Johnson County Community College
Press Release

College Information and Publications
913-469-8500
Julie Haas, Associate Vice President, Marketing Communications, ext. 3120
Peggy Graham, Writer, ext. 3425
Tyler Cundith, Sports Information Director, ext. 3122

8/04/09
Story by Jason Rozelle, ODEI fellow, JCCC

JCCC Sponsors Autism Conference 2009

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — Johnson County Community College’s Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion will host its second annual Autism Spectrum Disorder: Beyond the Diagnosis II conference beginning at 8 a.m. Friday-Saturday, Oct. 16-17, in the Polsky Theatre of the Carlsen Center, JCCC.

Cost of the pre-conference and conference is $10. Visit www.jccc.edu/Autism-Conference  for registration and additional information. For more information, e-mail Jason Rozelle at jrozelle@jccc.edu or by phone the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (913) 469-8500, ext. 4327.

Michael J. Carley, author of Asperger’s from the Inside Out, who currently serves as the executive director of the Global and Regional Asperger’s Syndrome Partnership (GRASP) organization, will deliver the conference opening address at 7 p.m. Oct. 16. Scott Robertson, vice president of the Autism Self-Advocacy Network, will address the full conference at 9 a.m. Oct. 17.

All participants are asked to register in advance. Conference materials and check-in begins at 8 a.m. in the Carlsen Center lobby.

JCCC had its first autism conference in 2008. New this year are the Friday pre-conference workshops. These workshops are focused on meeting participants’ interests and needs. In addition to offering sessions to meet the needs of autists, their families and caregivers, other workshops will grant continuing education units to healthcare providers, paraprofessionals, teachers, law enforcement, emergency medical workers and other interested persons.

The Friday workshops include:

• “Taking the First Step: Self-Employment as a Career Goal” for teens and their families, facilitated by Kelly Henning from the First Step Fund and author Kate Duffy.
• “Second Life Virtual World Workshop,”  facilitated by Marziah Karch, senior analyst,  Educational Technology, JCCC, and Paul Decelles, biology professor, JCCC.
• “Early Childhood Education, ” facilitated by Marguerite Durbin, early childhood teacher, Olathe School District. Durbin will conduct the session for paraprofessionals working with children ages 3-5.
• “What Every Student with an Autism Spectrum Disorder Wants you to know about Their Educational Needs,” facilitated by Katherine Cook, early childhood autism specialist, Harmony Early Childhood. Cook will conduct the session for teachers and paraprofessionals working with children ages 6 and up.
• “Families Waiting for a Diagnosis,” presented by Kansas Instruction Support and Network (KISN) and Families Together. This workshop will focus on information families need while waiting on a diagnosis.
• “Just a Behavior: Managing the Behavior in Autism,” facilitated by Jeanne Holverstott from Responsive Center for Psychology and Learning, Overland Park.
• “First Responders,” facilitated by Dennis Debbaudt, who has authored and co-authored more than 30 articles and books since 1993, including Autism, Advocates and Law Enforcement Professionals. Debbaudt will give tools and awareness training to police and medical personnel on the disposition of autism in emergency circumstances. The “First Responders” workshop will be held at JCCC’s new Emergency Medical Science facility on campus.
• “Self-Advocacy and Transition to Adulthood” workshop, facilitated by Mark Foster, sociology professor, JCCC, and Scott Robertson, a third-year PhD student studying information sciences and technology at Penn State University. This session focuses on building students’ abilities needed to transition from high school to college or work.

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