




7-8 March 2018
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About the conference
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Be inspired and learn from world-renowned experts
This annual two-day conference is a unique opportunity for senior professionals to discuss best practice and share learning. Hear the latest information from leading experts in the field and learn from case studies illustrating best practice. With four different seminar streams to choose from, you can select the seminars which are most relevant to your work.Â
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Don’t miss out!
Places are limited so book now to secure your place.
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Key topics
Some of the key topics this conference will cover include:
- *recognising and treating anxiety
- *helping parents to improve their child’s sleep patterns
- *employment for autistic adults
- *using speech and language tools to aid communication
- *developing a new adult diagnostic tool
- *eating disorders in autistic women
- *autism and epilepsy
- *techniques for coping with bullying.
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Confirmed speakers
Our top international speakers will give you unique insight and understanding into autism. Among our expert speakers and panelists are:
Michelle Garcia Winner
Yo Dunn
Christine Lenehan
Mark Lever
William Mandy
Chris Oliver
Rohit Shankar
Owen and Cornelia Suskind
Jack Welch
Penny Williams
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Introduction
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Hypertension is a pervasive and growing threat to global health. The number of adults with hypertension has nearly doubled from 442 million to 874 million worldwide in the past 25 years.1 Among those with hypertension, many take antihypertensive drugs from multiple classes (such as thiazide-type diuretics and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors) to control their blood pressure and reduce cardiovascular risk.2 Although the addition of a second (or third) class of antihypertensive drug to a patient’s hypertension treatment regimen is done routinely in clinical practice, the incremental benefits and risks of each additional drug class remain controversial. It is commonly believed that the addition of a new drug class to a patient’s regimen will result in progressively smaller reductions in blood pressure while increasing the risk of adverse events.345 Because of physiologic limitations or drug-drug interactions, escalation of the number of antihypertensive drugs has been postulated to produce diminishing benefits and increasing harms.6 Such concerns are particularly pronounced for older patients78 or those for whom some drugs might prove less effective, such as patients with resistant hypertension91011 or black patients.1213 Others have argued that adding a drug from a new class that targets a distinct and complementary mechanism, however, could reduce blood pressure at lower doses of each drug, improving therapeutic benefit and lowering side effects.1415
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BMJ 2017; 359 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j5542 (Published 22 December 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;359:j5542
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We’re happy to announce the re-launch of our project ‘Cyberselves: How Immersive Technologies Will Impact Our Future Selves’. Straight out of Sheffield Robotics, the project aims to explore the effects of technology like robot avatars, virtual reality, AI servants and other tech which alters your perception or ability to act. We’re interested in work, play and how our sense of ourselves and our bodies is going to change as this technology becomes more and more widespread.
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We’re funded by the AHRC to run workshops and bring our roadshow of hands on cyber-experiences to places across the UK in the coming year. From the website:
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Cyberselves will examine the transforming impact of immersive technologies on our societies and cultures. Our project will bring an immersive, entertaining experience to people in unconventional locations, a Cyberselves Roadshow, that will give participants the chance to transport themselves into the body of a humanoid robot, and to experience the world from that mechanical body. Visitors to the Roadshow will also get a chance to have hands-on experiences with other social robots, coding and virtual/augmented reality demonstrations, while chatting to Sheffield Robotics’ knowledgeable researchers.
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Read in Full:

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Megan Lambert
University of California, Merced (Merced, CA)
Megan is an autistic college sophomore at UC Merced. As the President of the up-and-coming Disability and Neurodiversity Alliance, she works to maintain a strong community of disabled students. Megan’s focus is on creating and strengthening further leaders in her community and providing resources to enable disabled students to thrive. She hopes to continue her work after college to make positive impacts for disabled people everywhere.
Huan Vuong
Northern Virginia Community College (Alexandria, VA)
Huan is an autistic student at Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA). Â He is non-speaking but can communicate intelligently by spelling on a letter board. He started a club at NOVA called Aware to bridge the gap between the disabled and neurotypical communities and create a space where they can engage and break down stereotypical barriers. Â He also seeks acceptance and respect from college administrators as well as his community of the different modes of communication that autistic individuals, or the disabled in general, use. Â In his free time, Huan enjoys swimming, ice skating, volunteering at the local library, and spending time with friends.

