Communication: The Key to Success
Following the success of the conferences held annually 2007-2009, Edge Hill University is hosting a fourth international conference addressing the needs of young people with autism on 21st May 2009. The keynote speaker will be Professor Simon Baron-Cohen.
If you are a relative or professional living or working with a young person who is diagnosed with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome you will know that the barriers within education, employment, and social situations are significant. The impact that the complexities of Autism and Asperger's syndrome has upon life situations is very real. Communication is a key factor in addressing the needs of such young people and by addressing this issue, windows of opportunity are opened. This enables young people to progress, in terms of furthering their education and employment options, by improving self-esteem and confidence or simply by offering an opportunity to feel included in society, to feel valued and understood.
The conference is a collaborative venture between Edge Hill and Pontville School, an independent school for communication impaired children and young people aged 7 to 19 years.
Target Audience:
- Teachers, Support Assistants
- LEA staff
- Allied Health Professionals
- Speech and Language Therapists
- Educational Psychologists
- Parents/Carers or others who are meeting the needs of those with Autism or Asperger's Syndrome
- Academics
- Medical Practitioners
Programme Outline
- Coffee and registration
- Welcome and introduction
- Professor Simon Baron-Cohen: "The Foetal Testosterone Theory of Autism"
- Coffee
- Paul Hughes: "A Personal Perspective of Asperger's Syndrome"
- Derek Paravicini
- Lunch
- Workshop and oral presentations
- Plenary and Close
- Keynote Presentation
Professor Simon Baron-Cohen is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology and Director of the Autism Research Centre at Cambridge University. His research has focused on the question of autism, trying to understand what characterises autism from a psychological perspective and ultimately aiming to understand what is going on in the brain and the causes of the condition. His current research is testing the ‘extreme male brain' theory of autism at the neural, endocrine and genetic levels and he will present his latest research titled "The Foetal Testosterone Theory of Autism" at the conference.
Professor Baron-Cohen is also a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge. His books include Mindblindness; and The Essential Difference: The Truth about the Male and Female Brain. He has also written books for parents and teachers such as Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Facts (OUP, 2008), and Teaching children with autism to mind read (Wiley, 1998).
Paul Hughes attended Pontville school from 2002 -2006. From there he went on to Runshaw College where he did A Levels in; Drama & Theatre Studies, Media Studies, English Literature & Language, and Government & Politics. He is currently in his second year at Lancaster University doing a BA Hons in English with Creative Writing, where he is working on a radio play.
His interests include drama, and he has performed in productions of; 'Anitgone', 'Road', 'Animal Farm' as well as pantomimes such as 'Jack and the Beanstalk', and 'Puss in Boots' amongst others. Paul is diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome and will be presenting a personal perspective.
Derek Paravicini will be participating in this year's event. Derek is a remarkable young man who has achieved world recognition as a musical genius, despite being blind and having severe learning difficulties and Autism. Derek, at a very early age, acquired a fascination for music and sound and by the age of four had taught himself to play a large number of pieces on the piano. He has performed in concert in Europe and the United States and has featured in the series Extraordinary People (Channel 5, UK).
Workshop
Bill Jackson, Parent (and Senior Lecturer at Edge Hill University), will facilitate a workshop which will focus on Autism from a parental perspective.
Cost
- £150 (inclusive of VAT) for early bird bookings made by 31st March 2010
- £170 (inclusive of VAT) for bookings made from 1st April 2010
For people with ASD and parents of young people with ASD the following prices apply:
- £50 (inclusive of VAT) for early bird bookings made by 31st March 2010
- £70 (inclusive of VAT) for bookings made from 1st April 2010
For further information please visit:
http://edgehill.ac.uk/events/tag/Conference
