NORWICH – Heavy national media attention focused on autism this month is perhaps responsible for the strong number of registrations coming in for an educational conference to be held May 4 in Norwich.
The Family Resource Network Inc., which serves six upstate counties (including Chenango) from offices in Oneonta, sponsors the day-long event. It is scheduled to take place in the ballroom at Howard Johnson’s Hotel, 75 N. Broad St.
Network Director Pam Larsen said she has welcomed the myriad of news stories and advertisements in newspapers and on television. She has received word from many teachers, physicians, counselors and parents from Broome, Chemung, Delaware and Chenango counties that they will be attending.
“There’s certainly a lot of attention on autism and we are looking forward to helping people better understand it and teach them how to take better care of the growing number of autistic children that we have,” she said.
The conference is a first for the Family Resource Network. Larsen said her board chose to hold the event in Norwich because of the higher incidences of autism locally and the active support groups located here.
“There’s a lot of interest there amongst families,” she said.
The conference is also made possible with support from the Chenango Autism Support Group, the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, DCMO BOCES and the New York State Office of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities.
Featured guest at the conference is Rebecca Moyes, a nationally-acclaimed speaker, author, teacher and mother of a child with Asperger’s Syndrome. Larsen said Moyes is well-known for her concentration on supporting children with autism spectrum disorders in the inclusive classroom.
“This is an area that we know schools and parents are looking for more information on. Autistic children respond best to specialized techniques and intervention. It’s a tremendous opportunity for us to be able to access someone of her stature in our rural community,” she said.
Moyes is currently an autism consultant/trainer for several school districts in Pennsylvania and serves as president of the AVID Learning Center, a therapeutic center for children with disabilities located in New Kensington. Her presentation will focus on the top 11 reasons why children with autism have challenging behavior in inclusive settings and the supports and services that they require to be successful in the classroom. Attendees will learn to identify the skill deficits that are masking problem behavior and to create positive support plans to address these deficits.
“Research does tell us that the children with disabilities who receive early intervention fare better in the end,” Moyes stated in an e-mail to The Evening Sun. “With more intensive early intervention, these kids can really go far.”
More government-sponsored training activities like this will help professionals learn to identify the traits of kids with this disability. Moyes points out that it’s been done with other disabilities. For autism: “It’s time, it really is,” she said.
“Parents also need to step up and be vigilant about getting help for their children. It’s not fair that some parents happen to have the funding or political connections to get help for their child. ... Just because you live in a rural area doesn’t mean that your child’s services should be inferior to those of a child who lives in an urban area.” 
Other speakers featured at the conference are Liz Smithmeyer of Consultants in Exceptional Education, Binghamton; Mary Jo Hebert, Upstate Program assistant for Capital District Office of Parent-to-Parent of New York State; Julie Michaels Keegan, an attorney of Albany who specializes in special education law for parents; and Sally Colletti, of Advocate for Autism, Binghamton and past president of the Central New York Autism Society.
New data released this month in recognition of Autism Awareness Month show 1 in every 150 American 8 year-old children have the disorder. Jackie Williams of Norwich, whose daughter has Asperger’s Syndrome, said she believes schools of the future might have to incorporate special classrooms for the growing population.
Upon hearing about the upcoming conference, she said, “We need to spread more awareness on the disorder. I’ve often run into roadblocks finding support services locally. More training is needed for professionals.”