Three national experts on autism will speak in Jacksonville at the Second Annual Autism Symposium Current Medical Evidence and Interventions Regarding Autism. The public is invited to attend the symposium, set for Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 9 am - 5 pm, at the University Center at the University of North Florida.
The symposium will address medical evidence about the causes of autism as well as strategies in treating children with the disorder. Guest lecturers are:
- Max Wiznitzer, MD, a pediatric neurologist and director of Rainbow Autism Center at Rainbow Babies & Children’s Hospital. Dr. Wiznitzer is an associate professor of Pediatrics and Neurology at Case Western Reserve University.
- Connie Kasari, PhD, a professor of Psychological Studies in Education and Psychiatry at UCLA, where she is the principal investigator for several multi-site research programs. Dr. Kasari is a founding member of the Center for Autism Research and Treatment at UCLA (CART). In 2007, UCLA became one of five Autism Centers of Excellence (ACE) funded by the National Institutes of Health (as of 2009, there are seven ACE centers).
- Robert Schultz, PhD, director of the Center for Autism Research at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Dr. Schultz will speak to his current research, as well as to other interesting research. He is the immediate past president of the International Society for Autism Research.
Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the University of Florida/Jacksonville and Nemours Children’s Clinic are presenting the symposium.
Parents, caregivers, special needs teachers, social workers, psychologists, nurses, speech therapists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, behavioral therapists, marriage and family therapists, and mental health counselors are encouraged to attend. Lunch is included in the $25 registration fee. Pre-registration is required and will be accepted through Wednesday, March 3, 2010.
For general questions, call 904.202.6039. Online registration is available beginning January 20, 2010, at http://www.wolfsonchildrens.org/autism.