Ashton Brock Sorrels
Brite Divinity School (Fort Worth, TX)
Ashton is a second-year graduate student at Brite Divinity School studying theology and religious practice. He is the co-founder of Divergence: The Neuro- and Body-Divergent Community at Brite advocating for the rights and inclusion of disabled students on campus. He is also a council member at Emmaus Dinner Church, a church plant centering the leadership of LGBTQIA persons. His long-term goal is to work towards autistic inclusion and expression in religious spaces and to defend the validity and importance of autistic modes of religious identity and community.

Elyan Chuba
The College of New Jersey (Ewing, NJ)
Elyan is a history major at The College of New Jersey. He is incredibly excited to have the opportunity to work with ASAN. He is currently in the process of founding a club by and for all disabled students, and is the Education and Advocacy Chair of the university’s LGBTQ organization, PRISM. He hopes to use both positions to draw attention to disability as a valuable form of cultural diversity and to ensure that it is included in discussions of intersectionality and that intersectionality is included in discussions of disability. In addition to his disability and LGBTQ advocacy, he is passionate about cats, science fiction, and the histories of psychology, eugenics, queer music subcultures, religion, and, of course, autism and I/DD.
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It has been almost 20 years since Every Child Matters was published, a government report intended to bring a sea change in children’s services, including substantial investment in child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS).1
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But in recent years children’s mental health has received less than 1% of the overall health budget, although, as children grow into adults, mental health problems account for 23% of disease burden in the UK. Many affected children remain invisible because they are not in contact with services, or because of gaps in data.2
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Increasing pressures in child and adolescent mental health services have been highlighted in numerous reviews,34 culminating recently in an extraordinary judgment by James Munby, president of the High Court’s family division, who condemned the “disgraceful and utterly shaming lack of proper provision in this country†for young people.5 Unfortunately, the young person highlighted in this case is not an exception. Children face long …
BMJ 2017; 358 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.j4254 (Published 29 September 2017) Cite this as: BMJ 2017;358:j4254
Jem Lester
Thursday, he’s on at the National Theatre, where he’ll recite the works of Shakespeare from memory. Friday, we’re off to Vegas to win a fortune at blackjack. I’ve bought the matching suits and sunglasses and, get this, he gets to fly the plane home himself.
It is a whirlwind being the father of an autistic child – especially one as multitalented as mine. Some autistic children only have one special talent.
OK, so this isn’t true. I am the father of an autistic child, and the first question I’m always asked when the subject of my son comes up is: “Does he have a special talent?†because everyone has read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and seen Rain Man, and assume all autistic children have special powers.
Read More …https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2017/dec/30/seen-rain-man-that-doesnt-mean-you-know-my-autistic-son
Dear friends,
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On Monday, the Congressional Budget Office released their report on what would happen if the Affordable Care Act repeal bill passes – and it’s horrifying. Under the proposed plan, 14 million people will lose their health insurance by next year. Over the next 10 years, that number grows to 24 million people. The House is voting on this bill as early as THURSDAY – and we need your help to stop them. Contact your Members of Congress and tell them to vote NO on ACA repeal. You can call over the weekend and leave a message, or make plans to call during the week.
As if those numbers weren’t bad enough, the CBO report estimates that Medicaid would lose $880 billion in funding, destroying Medicaid as we know it. Meanwhile, the bill includes $883 billion in tax cuts for the wealthiest 10% of Americans. Here’s what the average person with a disability would get:
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*An average tax cut of $0
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*Insurance will be harder to buy, and insurance companies will be allowed to charge more money for worse health coverage
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*24 million Americans will lose health insurance by 2026
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*Huge slashes to funding for services people with disabilities rely on every day
A plan that takes away coverage from 24 million people is not a replacement for the ACA.
There’s no time to waste. Some members of Congress are starting to express concerns about this bill after hearing from you. We need to keep the pressure up and make sure this isn’t just empty talk. You can find contact information for your members of Congress here. Call your Senators and Representative and tell them to vote NO on ACA repeal.
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Script for calling your Members of Congress: My name is [your full name]. I’m a constituent of [Representative Name/Senator Name], and I live in [your town]. I’m calling to ask [the Representative/the Senator] to vote NO on repealing the Affordable Care Act. [Number of people] of your constituents rely on the insurance they got under the Affordable Care Act. This bill would take lifesaving health coverage away from your constituents, and it would destroy funding for Medicaid services that people depend on to live in the community. A bill that causes 24 million Americans to lose their health coverage isn’t a replacement for the Affordable Care Act. Please vote NO on the repeal.
