity. Using our unique two generation education and relationship-building methodology, we help family members become the best parents, employees, and citizens they can be. Brighton Center 210.826.4492 Web: www.brightonsa.org 14207 Higgins Rd. San Antonio, TX 78217 Throughout San Antonio and Bexar County, Brighton Center provides developmental and educational services to children of ALL abilities. With a holistic, family-centered approach, we offer enrichment and development through an inclusive early childhood education program, as well as therapy services, counseling, case management and special education support Camino Real Community Services 830.266.5500 Web: www.caminorealcs.org 19965 FM 3175, Lytle, TX 78052 ECI Services, Mental Health Services, Intellectual & Developmental Disability services. Center for Healthcare Services - CHCS-ECI, formerly PACES 210.261.3300 Web: https://chcsbc.org/ 5802 S. Presa, San Antonio, TX 78223 Offering a variety of services for parents with children under the age of 3, who are experiencing developmental delays. Services include case management, family centered services, activities in familiar settings, and more. Mo family is turned away because they cannot afford to pay. Free services for children on Medicaid. Other services provided based on family size and adjusted income. City of San Antonio Head Start - Edgewood ISD 210.444.7825 Web: www.eisd.com 5358 W. Commerce St., San Antonio, TX 78237 Serving Edgewood ISD; early Head Start/CCP Program in Bexar County for children ages 6 weeks to 35 months. City of San Antonio Head Start - San Antonio ISD 210.206.5500 Web: www.saheadstart.org 1227 Brady Blvd., San Antonio, TX 78207 Serving San Antonio ISD; early Head Start/CCP Program in Bexar County for children ages 6 weeks to 35 months. Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center 210.614.3911 Web: www.easter-seals.org 2203 Babcock RD., SA TX 78229 Easter Seals provides services, education, outreach and advocacy so people living with ASD and other disabilities can live, learn, work and play in our communities; Intervention strategies for children with ASD – Applies Behavior Analysis (ABA), Developmental, Individual-Difference, Relationship-Based (DIR) and The Education of ASD and Related Communication Handicapped Children (TEACCH). You can call to schedule an appointment and a representative will come out to your home for an evaluation. Education Service Center- Region 20 210.370.5200 Web: www.esc20.net 1314 Hines Ave., SA TX 78208 For more information see the following web-site: https://www.esc20.net/apps/pages/special-education Epic Pediatric Therapy 210.226.9536 Clinic: 98 Briggs Ave., Ste. 990, San Antonio, TX 78224 Home Office: 6800 Park Ten Blvd., Ste. 246-E, San Antonio TX 78213 In-home and clinic therapy, services available include speech, occupational and physical therapies, private duty nursing and enteral services (tube/oral). Epic Pediatric Therapy Services is one of the largest pediatric therapy providers in Texas. We provide personalized physical, occupational and speech therapy to children, adolescents and young adults ages 0-21 in our kids-centered clinics or in the non-clinical setting. Family Service Association 210.299.2400 Web: www.family-service.org 702 San Pedro Ave., #102 , SA TX 78212 Serving Northeast, Northside, Southwest, Judson, East Central, Fort Sam Houston and South San Antonio ISDs San Antonio ISD 210.554.2200 Web: www.saisd.net 141 Lavaca St., San Antonio, TX 78210 Serving San Antonio ISD; Pre-K and Head Start Small Hands Big Hearts Pediatric Therapy 682.738.3056 Web: http://shbhtherapy.com 404 Racquet Club Blvd. Bedford, Texas 76022 In-Home sensory integration therapy, camp, and Parent’s Night Out activities. Accept most major insurances as well as well as traditional Medicaid and CHIP. HILL COUNTRY Boerne Homespun 830.249.6067 216 Market Ave., Suite 120, Boerne, TX 78006 Provides home-based services for children age 0-3 years who may be needing therapy or service coordination. Children may qualify if they have a medical diagnosis, developmental delay, or atypical development. Fredericksburg Homespun 830.997.9503 Web: www.hillcountry.org 1328 S State Hwy 16, Fredericksburg, TX 78624 ECI Services, Mental Health, Adult Residential Services; Serving Gillespie, Kimble, Llano, Mason, Menard Counties; accepts Medicaid, CHIP, Private Insurance Hill Country MHDD-ECI Homespun 830.741.8083 Web: www.hillcountry.org 728 18th St., Hondo, TX 78861 Mailing Address: PO Box 433, Hondo, TX 78861 ECI program serves families with children birth to 36 months with developmental delays or disabilities, also providing family support and specialized services to strengthen family’s ability to access resources and improve their child’s development through daily activities. Kerrville Homespun 830.257.2277 Web: www.hillcountry.org 313 Leslie Dr, Kerrville, TX 78028 ECI Services, Mental Health Adult Residential Services, serves Kerr County; accepts CHIP, Private Insurance, Medicaid Uvalde Homespun 830.278.6261 Web: www.hillcountry.org 324 Crystal City Hwy., Uvalde, TX 78801 ECI Services Mental Health Adult Residential; Services Kinney, Real, Uvalde Counties; accepts Medicaid, CHIP, Private Insurance Previous Next

< Back SUPPORT GROUPS About Support Groups Support groups can be a valuable resource for individuals with autism and their families. Our resource library provides information on local support groups, online communities, and peer support options. SUPPORT GROUPS Any Baby Can’s Autism Services 210.227.0170 Web: https://www.anybabycansa.org/services/autism-services/ 217 Howard, SA TX 78212 Any Baby Can’s Sibling Support Group 210.227.0170 Web: https://www.anybabycansa.org/services/sibling-support/ 217 Howard, SA TX78212 Group is for children 6-14 years of age and meets on the 2nd Friday of every month from 6:30-8:30pm, September through July of every year. The group is led by a trained facilitator and volunteer and free, light meals are served. This is a time for siblings of children with special needs to socialize, play games and participate in structured discussion focusing on issues related to having a sibling with a disability. Autism Society of Central Texas 1.512.479.4199 x1 Web: www.texasautismsociety.org The Autism Society of Texas offers support groups, advocacy, educational and recreational events in support of its mission: Improving the Lives of Those Affected by Autism. Autism Speaks - Autism Response Team 1.888.288.4762 Web: https://www.autismspeaks.org/autism-response-team-art E-Mail: familyservices@autismspeaks.org Autism Response Team coordinators are specially trained to connect individuals and families with information, resources and opportunities. Call or e-mail for more information on community outreach services, grants, local resources and age-related resources (diagnosis/early intervention, school-age/youth, young adults and adult services). Children’s Bereavement Center of South Texas 210.736.4847 Web: www.cbcst.org 205 W. Olmos Drive, SA TX 78212 Offers support groups for children and teens, ages 3 to 24, and their families or caregivers who have lost a family member; offers seven different support groups that meet twice a month. The Center also provides training, crisis intervention, counseling peer support, and consultation services to individuals, schools, churches, and