April 28, 2016 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
“AUTISM TOMORROW” CONFERENCE TO BE HOSTED BY ANDERSON CENTER FOR AUTISM
Highly Acclaimed Speakers to Gather on Staatsburg Campus
Anderson Center for Autism announced today that registration is now open for Autism Tomorrow, a one-day conference on Saturday, May 14, 2016. The Staatsburg-based center will bring together an outstanding group of experts and advocates to discuss autism spectrum disorders from their unique perspectives.
The conference will be held on the Anderson Campus from 9:00am-5:00pm, opening with a welcome by Anderson’s Chief Operations Officer and incoming CEO, Patrick Paul, and includes morning, lunchtime and afternoon speaker sessions. Conference visitors will have opportunities to tour the extensively renovated Anderson Center campus by registering in advance. During the day everyone will be able to mix freely with conference attendees, to participate in the Vendor Fair, and to view a musical performance by the Children’s Program.
The Autism Tomorrow conference speakers include:
Frederico Bolognani, Neuroscience Drug Development Physician, Roche Pharmaceuticals
Dr. Federico Bolognani received his Medical Doctor (MD) degree in 1997 from the National University of La Plata in Argentina, as well as a PhD from the same institution. For the last 7 years he has been living in Basel Switzerland working on Drug Development in the pharmaceutical industry. Currently, he is developing new medicines for Neurodevelopment Disorders such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). He is leading genetic and experimental medicine studies using functional imaging to address how investigational medicines modulate the activity of the social brain and how genetic factors may affect these responses. Moreover, he is leading Phase II trials testing whether new experimental medicines may improve behaviors in the social and communication domains in ASD subjects.
Nathan Briggs, Coordinator of Adult Residential Services, Anderson Center for Autism
Nathan began his professional career by embarking on a path of service. He enlisted in the Air National Guard in order to finance a return to college to pursue his degree to teach secondary English. Nathan’s time in the Guard, spanning the bombing of the USS Cole, the attacks of 9/11, and the subsequent invasion of Iraq, was marked with numerous awards, promotions, and commendations. The career he was after, though, didn’t truly begin until 2006 when he joined Anderson Center for Autism. Guiding a team of ten adults for almost nine years while helping to create, modify, apply, and analyze curriculum, Nathan was finally able to fulfill the sense of service imparted to him. In his current position with Anderson, Nathan has taken opportunities to implement new ideas, create new systems, and analyze functions to optimize quality of life for adults living on the spectrum.
Kristie Patten Koenig, Ph.D., OT/L, FAOTA, Associate Professor and Chair, New York University
Dr. Koenig examines the efficacy of interventions utilized in public schools for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders. Dr. Koenig is the Principal Investigator of the NYU Steinhardt’s ASD Nest Program, an inclusive program for children and adolescents with autism in the New York City Department of Education. She is also PI of the GIFTED project, a 3-year grant project aimed at developing women leaders in public schools in Ghana. Dr. Koenig teaches professional and post professional courses in the area of pediatric intervention, school-based practice and sensory processing and regulation. Dr. Koenig has published and presented nationally and internationally on topics related to examining the efficacy of sensory and motor interventions that impact one’s ability to regulate behavior in home and community environments.
Ron Suskind, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist and best-selling author
As a reporter and senior national affairs writer for The Wall Street Journal, Ron has covered capitalism and our nation’s capital in addition to penning front-page investigative features on poverty, race and class in America, which won him a Pulitzer Prize. Ron is also a gifted speaker, blending monologue with reportage, his speaking engagements provide insightful analysis on a variety of topics. He is the author of six best-selling books, including Life, Animated, A Story of Sidekicks, Heroes and Autism, which documents his family’s two-decade struggle with regressive autism. Using a technique called Affinity Therapy, the book recounts how the Suskinds broke through to their autistic son Owen by exposing him to Disney movies, which Owen memorized and used as a pathway to communication.
Registration for Autism Tomorrow is now open and is $75 per person.
Online registration: https://www.andersoncenterforautism.org/autismtomorrow
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