There is a lot at risk in this moment, but we really can make a difference by speaking out. We can stop this.
Onward,
Julia Bascom
Executive Director
Autistic Self Advocacy Network
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P.S. –  ASAN’s new plain-language toolkit They Work For Us: A Self-Advocate’s Guide to Getting Through to your Elected Officials includes strategies, scripts, and templates to help you effectively communicate with your elected officials. We also have a separate factsheet on How to Call Your Elected Officials, which has information about how to participate in call-ins if you have phone anxiety or don’t speak.
There’s only a few weeks left to apply for ACI!
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The Autistic Self Advocacy Network is now accepting applications for the 2017 Autism Campus Inclusion (ACI) Leadership Academy! The ACI summer leadership training prepares Autistic students to engage in disability advocacy on their college campuses. Accepted applicants will travel to Washington, DC and participate in advocacy training from June 10th to June 17th. Participants will acquire valuable skills in community organizing, policy advocacy, and activism. Travel and lodging are fully covered by ASAN.
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Applicants must identify as Autistic and be current college students with at least one year remaining before graduation. The Autistic Self Advocacy Network will cover travel and lodging costs for all ACI students. Students in TPSID programs (Transition and Postsecondary Programs for Students with Intellectual Disabilities), 2-year community colleges, 4-year colleges, and graduate school are eligible to apply. We especially encourage students of color, LGBT students, low-income students, students with intellectual disabilities, AAC users, and students from other or multiply marginalized communities to apply.
To apply, please submit a completed application by Sunday, February 19th, 2017 to Reid Caplan at rcaplan@autisticadvocacy.org.
View and download the application here!
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If you need assistance or accommodations at any stage, or have any questions about ACI, please contact Reid Caplan at rcaplan@autisticadvocacy.org
Download your application today!
Jan
31
Dear friends,
A few weeks ago, the Senate took the first steps toward repealing the Affordable Care Act. Since then, you’ve mobilized to defend our health care, calling Senate Committees and asking them not to repeal the ACA without a replacement plan in place – and it’s working. After hearing from so many people about their concerns, the Senate is pushing back the deadline on the budget process. But the people working to take health care away from 18 million Americans aren’t stopping – and neither should we.
Many lawmakers have mentioned a repeal-and-replace strategy — but the budget process Congress is using can only be used to repeal. Without a replacement plan in place, it’s estimated that at least 18 million Americans would lose their health insurance within the first year of the repeal.
Your advocacy is working, but we have to keep the pressure on the Committees. Use the steps below, and keep calling.
1. Find out if either of your state Senators is on the Senate HELP Committee or the Finance Committee. Click here to see the members of the HELP Committee, and click here to see the members of the Finance Committee.
2. If you have a Senator on one or both committees, they should be the primary target of your calls. Senators care a lot about hearing from the people from the state they represent. Find the number for your Senators’ offices here.
3. If neither of your Senators is on either committee, you can call the office of the Chair and Ranking Member of each committee:
HELP Committee
Chair: Lamar Alexander – (202) 224-4944
Ranking Member: Patty Murray – (202) 224-2621
Finance Committee
Chair: Orrin Hatch – (202) 224-5251
Ranking Member: Ron Wyden – (202) 224-5244
Here’s a script you can use:
Hi, my name is [Your Name] and I’m a constituent of Senator [Name]. I’m calling to ask Senator [Name] to preserve the Affordable Care Act during the budget reconciliation process. Specifically, I’m urging the Senator to defend Medicaid expansion and the premium tax credit. I’m also asking the Senator to take the words of [his/her] colleagues in the Senate to heart and figure out how to replace the ACA before starting to repeal it. Thanks for your time.
If you can’t use the phone, you can ask someone to call on your behalf. They can say, “I’m calling on behalf of [Your Name,] who is a constituent of the Senator’s. [Your Name] has a disability and isn’t able to make phone calls, but they want to ask the Senator to to preserve the Affordable Care Act during the budget reconciliation process. Specifically, they’re urging the Senator to defend Medicaid expansion and the premium tax credit. They’re also asking the Senator to take the words of [his/her] colleagues in the Senate to heart and figure out how to replace the ACA before starting to repeal it.
Thanks for your time.
Jan
31
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