Contents Foreword .............................. 4 Saturday (Schedule) .................... 18 Acknowledgments by Sertoma . 5 Poster Session 1: Friday 9:30 am . 20 Purpose of Autism07 .................... 6 Poster Session 2: Friday 3:00 pm . 21 Continuing Education Credit . 9 Poster Session 3: Saturday 9:30 am . 22 Thursday (Schedule).................... 11 Exhibitors............................. 25 Downstairs Floor Plan of the Cajundome Partners............................... 25 Convention Center .................. 11 Advertisers............................ 25 Upstairs floor plan for the Cajundome Planning & Organizing Committee . 25 Convention Center .................. 12 Index of Names & Companies . 26 Friday (Schedule) ..................... 13 Copyright © of this Program for Autism07 by the Sertoma Club of Lafayette 2007 Foreword The autism puzzle is about it? This conference addresses that critical question among the most troubling along with questions about the diagnosis and treatment of of today’s world. Severe autism and related disorders. Autism07 has received the autism robs parent and highest possible rating for continuing education from the child of a normal relation American Medical Association. Qualified participants can with each other. Jon receive up to 13.25 AMA PRA Category 1 CreditsTM . Shestack, the producer of Continuing education is also available to dentists, nurses, Father of the Bride and behavior analysts, psychologists, hygienists, social other Hollywood motion workers, occupational therapists, teachers, and physical pictures, is father of a boy therapists. For speech-language pathologists the with autism and the conference is accredited for continuing education by the Founder of the California American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. based organization Cure Consistent with the dynamic of the Lafayette community Autism Now and the University of Louisiana at Lafayette which forms (cureautismnow.org). He an important part of the economic base, Autism07 is the quoted a mom saying, first of its kind in Lafayette and the first ever to cross Dr. Ray Authement, President of “It’s as if someone came in UL Lafayette welcomes disciplinary boundaries that have traditionally separated the middle of the night participants to Autism07. medicine, speech-language pathology, dentistry, and stole your child’s occupational therapy, social work, etc. Autism07 brings mind and personality leaving his bewildered body the professionals diagnosing, treating, and researching the behind.” As one dad put it, he hopes that someday he will autism puzzle together with parents and community hear his son, who is now seven and still nonverbal, just representatives at the Cajundome Convention Center. say, “Hi dad.” Why is it so difficult for individuals with Autism07 offers a well-balanced program dealing with severe autism to acquire language and speech and to form known or suspected causal factors followed by discussions normal social relations? Why do children with autism and workshops on treatment and diagnosis. Judging commonly have digestive problems? And why is the theories of causation and telling whether any given number of children being diagnosed with autism still treatment is working requires accurate diagnosis and the increasing? How can we explain the large numbers of tracking of changes over time. Thank you to the sponsors, children being diagnosed with severe autism for which the especially the Sertoma Club of Lafayette and the Acadian criteria have not changed in more than half a century? Society for Autistic Citizens who have joined with the Could these nonverbal individuals have gone unnoticed in University of Louisiana at Lafayette in putting on this the past or do more children today have severe autism? international conference. Thank you also to the accrediting A week after I approved the ad for this conference for agencies and to the financial partners who have helped the Autism Advocate, CBS, NBC, and Fox News all released bring parents and professionals to this meeting. Finally, stories concerning the fact that diagnoses of autism are still thank you to the participants, parents, and professionals rising. The very next day, the headline in USA Today was who have come to Lafayette to help solve the autism “Autism Estimates Increase Sharply.” When Dr. Oller puzzle. