MADISON — Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Madison is sponsoring a conference on autism to be held at two locations.
“Understanding the Movement Differences Experienced by Individuals on the Autism Spectrum” will be held Thursday, July 14, at the Rock County Health Care Center-Auditorium, 3530 N. Cty. Rd. F, Janesville, and will be repeated on Friday, July 15, at St. Thomas Aquinas Church Parish Hall, 602 Everglade Dr., Madison.
The schedule for each day is:
- 8 to 8:30 a.m. — Registration, networking, coffee, and pastries
- 8:30 to 10:15 a.m. — Presentation
- 10:15 to 10:30 a.m. — Break
- 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. — Presentation
- 11:30 to 12 noon — Questions, comments, and closing
Autism resources will be available to purchase for a fee of $10 (includes materials and morning break).
The presenter will be Sally Young, Ph.D., who will talk about “Our Bodies Are Not Who We Are — Understanding the Movement Experiences of Individuals on the Autism Spectrum.”
Through excerpts written by individuals on the spectrum, this presentation will help family members, residential and vocational staff, school staff, case managers, and others become familiar with the myriad of ways that movement differences play out in everyday life.
Young is an independent autism consultant who holds a master’s degree in clinical psychology and a Ph.D. in special education. Her consulting work focuses on sensory and movement differences, self-expression, emotions, and quality of life issues.
Her new book, Real People, Regular Lives: Autism, Communication & Quality of Life, portrays 10 adults with autism. Through case studies, topic chapters, and many quotes from individuals on the spectrum, the book helps understand the ways in which movement differences impact the quality of people’s lives.
Young has been supporting adults with autism and their families since 1983. In 1990, she founded an expressive arts program for adults with developmental disabilities in California. In 1995, she moved to Madison to attend the University of Wisconsin graduate school and studied with Professor Anne Donnellan.
For more information on the conference, contact: Katy Barnum, Catholic Charities autism specialist for Dane County, phone 608-821-3119 or e-mail [email protected] or Jessica Quam, Catholic Charities autism specialist for Rock County, phone 608-752-4993 or e-mail [email protected]
For more on Catholic Charities, visit www.ccmadison.org