community agencies of all kinds; fee-based, one-on-one counseling also available. Epilepsy Foundation of Central& South Texas Family and Parent Support Group 210.653.5353 Web: https://efcst.org/help/support-groups/ 8601 Village Dr., Ste. 200, SA TX 78217 Provides information and referral, community education, outreach and support services, advocacy, employment services, seizure clinics, summer camps and support group meetings, free counseling services. MELD Special (Mutual Enrichment through Learning and Discovery) 210.692.0234 Web: www.mhm.org 4507 Medical Dr., SA TX 78229 MELD Special focuses on the daily challenges of raising a child and address the impact of an illness or disability on childrearing and family life. Discussions are geared to concerns faced by all parents, rather than medical information. MoCAA (Moms Connect About Autism) 210.845.3395 Web: www.mocaa.org E-Mail: mocaa2010@gmail.com MoCAA’s mission is to connect every mother raising a child with special needs and provide support by creating a social and interactive community focused on HOPE (Helping Ourselves Physically and Emotionally). All interactions are based on a philosophy of empowerment, encouragement, and compassion. No mom should go it alone. There is no membership fee. National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) 210.734.3349 Web: www.nami-sat.org 6800 Park Ten Blvd, Ste248-E , SATX, 78213 E-Mail: nami@nami-sat.org The nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to improving the lives of persons living with serious mental illness and their families. Offers support, education, advocacy, and research for people living with mental illness. San Antonio Asperger’s - Online Support Group Web: www.groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/sanantonioaspergers/info This group is designed for families of the San Antonio area who have children diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome; Autism; Nonverbal Learning Disability (NLD) or Pervasive Developmental Disorders (PDD). This group will share information; stories; questions; and provide individual support for each other. Texas Adults with Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (TAAID) 210.262-6740 Web: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100067538138668 6914 Wurzbach RD, SA TX 78240 Proactively responding to the needs of the parents of young adults with autism and intellectual disabilities requiring support; guidance; assistance; training; and personal advocacy; to promote long term services; health and happiness for their special adult. Support group for parent with adult children who have special needs. Families are encouraged to prepare and educate themselves regarding long-term care services and supports. Information is shared about social security; Medicaid; medical waivers; care providers; and other resources within local and state agencies. In person support group meets on the 3rd Saturday of each month from 2pm - 4pm. (Location is subject to change). The Down Syndrome Association of South Texas 210.349.4372 Web: www.dsasatx.org 1127 Patricia Dr., SA TX 78213 The mission of the DSASTX is to provide services and support for children and adults with Down Syndrome and their families in San Antonio and the surrounding areas. The DSASTX provides opportunities for families to foster friendships and mutual support through information workshops/conferences, community-based social activities and educational programs. Previous Next

< Back LOCAL Closer Look: Autism Community Network Felipe Aguilar Feb 4, 2024 Felipe Aguilar talks with Adrienne Gaither, Director of Caregiver Empowerment and Occupational Therapist, Autism Community Network (ACN) in San Antonio. Gaither provides a historical and organizational overview of ACN. She also describes ACN’s mission as it applies to providing care to persons with Autism. Gaither gives some practical guidelines for caregivers of children with Autism and talks about the importance of early diagnosis. She describes services and resources that ACN provides to children and adults with Autism diagnosis. Learn more at ( https://www.acn-sa.org ). Listen to the interview here: https://www.klove.com/news/closer-look/hot-topx/local-closer-look-autism-community-network-san-antonio-7191 Previous Next

Training. The Autism Community Network is dedicated to improving the lives of individuals with autism and their families through support, education, and advocacy. Our Caregiver Empowerment Program offers training for familial and professional caregivers, medical residents, student clinicians, education professionals, and the wider community to ensure that everyone who interacts with autistic individuals can provide them with the best possible care. 01 Coffee and Connections. Search Check out our quarterly and register! Coffee and Connection is our weekly virtual series that brings together experts in their respective fields to share insights and best practices on popular topics related to autism. From classes such as “Self-Compassion for Caregivers” and “Whisperings of the Sleep Fairy”, our series covers a broad range of important issues to help support autistic individuals and their families. Join us virtually every Friday from 9-10 am and connect with others in the autism community while gaining valuable knowledge and support. 02 Professional Conferences. Our organization is committed to providing a diverse and enriching array of professional conferences to support caregivers and professionals in the field of autism and neurodiversity. Our flagship event, the Annual Summit, is a must-attend gathering featuring expert speakers and a comprehensive program covering a wide spectrum of topics relevant to your work. Whether you prefer virtual or in-person attendance, this event ensures you stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the autism community. For those seeking even more in-depth knowledge, Autism Community Network offers two summer intensive programs, “Neurodiversity University” and “Making ‘Sense’ of Autism.” Both programs delve deeply into the intricacies of autism and neurodiversity. The intensives equip attendees with invaluable insights and strategies to better support individuals on the spectrum. 03 Trainings on Request Search View class offerings At Autism Community Network, we understand the importance of community education and empowerment. We offer a range of training options that can be customized to meet the unique needs of your organization. Whether you require inclusive practices for your business or are seeking continuing education credits, our team can provide comprehensive group training sessions, ensuring that you and your colleagues are equipped with the necessary tools to create more inclusive environments. In addition to our diverse training offerings, we are excited to introduce "My Beautiful Brain," a specialized program designed for neurodiverse youth. This program empowers young individuals to embrace their unique qualities and understand what makes them exceptional. Through a series of engaging and interactive sessions, participants gain self-awareness and a sense of pride in their neurodiversity, fostering a positive self-image and enhancing their self-esteem. Our flexible training sessions can be tailored to your organization's specific needs and schedules, ranging from 30-minute workshops to full-day seminars. Furthermore, our Valero Community Center is available to provide an appropriate and welcoming space for your training and educational needs. We are dedicated to advancing education, awareness, and support in the field of autism and neurodiversity, and we invite you to join us in our mission. 