Autism Expert Presentation to Parents, Family Members and Clinical Professionals in Springfield
December 8, 2009
On Friday, Dec. 4, Dr. Fred Volkmar presented a full-day professional conference - Autism and Asperger's Disorder: Advances in Diagnosis and Treatment - to more than 160 people at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield.
Dr. Volkmar's presentation provided participants with an update on advances in diagnosis, assessment and treatment of autism and related disorders. Clinical features of these disorders were reviewed as well as neurobiological findings. Approaches to treatment and model treatment programs were discussed along with advances in understanding the neurobiological basis of autism.
A special free presentation was held on Thursday, Dec. 3 for more than 70 family members of a child, adolescent or adult affected by severe forms of social disabilities such as autism and Asperger's disorder. The presentation was held at Memorial Medical Center in Springfield with a live videoconference feed to Charleston and Carbondale.
Dr. Volkmar is the Irving B. Harris Professor of Child Psychiatry, Pediatrics and Psychology and director of the Yale University Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine. He is also chief of Child Psychiatry at Yale-New Haven Hospital.
The programs were sponsored by The Children's Healthcare Partnership, which includes The Hope Institute for Children and Families, The Autism Program of Illinois, The Children's Center, a program of Mental Health Centers of Central Illinois, and SIU School of Medicine's Department of Child Psychiatry.