Summit 2013

The Help Group Summit 2013 – Advances and Best Practices in Autism, Learning Disabilities and ADHD took place on October 25th and 26th at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles. With First 5 California as the Major Sponsor and ABC 7 as Media Sponsor, this year’s event featured an outstanding group of leading experts in basic and applied research and evidence-based best practices in assessment, intervention and treatment. The program provided a rich, informative experience for all in attendance.

The conference was chaired by The Help Group President & CEO Dr. Barbara Firestone; UCLA Semel Institute Director Peter C. Whybrow, MD, and Robert M. Bilder, PhD, ABPP, UCLA-Semel Institute Tenenbaum Family Professor of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences & Psychology. This year’s featured speakers were Thomas E. Brown, PhD; Connie Kasari, PhD and Maureen Lovett, PhD, C.Pysch.

Presenters included Jane Tavyev Asher, MD; Bruce Baker, PhD; Robert M. Bilder, PhD, ABPP; Jan Blacher, PhD; Erna Imperatore Blanche, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA; Susan Bookheimer, PhD; Xavier E. Cagigas, PhD; Dan Campbell, PhD; Pamela Clark, MA; Michael Enenbach, MD; Jeff Gilger, PhD; Irva Hertz-Picciotto, PhD, MPH; Shafali Spurling Jeste, MD; Elizabeth Laugeson, PsyD; Michael Leon, PhD; Philip Levin, PhD; Sandra Loo, PhD; Maja Mataric, PhD; Daniel Openden, PhD, BCBA-D; Albert “Skip” Rizzo, PhD; Eric Sailers, MA, CCC-SLP; Cynthia Schumann, PhD; William Sharp, PhD; Bina Varughese, MS; Louis A. Vismara, MD; and Jeffrey Wood, PhD.

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Summit 2013

# Friday Presentations
1A Improving Communication for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder(ASD)
1B&2B What Research Has Taught Us About Effective Intervention for Children and Adolescents Who Are Struggling Readers
1C Advances in Virtual Reality and New Technologies for Childhood Health Conditions
2A Brain Plasticity and its Implications for Early Intervention
2C Environmental Exposures and Risk for Autism
3A How Our Understanding of ADHD is Changing
3B Pivotal Response Treatment for Young Children with ASD
4A Selecting Effective Treatments for ADHD:What, Where, and Why
4B Linking Genes, Brain and Behavior in Autism (Presentation Not Available)
5A Socially Assistive Robots as Therapeutic Tools for Children with ASD (Presentation Not Available)
5B Sensory Enrichment Therapy as an Effective Treatment for Autism
5C No Stone Unturned:How Do Families Make Treatment Decisions
6A Initiatives to Foster Evidence-Based Best Practices in Education and Treatment
6B Reading Disability Alone and Reading Disability Alongside Giftedness: An Overview on Genetics and Neurology for Practitioners
6C Sleep Disturbances in Children with ASD:Assessment and Treatment Strategies
# Saturday Presentations
1A Smart but Stuck: Emotions in Teens and Adults with ADHDs
1B Genetic Findings in Autism: Toward a Biological Understanding
1C The Neurology of ASD: Implications for the Diagnosis & Treatment of Epilepsy, Sleep Disturbances,Motor Impairment
2A Using Technology and Scaffolding for Students with Math Difficulties
2B Advancing Brain Research to Identify Treatments for Autism (Presentation Not Available)
2C Feeding Problems in Autism:Evidence-Based Approaches to Intervention
3A Bilingualism and Neuropsychological Assessment:Trends and Future Directions (Presentation Not Available)
3B The Science of Making Friends:Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Adults
3C Let’s Get to Work: Best Practices in Employment Training for Young People(CLARK)
Let’s Get to Work: Best Practices in Employment Training for Young People(VISMARA)
4A Pharmacological Management of ASD and ADHD
4B Incorporating Sensory Processing Functions in Early Intervention Programs
4C Using Tablet Technology to Create Content for Children with Special Needs