Yesterday I attended ICare4Autism's Annual International Autism Conference held at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine at Yeshivah University in New York City. The event, called "Autism: A Global Perspective," centered around a discussion about the latest medical and educational research and the process of finding the causes and treatment for Autism Spectrum Disorders. The full-day event featured leaders in the field from around the world. Some sessions focused on the bio-medical side discussing, for instance, research relating to metabolism and genetics issues affecting individuals with autism. On the educational-behavioral side, sessions included: The Welsh Government's National ASD Strategy; Intervention Targeting Development of Socially Synchronous Engagement in Toddlers with ASD; and The Ecological Assessment of Executive Function in Autism. The event was informative, enlightening, and, at times, inspiring.
ICare4Autism is an organization dedicated to tackling the global autism crisis by convening a global community of researchers, educators, and advocates to catalyze breakthrough innovations in autism research, diagnosis, and clinical intervention. Dr. Joshua Weinstein, the founder and president of ICare4Autism, has been an educator and administrator for more than four decades and is dedicated to helping children with special needs. Currently Dr. Weinstein is in the process of establishing a global autism center in Jerusalem. The center seeks to provide a meeting ground for researchers, educators, and advocates involved with this cause and to create opportunities for powerful collaborations for the detection and treatment of autism. It will also offer a special education school program to meet the needs of Israeli children on the autism spectrum. The research and education center is slated to open in 2014.