ICare4Autism International Autism Conference
Autism: A Global Perspective
at the International Conference Center (ICC)
in Jerusalem, Israel
August 1-2, 2012
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Pre-Conference Workshop at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
July 31st, 2012
Developing Language and Functional Skills for Children with Autism at Home, in School, and in the Community with ABLLS®-R
Presented by James W. Partington, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Director of Behavior Analysts, Inc., and author of the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS®-R) (Now also in Hebrew)
Following the overwhelming success of the past conferences at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in NYC in 2011 and in Jerusalem, Israel in 2010, ICare4Autism brought together top leading medical and educational professionals and researchers working in autism.
The purpose of the ICare4Autism autism conference was to share current groundbreaking research into the causes and treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders , and to be a catalyst for powerful interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle the global autism crisis.
Dame Stephanie Shirley, The British Government’s Founding Ambassador for Philanthropy 2009-2010, and Chairman of the Shirley Foundation, delivered the Conference’s keynote address.
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Opening Remarks:
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat
Mrs. Marta Linares de Martinelli, First Lady of the Republic of Panama
Dr. Shekhar Saxena, Director, Dept of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization (WHO), Switzerland
Mrs. Dalit Stauber, Director General, Israeli Ministry of Education
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Performance by the Autistic Boys Choir – Ort School – Kiriat Bialik
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat, First Lady of Panama, Dr. Weinstein
Dr. Joshua Weinstein, CEO & Founder of ICare4Autism explained, “We have entered a new age of autism, characterized on the one hand by unprecedented incidence, and on the other by advanced research, earlier diagnosis, and progressively more effective intervention. The evidence is clear- autism and hope are no longer mutually exclusive, but the need for action has never been more urgent.”
Dr. Eric Hollander, Chairman of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council said, “The ICare4Autism 2012 Global Conference was a unique opportunity for leading researchers, clinicians, educators and policymakers from all over the world to
Mayor of Jerusalem Nir Barkat
share their latest findings and create powerful new international collaborations that will ultimately allow us to discover the etiology of autism and its biologic and environmental causes. This global cross-disciplinary gathering will play a vital role in speeding the development of improved methods of autism detection and treatment that are urgently needed by patients and the families.”
Hundreds of Participants from Israel and Abroad Convened to Meet Global Challenge
The 2012 International Autism Conference concluded in Jerusalem with organizers laying out a detailed plan for ICare4Autism to lead the global movement to help those on the autism spectrum. After two days of intense panels and plenary sessions that included a thousand participants from over twenty different countries, ICare4Autism has announced that it will focus on three key areas over the next twelve months.
“We will continue to work tirelessly to realize our dream of ICare4Autism’s new global headquarters on Mt. Scopus in Jerusalem, we will move quickly to implement a state-of-the art database system to allow families and caregivers to check information from various governmental and NGO offices in one place, and finally, we will work to implement a workforce initiative for training young adults on the autism spectrum and placing them in appropriate level jobs,” said Dr. Joshua Weinstein, Founder & CEO of ICare4Autism.Mayor Nir Barkat greeted the conference participants, presenting a detailed vision for Jerusalem in the years to come. “With strong research and care, we have the ability to send a message all over the world,” said the Mayor. “Jerusalem is a powerhouse in health life sciences, and 50% of Israel’s clinical trials are conducted here. There is no doubt in my mind that ICare4Autism will be extremely successful in Jerusalem. We will make ICare4Autism a centerpiece for this city,” the Mayor concluded. Mayor Barkat’s greetings were followed by speeches from Dame Stephanie Shirley – the founding UK Ambassador for Philanthropy,
Dr. Eric Hollander
Autistic Boys’ Choir from the ORT School in Kiryat Bialik
Dr. Shekhar Saxena of the World Health Organization, and First Lady Marta Linares de Martinelli of Panama.
“As the keynote speaker at the conference, I was extremely impressed with the depth and diversity presented,” said Dame Stephanie Shirley. The Dame shared her own personal experiences with the participants, explaining how her family’s struggles in raising their autistic son encouraged her to become active in the global cause of autism spectrum disorder policy and awareness.
Dr. Saxena noted that “The key is collaboration for NGOs, developmental organizations and social activists to work together to make a difference for affected families.”
“Jerusalem is the natural location for an event of this nature because the country has historically been a leader in groundbreaking neurological research. We saw it as imperative to expose some of the world’s top academics and public health advocates in this quickly developing field to the Israeli marketplace of ideas,” Dr. Joshua Weinstein, continued. “We furthermore firmly believe that collaborations like these will lead to the breakthroughs necessary to best confront this condition and we are confident that ICare4Autism will be the catalyst in this global process.”Over the two-day event, participants chose from four tracts that focus on important disciplines relating to autism;
Dame Stephanie Shirley
“Policy and Awareness,” “Bio-Medical Research and Practice, “Education and Behavioral Techniques,” and “Technology and Resources.” Each tract featured top international experts in the designated field.