04 Mentorships At Autism Community Network, we place a strong emphasis on mentorship as a cornerstone of professional growth and development in the field of autism and neurodiversity. Our commitment to fostering mentorship opportunities is exemplified through our participation in various programs and initiatives. One such initiative is our collaboration with UTHealth's Profectum DIR BASIC Certification Program, where we actively support and mentor doctoral-level occupational therapy students seeking to obtain certification in the Developmental, Individual Differences, Relationship-based (DIR) model. Our experienced mentors guide aspiring professionals through the certification process, providing invaluable insights and guidance to help them excel in their DIR practice and better serve neurodivergent individuals. In addition to the certification program, we offer mentorship opportunities through our intern and medical residents programs. These programs provide hands-on experience and mentorship for individuals at various stages of their careers, whether they are students, recent graduates, or medical residents specializing in autism-related fields. Through these initiatives, participants gain practical knowledge, refine their skills, and receive guidance from our seasoned professionals, ultimately contributing to the growth of a more knowledgeable and compassionate workforce dedicated to autism and neurodiversity. Our commitment to mentorship underscores our mission to empower individuals to make a meaningful impact in the lives of those affected by autism and related developmental differences. We believe that by nurturing mentorship relationships and fostering a culture of continuous learning, we can create a more inclusive and supportive world for neurodivergent individuals and their families. How to start: Learn more about our training programs. Excited to start learning? Contact us below, and we'll be sure to find the program that fits your specific needs. Enroll Cost of Training Cancellation Policy Cancelling a training requires a 48 hour notice. Our staff are passionate about helping the community. A cancellation may offer another organization the ability to take your place, or open a spot for our staff to work one on one with a family in need. Late Arrivals The policy for late arrivals is program specific, and based on the preferences of your organization and our presenters. If you are going to be late, we ask that you alert the appropriate parties in advance. Cost of training is tailored to your specific needs. For more information, contact Katie Benson at: Katie@acn-sa.org .

< Back 'Emergent and transactional': How Jonathan Green is Rethinking Autism and Interventions Brady Huggett Aug 28, 2023 Brady Huggett Hi, I am Brady Huggett, the enterprise editor at Spectrum. Recently, a paper was published in the journal Child and Adolescent Mental Health. The paper was written by Jonathan Green, a researcher and clinician at the University of Manchester at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, and Manchester Academic Health Science Center, all in Manchester, U.K. The article is titled “Debate: Neurodiversity, autism and healthcare.” There have since been a few commentaries in response to Jonathan's article, and it has generated some online chatter, which is not unusual around these topics. So we wanted to talk with Jonathan about this paper, why he wrote it, what his key themes are, and also discuss the early reaction to it. That's what I've done. That's the focus of this interview. We talked on August 3rd, 2023, morning for me and, and mid-afternoon for Jonathan in Manchester. And before we get going, I'll say that if you are listening to this on a podcast app, on spectrumnews.org , the posting for this interview includes links to some of the papers that Jonathan and I discuss. So that's all you need to know. We'll start here, where I'm asking Jonathan how this paper came about. [transition music] All right. So, Jonathan, I think the first thing that we should talk about is your impetus for writing this paper. What were you thinking about and how'd you come up with this topic? Jonathan Green Yeah. Um, thanks, Brady. Um, I think the, uh, the occasion of writing the paper really came from the current, uh, very fluid, contentious, and often really difficult situation for clinicians, uh, with the current status of autism, debates around neurodiversity, etc. I was asked to write the paper, actually, after I delivered a lecture about the history of autism- history of the autism concept, and how I thought it had altered over time, and, uh, what I thought the current- uh, what I called the paradigm shift, uh, real, real turning, pivoting points now were, and-and they asked me to write this, uh, this contribution after that. I've worked as a clinician in this field for 30 years or so, and as also a clinical scientist. And I just know the complexity for, uh, clinicians in this field at the moment and the pressures they're under. So this is partly to-to help them. Brady Huggett Can I ask, you-you said you were asked to write the paper, that's by the journal, the journal asked you to write the paper? Jonathan Green Uh, yeah. That's exactly, yeah. Brady Huggett Yeah. OK. And I was gonna ask too, who-who you thought the audience was, and it's for clinicians. I mean, really you're trying to lay forth some new thoughts for clinicians here. Jonathan Green Yeah, I've- that-that's-that is the case, uh, Brady. I, um, I have written some other papers on this topic recent- the last couple of years, which have really been addressed as much or more to the, uh, broad scientific, uh, uh, professional audience, um, and also to the neurodiversity community, and of course, in this modern, uh, media age, you know, that I-I'm totally aware that what I wrote in this paper, although I had clinicians in mind, um, of course, other people will read it, and they have, and they've commented. So, uh, you know, that's-that's just normal these days. Brady Huggett So you, I think, most recently, you-you wrote on this topic in October of 2022. Jonathan Green Yeah. I wrote a-a paper called “Autism as, um, Emergent and Transactional,” um, which is- was a theory paper that really folds into this. And perhaps it would be useful just to explain the origin of these ideas, um, which really lay-lay behind the-the argument in the paper. So earlier in my, uh, career, I, uh, my, uh, my first, uh, area of, uh, research, developmental research actually was in individual different psychology, and particularly in temperamental variation in newborns and, uh, early infancy and its consequence. Uh, so I was, um, very much involved in the-the notion of individual difference and its consequences in development. And within that, the study of temperament historically, uh, I think was a very interesting paradigm where the downstream consequences of early individual difference, which was largely assumed to be genetic in origin, was, uh, plotted in longitudinal