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is proud gave the opening keynote at the International Clinical to join with the Acadian Society for Autistic Citizens, and Linguistics and Phonetics meeting here in Lafayette, the Sertoma Club of Lafayette in welcoming you to the authoritative epidemiologists were then estimating the Sertoma International Conference on Autism Spectrum prevalence of autism at 1/500. Nine weeks ago, on Disorders. February 8, 2007, the CDC officially adjusted the estimate to 1/150. The increase in the number of children being Ray Authement diagnosed with autism is notable. Because of this increase, on the order of 333% in just a few years, autism is being studied more intensively than ever before. If we look back a few decades, when the estimated prevalence was less than 1/30,000, the increase in diagnoses is staggering, more President, UL Lafayette than 20,000%. No wonder, in 2003 Jon Shestack called the autism problem a “national emergency.” The question is, what is causing the huge increase in the diagnosis of autism spectrum disorders and what can be done Acknowledgments by Sertoma The story of Autism07 began addition we thank all of the Planning and Organizing before the Sertoma Cajun Air Committee (see the copyright page above); and every one Festival of 2004 which of our individual partners (donors) who have helped to provided seed money for it. In pay stipends offered to participants. We must thank the 1963 Sertoma International, agencies that have worked with us in accreditation of and local clubs around the continuing education for this conference: the Louisiana world, took on the mission of State Medical Society for medical accreditation; Dr. serving children and others Vincent Liberto, Head of Pediatric Dentistry at the with speech-language-hearing Louisiana State University School of Medicine for dental; disorders. That year, the R. Cassidy Seminars for (http://www.rcassidy.com) for Sertoma Club of Lafayette immunized 80,000 Citizens continuing education for professional psychologists and against polio. There has not been a case in Acadiana since nurses; the American Speech-Language-Hearing then. The name, Sertoma, comes from "SERvice TO Association, and especially, Ms. Renae Colwick, CCC-SLP, MAnkind." In 1986, the club put on the first Sertoma Cajun and President of the Louisiana branch (LaSHA); the Air Festival— a fundraiser for projects like Autism07. The Louisiana organizations that have approved accreditation Club was chartered in 1959 and two charter members, for social workers, occupational therapists, and physical Gordon Keller and Gerald Domingue, are still active. therapists; and Dr. Vincent Carbone, an approved provider When it became known that autism had become more of continuing education units for the Behavior Analyst common than childhood cancer, spina bifida, Down Certification Board. syndrome, or any other childhood disorder, funds were Most importantly, we thank all of the people who set aside from the Cajun Air Festival 2004 to host an have registered for the conference. If you were not here, international conference on autism spectrum disorders. It there would be no Autism07. We hope you will be repaid was clear that autism had become the top priority among many times over in the coming months and years for the communication disorders. Autism07 is the result. effort and expense to be here. Please visit the exhibits, The Sertoma Club of Lafayette especially thanks its review the posters, and take full advantage of all the primary partners in Autism07: the University of Louisiana resources at this meeting. If you are interested in Sertoma and Dr. Ray Authement along with the Acadian Society as a potential member or in any other capacity, please visit for Autistic Citizens. The latter organization has now the Sertoma Booth on the first floor in the registration area. become an official affiliate of Sertoma International, in helping us to put on this conference. We also thank Welcome to Autism07, Sertoma International Foundation for funding a matching grant to John Oller the present Club Secretary and Organizer of Autism07, to support research and treatment of autism. Autism07 and that matching grant are the first projects that we know of that have been funded by Sertoma to address the world-wide puzzle of autism. We are glad to be involved in these first efforts. Some Steven J. Broussard of the folks who have helped us must be named: Ronald Chairman of the Board of the Lafayette Sertoma Club Carriere, Steve Carriere, and Murphy Carriere of Bodemuller the Printer in Opelousas for our brochures Disclosure Statement: and this Program; Dale Ziegler of Impressions Print The only source of remuneration for any talk at Design and Marketing in Breaux Bridge for help with the this conference is from the Sertoma Club of design of our first brochure; the Cajundome Convention Center staff, especially Pat Wright and Sharlene Chiasson Lafayette. The presenter in each and every case for going the extra mile in adjusting setups etc.; Jim Clark has declared in writing that he or she has no for help with the audiovisual requirements and exhibits; “relevant financial relationships with any Taylor Toce