Some of Israel’s leading institutions of higher learning partnered with ICare4Autism in sponsoring the conference including The Hebrew University, The Weizmann Institute, Tel Aviv University, Haifa University and Bar Ilan University. The Israeli Ministries of Health and Education are also collaborating with ICare4Autism on the content of the conference.
Dr. Eric Hollander, a renowned psychiatrist at the Albert Einstein Medical Center in New York and the Chairman of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council added that ” The ICare4Autism 2012 Global Conference will be a unique opportunity for leading researchers, clinicians, educators and policymakers from all over the world to share their latest findings and create powerful new international collaborations that will ultimately allow us to discover the etiology of autism and its biologic and environmental causes. This global cross-disciplinary gathering will play a vital role in speeding the development of improved methods of autism detection and treatment that are urgently needed by patients and the families.”
The conference was in 3 tracks as follows:
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Bio-Medical Research and Practice
Education-Behavioral Research and Practice
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Policy and Awareness
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8:30am-6:30pm each day
18 Type II BCBA CEU’s were available for BCBA Sessions
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List of speakers by track and in alphabetical order:
Bio-Medical Research and Practice
Brett Abrahams, Ph.D. (USA)
Assistant Professor, Departments of Genetics and Neuroscience at Albert Einstein College of Medicine
The Autism Spectrum Disorders: From genes to function
Lorene Amet, D.Phil. M.Ed. (Autism) (UK/France)
Principal Scientist Autism Treatment Trust, Scotland
Do Infections cause Autism? From pathology to interventions
Agatino Battaglia, M.D., DPed, DNeurology (Italy)
Professor of Child Neuropsychiatry at the Post-Graduate Medical School in Child
Neuropsychiatry, at the University of Pisa, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council.
Etiological heterogeneity of autism spectrum disorders
Helena Brentani, M.D., Ph.D. (Brazil)
Associated Professor, Psychiatric Department at the University of Sao Paulo
Detecting dissonance in clinical and research workflow for translational psychiatric registries
W. Ted Brown, M.D., Ph.D. (USA)
Director, New York State Institute for Basic Research in DD
The Fragile X Syndrome and Autism
Ofer Golan, Ph.D. (Israel)
Senior Lecturer and Chair of the Child Clinical Program, Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University
with Sharon Ostfeld Etzion, clinical psychologist and PHD student, Department of Psychology, Bar-Ilan University
Mother –Child Dyadic Interaction with Preschoolers with ASD: Emotion Regulation During positive and negative emotion eliciting states
Benjamin Gesundheit, M.D. PhD (Israel, USA)
Mesenchymal Stromal Stem Cells for Autism Spectrum Disorder – The therapeutic Rationale and its future Potential
Randi J. Hagerman, M.D., F.A.A.P. (USA) – Invited speaker
Medical Director, M.I.N.D. Institute, Endowed Chair in Fragile X Research, UC Davis Health Systems, Professor, Department of Pediatrics, School of Medicine, CA (USA)
Targeted treatments for fragile X syndrome are leading the way for autism
Hakon Hakonarson, M.D., Ph.D. (USA) – Invited speaker
Center for Autism Research, The Joseph Stokes Jr Research Institute, The Children’s Hospital of
Philadelphia, PA; Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
Gene networks underlying autism targeted for therapeutic intervention
Eli Hatchwell, M.D., Ph.D. (UK, IS) – Chair of the Genetics Sessions
Chief Scientific Officer, Population Diagnostics UK, Inc.;
Towards Explaining the Heritability of Autism Spectrum Disorders
Eric Hollander, M.D. (USA)
Director of the Autism and Obsessive Compulsive Spectrum Program at Albert Einstein College of Medicine/Montefiore Medical Center and Chairman of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
Novel Experimental Therapeutics for Autism: Oxytocin, Inflammation, Copy Number Variation and Personalized Medicine
Mady Hornig, M.D. (USA)
Director of Translational Research, Center for Infection and Immunity, Associate Professor of
Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University, USA
Biologic mechanisms in autism
Dov Inbar, M.D. (USA, IS)
Visiting Assistant Professor of Pediatrics. CERC. Albert Einstein School of Medicine. Yeshiva
University, NY, Senior Lecturer of Pediatrics. Sackler Faculty of Medicine. Tel Aviv University.