studies. And this notion, uh, arose of the so-called transactional relationship between individual difference in development and the world around the individual. So I was imbued in that and in the sort of intervention research that was done early on, which showed that actually, with the right kind of intervention early on, one could actually mitigate the downstream effects of early difference and improve, uh, downstream outcomes, but within this transactional context. So, long story short, around 2000, uh, the turn of the century, um, I began with colleagues to apply this idea to autism as a developmental difference. And basically, we showed in these programs really quite strikingly that actually, you could alter the transactional dynamics early on with autistic difference. And actually, uh, more strikingly than that because that had- that's pretty common knowledge in a lot of intervention procedures, but then actually this-this altered and improved downstream autism, uh, phenotype. So this was not done with high-functioning autism. This was done with kids who are largely, uh, minimally-- well, uh, or, uh, didn't have free speech and had reduced IQ. This underlay the paper I-I wrote in last year on, uh, “Autism as Emergent and Transactional.” And you can see how the logic came from that. That's-that's-that's the second bit. And the third bit that underlays this paper is my engagement with the neurodiversity community and autism advocates over the last five, six, seven years, which has been quite intensive. And I've really engaged them, uh, quite deeply in phenomenological work. And, uh, thinking about their own experience and understanding the-the neurodiversity community and advocacy movements and all of those three things together then led me to the kind of position that, um, I'm talking about in the-in the paper here. Brady Huggett And so it's- OK, those are the roots. And you've sort of applied this to our current moment, if you will. And I think early in the paper, you said that there is a receding horizon for the scientific goals around autism, which I thought was a really interesting way to say it. Can you sort of expand on what you mean by that idea, that this is a receding horizon? Jonathan Green That was-that was put sort of purposefully like that to just- I-I think, um- I mean one anecdote to-to exemplify it, when I first worked in autism seriously in the '90s, uh, I was part of the first large, uh, international autism genetics consortium, which was looking at molecular genetics and-and at a big population level and big data. And we started out, I mean, I was junior in the-in the consortium, but, uh, which was led by Michael Rutter at that time. But, you know, I realized that it started out with basically a modeling that there would be probably six genes of main effect that would actually determine autism. That's where it was at the time, around 1995, right? And what I've seen in that consortium, and we've seen over the- over the time, of course, is thatthat wasn't the case, that we've now got maybe 1,000 genes of sm- uh, of small effects, CNVs, plus of course, uh, uh, proportion like 14 percent or so of-of single-gene disorders of main effect that are associated with autism. So- but if you look at common familial autism, this is a polygenic condition. And, um, so there's a-a receding horizon on the genetic silver bullet, right? Which is what we started with. There's also a receding horizon on, um, biomarker identification, not only a genetic, but at a neuroscience level. So I've been involved in a lot of the early babysibs projects in terms of early neurodevelopmental studies. Bottom line, we haven't got a-a simple, um, uh, early marker, predictive marker for-for autism in that sense. I- so that's what I mean by a receding horizon, Brady, um, and the idea that, you know, which some, uh, people misunderstand, that a lot of genetic research basically implies eugenics i-is-is kind of scientifically nonsensical. We'll never find a-a gene, um, marker, a prenatal gene marker that would enable that. Brady Huggett Yeah. So that led you to write, I think that you called it an- right now we are- there's an unparalleled flux in our understanding of autism, right? Jonathan Green Yeah. Brady Huggett And-and as you said, 1994, everyone sort of thought they-they- we would figure it out, it'd be very simple. That's been not the case at all. And now we're sort of in this area where, um, it's not clear what might be known or what even isn't known yet. And that, I think is what led you to sort of say, "Now we need to think about treatment differently." Jonathan Green That's true. I mean, I don't wanna under-underestimate, uh, and under-respect the huge science work that's gone on and the amount we've learned from it, but I think what we've learned Brady Huggett Oh, sure. Jonathan Green What we've learned is complexity and Brady Huggett Yes. Yeah. Jonathan Green -uh, you know, we need to take a different paradigm view. And, uh, the other aspect of the paradigm shift is-is like what we-what we mean by autism. I mean, one of the sections in my paper was, “What is ‘autism’ anyway?” And, you know, and that's come under a lot of debate. And I do think that the advocacy movement has brought into play for us in the clinical science community vividly the lived experience of autism, and that- and the importance of that in our consideration. Brady Huggett OK. So, if we have this idea that autism now is, uh, emergent and transactional, and that's gonna lead hopefully to a new way to treat aspects of autism, I suppose. Take me through how that works and sort of what's needed to be uniformly believed, or not maybe not uniformly, collectively believed in order for that to work. And you-you've laid out three or four things that need to happen. Jonathan Green Yeah. I mean, what I suggest is-is that we need to have a more of a shared understanding that what we call autism is rather a dynamic entity. You know, when I first started in the field, there was this, like, quite preformist idea, really, that autism was a neurological, uh, disorder, uh, that emerged over time as sort of biological emergence. Um, and, uh, it was nothing you could do about it. Certainly, in the U.K., it was total therapeutic nihilism that you could do anything about this unfolding, right? Um, and I think we-we do need to change that. I think the work I've done in-in our therapy program and other people too have shown that no, this- there is, you know, within limits, there is, uh, work that one can do on the environmental aspects around autism that can really cha- substantially change things. So I think we need to do that. And, um, you know, I think we need to seriously realize that we can actually invest in really good early environmental adaptations right from the get-go that could make at least some difference to the evolution of the phenotype. And I've-I've suggested in the paper that, um, we really need to recast our intervention model to be much more proactive, more, um, preventative in orientation, uh, rather than reactive and firefighting, uh, which is so much of what goes on at the moment. Uh, but there's also the need, and this is another aspect of the paper, uh, we need to, uh, avoid culture wars around, um, you know, uh, fighting about what autism is and, um, which is a really unfortunate