Commonwealth Autism Hosts 14th Annual Autism Conference

RICHMOND, Va. - March 9, 2015 - PRLog -- Commonwealth Autism, a non-profit organization that works to build the capacity of the autism service provider network across the state of Virginia, will be hosting their 14^th Annual Autism Conference for parents, educators, caregivers, behavior analysts and others.

The conference will be at The Westin Richmond on Wednesday, March 11 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Thursday, March 12 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Keynote speakers and scholarships will be sponsored by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), VCU Autism Center for Excellence and VDOE's Training and Technical Assistance Center.

Opening keynote speaker, V. Mark Durand, Ph.D., will speak on ‘An Optimistic Approach to Helping Students with Challenging Behaviors’. Challenging behaviors continue to impact the quality of life of many individuals with autism and their families. Closing keynote speaker, Zosia Zaks, M.Ed., C.R.C., will speak on ‘Facilitating Future Success Now: What Parents Can Do From an Insider’s Perspective’, which will guide parents of children, teenagers and young adults with ASD on what they can do to help their son or daughter prepare for a successful adulthood. Zaks is a self-advocate and was diagnosed with ASD at age 31.

Commonwealth Autism will recognize the Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) and the Lynchburg Police Department (LPD). The DCJS will be recognized for their long-term partnership with Commonwealth Autism and their commitment of resources to develop autism awareness training for law enforcement.

The LPD will be recognized for their First Responder Training. The LPD is the first police department in Virginia to train each officer on how to respond to people with autism in emergency situations.

Speakers will be available for interviews Wednesday, March 11.

For more information about this event, email Madalyn Parr at madalynp@madisonmain.com or visit Commonwealth Autism’s website at www.autismva.org.