The Autism SIG invites you to a roundtable discussion on leadership and mMentorship. The Autism SIG co-chairs will facilitate a recap of the webinar series and provide a perspective on the importance of mentorship and leadership for the autistic community. Members of the Autism SIG will have the chance to speak in breakout rooms on various topics decided by the SIG.

This presentation introduced the LEND Audiology Fellows to the Fostering Joy movement, which aims to promote positive engagement between families and their deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) children, and to bolster professionals' ability to emphasize joy in the work that they do with children who are DHH. The presentation included descriptions of Fostering Joy and the science behind why doing so is important. It also offered suggestions for audiologists interested in embracing a "joy lens" in their work.

The IACC Strategic Plan, first issued in 2009, guides federal agencies and private organizations in planning ASD-related research, services, and support activities. It is produced by the IACC, including federal officials and public stakeholder members. It is informed by extensive input from researchers, adults on the autism spectrum, parents, advocates, and the general public. This inclusive process ensures that the IACC Strategic Plan reflects diverse perspectives across the autism community.

Steven Isaacson, B.A. is a Policy Analyst at the Office of Autism Research Coordination (OARC). Mr. Isaacson will share his lived experiences with autistic leadership. Steven believes in the power of autistic peer mentorship and strengths-based practice. Mr. Isaacson will share his perspective as an autistic business owner and peer coach.

From this seminar, attendees will learn what PEERS is, its advantages, some of the challenges, and how we are adapting it to meet a wide variety of needs, skill sets, and individuals.

AUCD's Autism Special Interest Group (SIG) is sponsoring a series of webinars for Autism Acceptance Month. This webinar series will focus on mentorship and leadership in the Autism Spectrum community.

The LEND Self-Advocacy Discipline Network (LSDN) aims to strengthen the Self-Advocacy discipline across the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (LEND) network by supporting self-advocate trainees and faculty, developing best practices, and providing leadership opportunities across the LEND network. The LEND Self-Advocacy Discipline Competencies are a product of the LEND Self-Advocacy Discipline Network.

The power of our collective voices working together to sustain vital supports and services for people with disabilities and their families cannot be denied. The AUCD Conference brings us together to discuss the strategies, innovations, and systems that will allow us to continue to move the needle forward. Join us at the 2017 AUCD Conference as we celebrate successes, learn from past efforts, seek opportunities in the present, and innovate for the future.

Behavioral interventions have been critical for improving the lives of individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Notable achievements include the improved numbers of children with optimal outcomes, and the larger number of children accessing the regular curriculum. Despite these gains, standard behavioral methods have had the least success in social communication outcomes. We continue to find nearly half of all children entering school without fluent, socially related communication skills. This talk will focus on the core social communication impairment in children with ASD, evaluations of this core domain and recently developed, effective interventions.

This webinar will provide a forum for discussing issues related to the inclusion of family in MCH Training programs. Panelists will discuss existing resources to strengthen the family discipline and strategies for program leaders and family faculty to build their programs by broadening and deepening the involvement of families.

One of the most difficult times for youth and young adults with ASD is the transition from school to adulthood. In fact, young adults with ASD typically experience low rates of employment, independent living, and connection to community. This session will review the research regarding employment outcomes for youth with ASD as well as review 3 important pathways to employment. These pathways are internships, supported employment and customized employment. Additionally, the presenters will provide specific examples regarding the supports youth and adults with ASD used to acquire and maintain employment in community-based integrated environments.

This annual meeting was an opportunity for Division of Maternal and Child Health Workforce Development (DMCHWD) grantees to come together around topics of mutual relevance and increase their knowledge of innovative training methods. It was hosted by AUCD's Interdisciplinary Technical Assistance Center on Autism and Developmental Disabilities (ITAC).

As part of Network activities, the AIR-P/ATN holds a monthly webinar series titled "Advances in Autism Research & Care" (AARC) which alternates autism research and care themes, and is available to all AIR-P/ATN network members, CAAI-sponsored programs, the entire LEND and DBP Fellowship networks, various other autism and pediatric organizations, collaborators, primary care providers, as well as autism advocates. Research webinars feature current AIR-P research study investigators, while care focused themes cover hot topics in the field of autism, and promote idea generation for future research.

Latinos represent the fastest growing population in the US, and Latino children are one of the fastest growing ASD populations. Despite this growth, they are one of the most underserved groups with respect to diagnostic services, health care, and specialty autism services. Dr. Sandy Magana will discuss the development of a culturally-based approach to addressing informational needs of Latino parents, which is essential in order to better support their children with ASD. She will present preliminary findings of a randomized controlled trial that is underway to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed model.