aspect at the moment. And-and so I wanted to try and create a kind of shared language, um, model that-that would be at least reasonably acceptable to, um, both the, um, the neurodiversity community and also to the, uh, community of, um, adults and parents whose, uh, whose children and adults who have major disability, you know, and no one is underestimate- certainly not me, since I've worked with them for 30 years, underestimating, uh, the-the importance of that and the need. So, uh, this, the idea that, you know, that intervention is-is-is inappropriate is-is not compatible with clinical experience. And there's- so there are real dilemmas here that we have to really, uh, talk about together. Brady Huggett Yeah. So the-the idea basically in this, you know, as you said, we're in this unparalleled flux of our understanding, is to maybe make a shift from, "Hey, we're looking for these genes so that we can affect these genes," to autism is emergent. How do we change the environment so that this autistic person, this autistic young child, flourishes so that their outcome is improved? Jonathan Green Yeah. That- in a- in a nutshell, that is exactly the paradigm, and it-it-it-it-it-its orientation is-is to, um, accept and value the difference, but to try and optimize the outcomes as much as one possibly can. And what we can do in health care, I think, is this early intervention piece, but of course, it links with societal change, uh, with change in the workplace and all sorts of other things that are beyond earlier education, that are beyond health care to actually within the same model of accommodation to improve flourishing and outcomes. Brady Huggett You just- you-you just mentioned, and you mentioned this in the paper, that there's been this sort of fracturing of the landscape. The neurodiversity movement has brought like, uh, just a ton of attention to things that were not being looked at before, honestly, and that- and that has bumped up against the medical community, which is sort of looking at autism as this medical condition, right? This is the social model versus the medical model that you-you alluded to before, and you're hoping the paper might sort of help stop the fracturing. Do you think it's been able to do that? I know it's early days, of course, the paper's not even out in print yet, but what is your thoughts about this after having been out for a while? Jonathan Green Uh, well, obviously, the paper in itself won't do it, but, um, I think that I am committed to a-a-a common language. I think, uh, as I- and I wrote about this a bit more extensively in the-the 2000-the 2022 paper on, uh, emergence and transaction that, you know, we have-- part of the whole remit of clinical science has been to integrate the basic biology, basic science, clinical practice, and-and social understanding, youyou know, to have a unified view is-is so powerful. And, um, so how are we gonna do that? Well, we do need a model, and that's what I'm trying to present here. We do need a model of thinking, but then of course, we need, um, dialogue, and we need engagement with each other. And, uh, I try and do as much of that as I can myself and others that are also doing it. And they'll need to be given on both sides. That's obvious, uh, because there is a, uh, a lot of incompatibility. You know, one thing I-I don't want my model to-to underplay is the, um, the disability aspects of a lot of autism and/or to overplay how much treatment can do. I think it can do a lot, and we've shown this empirically what it can do, but it-it's not a magic cure. And I think from the other side, there's-there's too much defensiveness about the-the felt threat from neurodiversity language, um, the social model and, uh, advocacy community. And, uh, and it-it sort of, uh, I mean there are de- there-there are trigger areas around which this revolves, of course. I mean, one is the notion that, um, any intervention or treatment is, uh, is basically destroying autism or under- or-or trying to wipe it out, uh, that sort of eugenics narrative, which is, you know, a-a tough one. And, um, when I'm in the room with autistic advocates and, uh, we can really talk this through, I-I think and hope that there's a- there can be a bit of mutual understanding here. And I hope that the kind of treatment model I'm proposing is more acceptable because this is not about changing or wiping out autism, it is about, uh, supporting it. You know, that's the argument we've made, and I think generally that's been understood and supported by- Brady Huggett Yeah. Jonathan Green -many. Brady Huggett Yeah. So, let-let me-let me ask about that 'cause I think-I think when- you tell me what-what feedback you've gotten on this paper already, but I think the idea would be for a neurodiverse advocate, if they-if they read this paper, they would say what they're doing is trying to lessen autistic traits and therefore make me less autistic, and that is what they're fighting against. Jonathan Green Well, yeah. This is-this is, uh, a complex, very nuanced, um, uh, argument here. I mean, it's-it's-it's so interesting because it comes up against autism identity. So, there's a social identity model and argument, but a lot of it gets tied to this behavioral phenotype definition diagnosis. Now, this is a complex argument because if people then say, "Well, no, you're- then you are taking away my autism identity," what I say is, no, I'm not, I'm-I'm really not doing that. But the-the nature of autism development is like all our developments, all our identity develops in over time. You know, none of it's pre-formed. None of us have a preformed identity, and I don't believe autism identity is preformed either. Um, you know, and so one has to-to take this developmental argument, but of course, in the social space, autism identity is a binary, and it's a valued identity. And so that is a very reala very real dialogue and challenge, a mutual challenge I-I'd say. But from a- I think what I'd be saying, and the- and this is where I think the phenomenology is important, is that we actually think from the phenomenology work that we've done that the-the core neurodivergent phenotype may lie slightly be-behind what the behavioral phenotype currently tells us, so that if you listen to autistic people and their experience, actually, their experience doesn't really map onto the DSM category. You know, their-their experience is of an overwhelming world, a huge sensitivity, which often has great benefits as well as difficulties associated with it, an attentional style, which is highly focused at times, and then, uh, feels pretty, uh, chaotic at other times, but again, has some very, uh, powerful strengths to it. And all of this, of course, is from the, um, verbal advocacy and this is often what's criticized about. It's not representative, but it-it's a very important group, and these people can tell us what it feels like to be autistic. And what they tell us doesn't map onto DSM very well. We may want to alter the phenotype a bit, which may in turn alter what people think of as the autistic identity. And it's not the same as the ADOS thing that we measure and that we change because what I'm a-arguing is that what we are changing is downstream effects, which is not quite- which is slightly different. So it's a-it's a subtle argument, but I hope that's