Geneva Centre Presents
The Shift:
Defining Autism: A Journey of
Self-Advocacy and Acceptance
Wednesday, April 3rd, 2024
12:00pm-1:00pm ET
Description
An enlightening panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kerry Margo, an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and autism consultant of the Netflix series ‘Love on the Spectrum U.S.’
The webinar will took place during Autism Acceptance Month, featuring self-advocates who will:
- Shared firsthand accounts to promote a deeper understanding of autism
- Explored topics that include self-advocacy and celebrating the strengths, challenges and talents associated with autism
- Aimed to foster a community of support and acceptance for all individuals on the spectrum
Join us in honouring the voices and stories that often go unheard, embracing the beauty of neurodiversity!
Our Speakers
Dr. Kerry Margo
Kerry Magro is an award-winning national speaker and best-selling author. Kerry has become a role model in the disabled community. Non-verbal at 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4, Kerry has overcome countless obstacles to get to where he is today.
Eileen Lamb
Eileen Lamb, author of "All Across The Spectrum" and “Be The One,” is the founder of The Autism Cafe. She’s also a writer, photographer, and podcast host. Born in France, Eileen now lives in Austin, Texas, with her two sons, Charlie (9) and Jude (6), and their baby sister, Billie. On her blog, she shares the ups and downs of raising a severely autistic child while being on the autism spectrum herself.
Gyasi Burks-Abbott
Gyasi Burks-Abbott is on the faculty of the LEND Program (Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities) at Boston Children’s Hospital and UMass Boston’s Institute for Community Inclusion. He serves on the boards, committees, and commissions of many autism and disability organizations: and he’s written for several autism and disability-related publications.
Geneva Centre for Autism Presents: The Shift
Geneva Centre for Autism has envisioned a new and exciting free virtual series targeting the neurodiverse community, parents & caregivers, educators, healthcare & public service professionals.
"The Shift” invites leading industry experts alongside community members to deep dive into diverse topics, allowing viewers to expand their own understanding, challenge pre-existing beliefs, stay on top of the latest research and build their resource toolbox.
These 1-hour interactive sessions present a range of perspectives and expertise aimed to increase meaningful change, expand the dialogue and empower our neurodiverse community to thrive, one “shift” at a time.
Topics & themes we look forward to covering in the future:
- Sexuality & Relationships
- Mental Health
- Crisis & Trauma Intervention
- Diagnosis & Medication
- Employment Success
- Financial Support & Security
- Education Advocacy
- BIPOC & Healthcare
- Online Safety
- LGBT2SQ+ & Neurodiverse Communities
Look forward to...
Extra content and recordings
You’ll have access to recordings after the event is over, so you can go back and rewatch the session you didn’t catch live. We’ll also share slides & content that the presenter makes available.
Not just watching
Live Q&As, in-session chat, polls... thought this was going to be only about watching people talk? Think again.
A packed session
Get ready for a full hour of ideas and insights that will challenge your own understanding and challenge pre-existing beliefs. We're proud of the diverse speakers that we are bringing forward.
Living it your way
Have an idea of what topic you want to have covered? Do you know a speaker that would be interested in presenting? Let us know! We are want to know what you are interested in!
Food for thought
We carefully selected our speakers intending to bring thought-provoking, diverse topics to the table to take a deeper dive.
Meaningful connections
Be ready to meet interesting people, exchange ideas, network and lay the foundations for new, fruitful connections.
Previous Sessions
Defining Autism: A Journey of
Self-Advocacy and Acceptance
Speakers: Dr. Kerry Margo, Eileen Lamb and Gyasi Burks-Abbott
An enlightening panel discussion moderated by Dr. Kerry Margo, an award-winning speaker, best-selling author, and autism consultant of the Netflix series ‘Love on the Spectrum U.S.’
The webinar took place during Autism Acceptance Month, featuring self-advocates who:
- Shared firsthand accounts to promote a deeper understanding of autism
- Explored topics that include self-advocacy and celebrating the strengths, challenges and talents associated with autism
- Aimed to foster a community of support and acceptance for all individuals on the spectrum
Join us in honouring the voices and stories that often go unheard, embracing the beauty of neurodiversity!
Improving Support for Autistic Females
Speakers: Dr. Alycia Halladay, Dylan Miller and Amy Kelly
One of the more consistent findings in autism research is the disparity in diagnosis between males and females. Fewer females are diagnosed with autism compared to males. Because of this, there is a gap in the understanding of females with a diagnosis across the lifespan and across the spectrum of autism. In order to inform clinicians and care providers about the unique needs of autistic females, a group of clinicians, scientists, self-advocates and parents of autistic females convened on a regular basis to begin to integrate the real-world experiences of females with clinical practice. The discussions were documented in a paper to appear in the Lancet. This presentation will include a parent, a self-advocate, and a researcher/parent to explain the process and highlight the main themes of the paper.
Prioritizing Safety
Speakers: Dr. Amanda Kelly
On September 26, 2020, the autism and ABA world lost two powerful advocates: Feda and her autistic son Muhammed “Mu” Almaliti, tragically in a house fire. Feda, her sister, and her niece were able to evacuate the burning house. Unfortunately, Muhammed did not immediately exit their home and so Feda ran back inside. Unable to convince her son to leave, Feda remained inside the burning home with Mu. There is a popular saying in the autism community, “A child with autism becomes an adult with autism”, meaning we must plan and prepare for the entire lifespan. Feda spent nearly two decades prior to her death adamantly advocating for quality autism services, spearheading successful autism insurance reform in the state of California. She was a powerhouse and a force to be reckoned: in her life and in her death. From this tragedy, the September 26th project was created. The project aims to develop and disseminate information about safety protocols to be used in an emergency.
Trauma and Burnout in Autism: A Conversation
Speakers: Stephanie Moeser & Lauren Portengen
Stephanie and Lauren discussing the relationship between autism, trauma and autistic burnout. Stephanie is a social worker providing mental health supports to neurodivergent individuals. Lauren is a mental health professional who was diagnosed as autistic in adulthood. Together they will have a conversation and provide information, clinical examples and strategies to promote wellness in autistic individuals who may be experiencing burnout and trauma.
Geneva Centre for Autism
Our vision is Successful Community Inclusion, creating a world of possibilities! Our mission is to empower individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families to participate in their communities fully. We do this by providing direct support for families and professional training to share best practices around the world.
Interested in speaking opportunities for this series? Drop us a line with your ideas!