clear. And one other thing I wanna say is that intellectual disability associated with autism is another big issue here. So that for children who are non- and-and adults who are non-communicative, who have- or nonspeaking, um, who-who are really cognitively, uh, delayed and autistic, what's their lived experience? Is that a very different kind of thing? And a lot of the time, we just don't know that because we haven't been creative enough in being able to access their experience. And I think that is a-an area that we're gonna need to really look at. Brady Huggett I-I wanted to ask a thing too because you-you mentioned- in the paper, you actually mentioned that you'd worked on another paper with three autistic colleagues of yours, and you sort of went back over your earlier lives and you realized there were some similarities in the way that, um, you developed versus the way they developed, and also some differences. But on this-on this paper, you're the only author, but did you run this past some of those same colleagues? Jonathan Green Uh, yes. Yes. The, um, uh-uh, these ideas have been, uh, talked about with them. I mean, I'm not- I'm not saying that they would agree with everything I've written here, but they're familiar with these, uh, with the model that I've put forward. And, um, I think I've learned a lot from them, which has also illuminated thethe model. So, uh, Jo Bervoets, who I, uh, reference in the article is one of those colleagues that I wrote that paper with. So, uh, I'm not- I'm not claiming they'd sign up to this, [chuckles] but, um, you know, that- I-I hope that this is something- my informal feedback is that this is, uh, something that's at least to-to some of those colleagues is-is an acceptable kind of way of framing the thing. Yeah. Brady Huggett Yeah. A couple of things I wanna ask you and then we're done, but one is, what feedback have you seen? Again, it's not out in print, but it is online, and as you said, it has been disseminated widely. What feedback have you seen? I mean, I have some- I have seen people online saying things like, "This is eugenics," as you mentioned, right? Um, what-what feedback have you gotten? Jonathan Green Uh, well, there are- there are a couple of, um, published commentaries on the paper. So the-the journal, uh, commissioned, uh, actually three commentaries, uh, but two are- two are in at the moment. Um, and so they're available, so you can see those. One is from a-an autistic, uh, advocate, uh, academic, and the other from a clinical science, uh, colleague. Um, so there, you'll see there- I mean the-the, um, if I distilled it down, the-the-the feedback from the clinical science colleague is largely, um, I-I would say supportive of the model. Uh, the-the autistic, uh, advocate, uh, colleague, particularly focused on a-a lack of, um, in this, what- in my paper, on a lack of attention to autistic identity. And I think she's right to do that. I don't think I have talked about that, uh-uh, very much. Uh, partly it's because I don't feel really qualified to do so. She makes some points that, you know, that-that there's not enough attention to that. And I, you know, I do accept that that is a-a legitimate area where we have to really wrestle and discuss together about those things 'cause there are some paradoxes in there. Otherwise, um, online, yeah, there's been, uh, some of the sort of Twitter commentary around eugenics, which is, you know, I think is a bit, um, it's like any-anything that in- that-that suggests intervention at this current time can provoke that, uh, kind of feedback. And I hope I've tried, really tried hard to, um, to explain why I think that this, the kind of intervention certainly, that we are talking about here, um, its-its aim is to- is to validate and to support, uh, neurodiversity rather than, uh, get rid of it. Um Brady Huggett Yeah. Jonathan Green -so Brady Huggett Yeah. Jonathan Green -uh, you know, you do what- one does one's best with that. Brady Huggett Yeah. So just the final question. You know, this-this paper mentions neurodiversity throughout, and the word has, I mean, grown exponentially since it was first coined. And I think, almost that everybody has their own definition of what that word means, and I'm wondering how you would define neurodiversity. Jonathan Green Um, yeah. So I-I don't think I would want to, um, hazard an overall definition because, as you say, this is a term that has been used so differently by different people. I mean, of course, it-it began as a-a-a term of, uh, assertion really, of the importance of um, you know, neurological differences. Um, and it-it-it came from the, you know, neurodiversity community, um, uh, as a-as a- an idea. And I think it really applies to the idea that there is a range of brain difference. Uh, and I suppose whatwhat is, um, controversial about it or-or radical about it, is how wide you take that net. You know, we-we could, you know, think about, um, dyslexia, dyspraxia, dyscalculia, you know, these things are all very, uh, you know, and they're not really pathologized as it were really within the developmental science. And then you- then you can think about ADHD, uh, another neurodevelopmental condition that is, as it were, "pathologized", intellectual disability, Tourette syndrome, anorexia, schizotypy. Uh, so it's, uh, how broad you-you embrace the differences here. So that's an important thing, is like there's a range of, as it were, normative variation. And it's how broad, and I think the neurodiversity community would often wanna argue for a very broad definition of-of-of this. So, uh, and then, of course, there's the idea that-that the concurrent with that is the-the fact that the people should have equal social rights, um, and, uh-uh, so as a sort of social activism. Um, you know, I think that then if you are- OK, so how do I respond? Well, basically the idea is in essence intuitive to me from, as I said, I started off with the idea of individual difference, um, uh, research. And a lot of this is just a reframing of that. Uh, you know, we know a lot of the genetics research has suggested there are a lot of common genetics, uh, between these different conditions. I'm personally more of a splitter than a lumper. So I like to keep, uh, these-these individual conditions, I think have very particular characteristics. And I don't wanna lump them all together into one thing, but there'sthere's-there's is clearly a family of neuro-neuro difference. [chuckles] So, yeah, I think, um, neurodiversity is quite an interesting concept, both scientifically in terms of shared genetics. Um, you know, and you maybe were, uh, familiar with the essence, uh, model of, uh, Chris Gillberg, which he's talked for many years about how all these conditions are all somewhat part of a one group. Um, and I've personally not really agreed with him, but, you know, it's there, that he's argued that for many years. And I don't think there's a big difference between that and a lot of what the advocacy community say from their own lived experience perspective, to be honest. And I think we can learn a lot from each other about that. Brady Huggett Uh, that was a- one of the longest definitions of neurodiversity I've ever heard, but-but a complex one. I like it, thank you. Thank you. Um, that's-that's all I had, Jonathan. Uh, thanks for taking the time to talk about your paper and Jonathan Green OK. Brady Huggett -uh, good luck with it. Jonathan Green Thank you. Previous Next

< Back Nicolle Reyna, MS CCC-SLP Speech Language Pathologist Nicolle Reyna holds a Master of Science degree in Communication Disorders from Texas Woman's University, a BA in Psychology from the University of the Incarnate Word, and a special education teaching certificate from Region 20. Nicolle was a special education teacher for 13 years in Edgewood ISD and San Antonio ISD where she developed a passion for helping students reach their maximum potential with the mindset that ALL children can learn. Prior to ACN, Nicolle worked in Early Childhood Intervention ( ECI) for 10 years where she enjoyed meeting and working with so many wonderful children and their families. Nicolle is passionate about empowering parents and caregivers with the tools they need to help their child learn and grow since they know them best! When Nicolle is not devoting her time to her career, she can be found cheering on the Texas Tech Red Raiders (fan by marriage) and the San Antonio Spurs with her husband, daughter, and two dog children, Theo and Bentley. Nicolle is a proud mom of a 21 year old neurodivergent daughter and loves to face time across the miles with her 5 year old neurodivergent niece. nicolle@acn-sa.org (210) 435-1000

< Back Spurs coach Gregg Popovich's support of autism acceptance reached global audience Tom Orsborn Apr 20, 2024 Spurs fan Martin Krøger, although 5,300 miles away in Denmark, had the sense coach Gregg Popovich's comments after a recent game in support of autism acceptance were made for his benefit. "If I could ever thank that man in person, this would be at the top of my list of things to thank him for," Krøger, a 50-year-old IT consultant, wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Krøger was diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, a form of autism, when he was 48. "Forget the wins and the titles, that's just a game," Krøger wrote after hearing the NBA's all-time winningest coach's message of inclusion. "Seeing people for who they are and using your platform for doing good works, that's what really matters in the end." After wearing Nike custom Air Force 1 sneakers sporting a colorful infinity symbol with the words "Inclusion" and "To The Max" during a home game against Philadelphia on April 7 as part of the NBA's efforts to promote Autism Acceptance Month, Popovich spoke about the need to value those living on the autism spectrum. "We're just trying to bring some awareness to autism," he said. "I didn't even realize it was that prolific. I guess it's one out of every 37 children is diagnosed with autism, and that's a lot more than I think I knew. But it's a malady I think is misunderstood in some ways. It's like it's a 'bad thing' or that person is the 'other'. Now, that person is just different and really deserves our attention, our support and a realization they have other advantages, or advantages is the wrong word, but other traits that make them special. "So giving them love and support is really important and hopefully people will understand they need to be included. They can't be put aside as 'others'. They need to be included and supported." Autism advocates applauded the empathy and support shown by Popovich, 75. "It’s absolutely wonderful," said Tiffany Fresher, CEO of the Autism Community Network, a San Antonio nonprofit that works to "maximize the potential of children with autism by providing early diagnosis for those with limited access and educating and empowering the community to support them," according to its website. Autism spectrum disorder, or ASD, is a condition that ranges from mild to serious and is typically marked by social awkwardness, communication difficulties, repetitive behaviors and other problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Protection, autism affects one in every 36 children and one in 45 adults in the United States. Popovich and other NBA coaches embraced Autism Acceptance Month in response to an effort by Utah Jazz assistant coach Scott Morrison and his wife Susanne to raise awareness after their son Max was diagnosed with autism in 2022. "Before the season started, we just knew we wanted to do something to try and help or contribute," Morrison told USA Today. "And we had the idea to just maybe tap into the handful of coaches I knew just to see who would be interested in wearing the shoes as a way to highlight autism." Gregg Popovich and other coaches across the league wore custom Nike Air Force 1 shoes for a pair of games as part of an NBA-wide initiative to raise awareness for autism. The sneakers were signed by the coaches and auctioned off to raise funds for the To The Max Foundation, a nonprofit founded by the Morrisons to support autistic individuals and their families. Dr. Melissa D. Svoboda, director of the autism program at the Children’s Hospital of San Antonio, said it was "amazing" to hear Popovich draw attention to autism. But she said his comments also reinforced her belief the public still needs more education about autism. "When I first started my training, I told people I was going to work with autistic children, and they were like, 'Artistic? Like they draw?' " Svoboda said. "Nobody knew what autistic meant. Thank goodness, fast forward, fifteen, twenty years later and now it is so much more common, but you still have people like coach Popovich saying, 'Oh, I didn’t know it was this common.' "It’s so common that there is this real big movement toward neurodiversity, which is really what he is getting at, that maybe (autism) is a spectrum of normal, especially with some of these higher functioning individuals. Some people may call them quirky, but they have a place here. There are some amazing things they do that other people don’t have as a skill set. And it really is about inclusion and support to make sure everybody, no matter ability or disability, finds a placed and a meaning in what they want to do." The Autism Community Network works toward fulfilling that goal by helping families gain a better understanding of autism. "When somebody in the family has autism, everyone is dealing with autism in their family," Fresher said. "We are trying to teach them their child’s strengths and how to communicate with their child and how to reduce stress in their family...to help the family better communicate with the child, so the child’s stress is reduced as well." Svoboda is hopeful that during Autism Acceptance Month people "on the more severe end of the spectrum who require a lot of support" aren't forgotten. "A lot of this neurodiversity movement is centered on people at the higher end of the spectrum, but I think we have to make sure we are including everybody on every part of the spectrum," she said. Krøger, the Danish Spurs fan who praised Popovich's comments on X, was also diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), along with Asperger's syndrome. Asperger's syndrome is a condition on the autism spectrum with generally higher functioning. People with the condition may be socially awkward and have an all-absorbing interest in specific topics, according to the website for the Nationwide Children's Hospital. "It was a life-changing experience, suddenly realizing I could now let go of all of the guilt and anger I'd carried around with me since childhood," Krøger wrote to the Express-News in a direct message on X about his diagnosis. "I came to accept that while I was in fact different from most of the people around me, that did not mean there was something wrong with me. I was simply that: different." Krøger wote that being "very open" about his diagnosis with family, friends and colleagues has been a freeing experience. "People deserved to know how much hard work goes into just living with someone like me or into living with children with the same difficulties," he wrote. " It's been very heartening to see the reactions my wife and I have gotten from people we know. Still, I'm able to mask my neurodivergence somewhat when I'm out in the world and so I still get to hear how people talk about 'everyone wants a diagnosis for their kid these days' and questioning the validity of the difficulties facing us. "That's why Pop's comments moved me. Being the son of a no-nonsense coach in that same gruff but caring mold, it's probably no surprise I already hold him in high regard. It just means so incredibly much to people like me that a man of his stature takes the opportunity to educate folks on something as simple but meaningful as remembering to include us, even though we're a bit different. "His reminder that we need love and support really hit home for me, knowing that while I'm fortunate in that regard, I know too many who weren't as lucky as me." To see the article on the San Antonio Express News website visit https://www.expressnews.com/sports/spurs/article/popovich-s-support-autism-acceptance-reached-19396018.php . Previous Next

Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy: An Innovative and Impactful Therapeutic Support for Empowering Families to Empower Their Children Time AM Breakout Session - 10:00 AM Presenter/Facilitator Dr. Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR, PACT Accredited Provider and PACT UK Associate Back to Course List < Back About the Course Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) is an evidence-based, parent-mediated, video-aided intervention. This approach has demonstrated significant efficacy in promotion of social communicative initiations of child participants that generalize and sustain over time. This lecture will provide an overview of the extensive PACT research base as well as an introduction to the core therapeutic techniques and targets associated with the model. Participants will follow one family’s journey through PACT and will gain insight into how this developmental, relationship based model promotes well-being in entire family systems. Objectives Participants will summarize the Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) model, emphasizing its impact on a child's social communication competencies. Participants will list the key strategies and techniques used in the PACT approach. Dr. Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR, PACT Accredited Provider and PACT UK Associate Dr. Carrie Alvarado serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Autism Community Network (ACN) and has a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on Infant Mental Health and Developmental Differences. Dr. Alvarado is the creator and director of the Earliest Connections Clinic, our diagnostic program geared toward early identification and therapeutic supports for infants and toddlers. Additionally, Carrie leads the PACT therapy program- intensive intervention programs supporting families impacted by autism through dyadic coaching using reflective video feedback. Dr. Alvarado was the first in the United States to become a Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) Accredited Practitioner and she serves as an Associate with PACT UK. Dr. Alvarado is passionate about building bridges where none yet exist, about innovating and expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, and about meeting families and fellow clinicians where they are and empowering them to find the gifts they all have to give. Speaker Disclosure: Dr. Alvarado receives a salary from Autism Community Network.

Renewing the Autism Concept in an Age of Neurodiversity; The Role of Participatory Work and Phenomenology Time PM Breakout Session - 2:15 PM Presenter/Facilitator Professor Jonathan Green Back to Course List < Back About the Course “(T)he more parents and families become empowered, shaping their care, the better that care becomes...” (Don Berwick 2016 ). This “participatory” ethos needs now to shape our clinical and research practice going forward. Some of the dialogues around neurodiversity and advocacy can be challenging and require us to reach out towards mutual recognition and trust; Professor Green will rehearse some of the emerging methods to help us. As part of this process, Professor Green will argue that we need to develop a more systematic, deeper understanding of the subjective experience (phenomenology) of being autistic; and the value of incorporating this into our understanding of the autism construct, into research and in clinical practice. He will describe some of his initial work in participatory phenomenology and the methods that we wish to use in growing this into the future. Objectives Participants will identify autism phenomenology and describe some of its history including how this can illuminate the autism concept and developmental diagnosis. Participants will describe a structured co-design in developing a new parent-mediated intervention for autistic anxiety in young children. Participants will identify issues and dilemmas for health services in neuroaffirmative and effective care going forward. Professor Jonathan Green Jonathan Green is Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at University of Manchester and Hon Consultant Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist at the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital. He studied medicine at Cambridge, Paediatrics in London and Psychiatry in Oxford, before establishing clinical and research groups in Manchester, UK. He has undertaken developmental science in both autism and early relationship development and the development and testing of early parent-mediated interventions for autistic development for both pre-school diagnosed children (PACT) and in the pre-diagnostic stage (iBASIS). He has built on this evidence to advocate an early developmental pathway approach to autistic care that is now being applied in the UK and internationally. The not-for-profit, IMPACT which he co-directs, has trained PACT in 30 countries and now also iBASIS. Since 2018, he has undertaken increasing participatory work with the autistic community, including discussion on neurodiversity and the ethics of intervention (see Green 2023), a novel participatory project on autistic phenomenology (Murray et al 2023, Green and Shaughnessy 2023) and true co-design of a new anxiety intervention for young autistic children (Cullingham et al 2024). Jonathan sat on the most recent UK NICE development group for autism care. He is a Senior Investigator in the UK National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences, and UK Global Senior Leader in autism for the International Society of Autism Research (INSAR). Speaker Disclosure: Professor Green received a speaking fee for this course.