Head, The Child Development Department. Schneider Children’s Medical Center of Israel
Time trends in reported autistic spectrum disorders in Israel, 1972-2004
Yoav Kohn, M.D. (Israel)
Director, the Donald Cohen Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department Jerusalem Mental Health Center Hebrew University-Hadassah School of Medicine
Genetics : Detection and characterization of variations in Jewish Israeli autistic patients
Henry Markram, Ph.D, (Switzerland)
Director, Blue Brain Project; Coordinator, Human Brain Project; Professor at Swiss Federal Institute for Technology (EPFL)
Prospects of using detailed brain simulations to explore possible causes and treatments of Autism
Kamila Markram, Ph.D. (Switzerland)
Neuroscientist of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, Switzerland
Autism Project Director, Brain Mind Institute
Intense World Theory of Autism
Gal Meiri, MD (Israel)
Head of Preschool Psychiatric Unit, Soroka University Medical Center, Israel
“Which treatment should I choose for my child?” – Parents counseling and evidence based treatments for ASD
Jose Humberto Nicolini-Sanchez, M.D., Ph.D. (Mexico)
Professor, Universidad de la Ciudad de Mexico & Director, Carraci Medical Group, Mexico, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
Genetic basis of compulsive behaviors in ASD
Alexis L. Reyes, M.D. (Philippines)
Associate Professor, Developmental and Behavioral Studies Unit, Department of Pediatrics
Philippine General Hospital
Patterns and Outcomes in Autism- A 20 year Review of Filipino Children within the Spectrum
Stefano Pallanti, M.D., Ph.D. (Italy, USA)
Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Florence and at Mt Sinai School of Medicine, NY,
Director of the Residency Program, Chair of the Consultation Psychiatry Unit at University of Florence, Italy, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
rTMS in Autism Spectrum Disorders: Effects on Executive Functions and Affects Recognitions
Harry D. Schneider, Ph.D., M.D., P.C. (USA)
Visiting Associate Research Scientist Fellow, Program for Cognitive Sciences (P.I.C.S.) Columbia
University Medical Center, NY, and at the Center for Medical & Brain Sciences, The Autism Family International Foundation, USA
Minimally-verbal Children with Autism: The use of functional MRI (FMRI) to demonstrate
dysfunctional language networks and Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation (TDCS) to restore
functional language in these children.
Sagiv Shifman, Ph.D., (Israel)
Department of Genetics, The Life Sciences Institute, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
Shared neuronal pathways affected by common and rare variants in autism spectrum disorders
Mike Snape, MD (UK)
Chief Scientific Officer Autism Therapeutics Ltd, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
NNZ-2566: Rationale for use in Autism Spectrum Disorders
Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph.D. (USA) – Invited speaker
Professor, Department of Psychology, Departments of Anatomy & Neurobiology and Pediatrics at
Boston Univ School of Medicine, President, International Society for Autism Research (INSAR)
The developmental origins of language and communication in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Nava Zisapel, Ph.D, (Israel)
Professor, Department of Neurobiology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, and Founder of Neurim Pharmaceuticals
Melatonin in the management of sleep in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD)
Lonnie Zwaigenbaum, MD (Canada) – Invited speaker
Stollery Children’s Hospital Foundation, Endowed Chair in Autism Research; Developmental Pediatrician
and Associate Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Alberta, Canada, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
Advances in Early Detection and Diagnosis of Autism
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Education-Behavioral Research and Practice
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S. Mariam Aljunied, Ph.D. (Singapore, UK) – Invited speaker
Principal Specialist, Education Psychology, Ministry of Education, Singapore
Right-sitting children with autism: A global search for the ‘right’ solution
Sami Basha, Ph.D. (Palestine Authority)- Invited speaker
President Assistant for Quality and scientific research, Prof. Of Special and inclusive Education
Palestine Ahliya University, Bethlehem / Palestine Authority
Basha behavioral autism spectrum disorder screening test (BAT)
Drs Nirit Bauminger-Zviely, Dana Shoham Kugelmass, Yael Kimhi, and Galit Agam Ben Artzi (Israel)
Nirit Bauminger-Zviely, Ph.D., Professor, Head, Graduate Program in Special Education, Specializing in
ASD School of Education; and Drs Dana Shoham Kugelmass, Yael Kimhi, Galit Agam Ben Artzi,
Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, Israel.
Symposium – Social emotional functioning in HFASD: New findings and intervention implication
Josefa Ben-Arieh, Ph.D. (USA, Israel)
The Educator’s Guide to Teaching Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Robert Didden, Ph.D. (Netherlands)
Professor at Radboud University, Nijmegen, The Netherlands
Low intensity ABA in young children with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disability: Effectiveness, predictors of treatment success, and cost-benefit analysis
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Sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorders
Beth Diviney, Ph.D., BCBA (USA)
Behavior Consultant at learning centers and medical clinics, member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
Integrating Behavioral and Medical Care: A collaborative healthcare approach for people with ASD
Eitan Eldar, Ph.D., BCBA-D (Israel)
Chairman of the Israeli Association of Applied Behavior Analysis, Head, the Applied Behavior Analysis Program, Kibbutzim College, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council.
“little secrets and the fallacies” of ABA in treating Autism
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Using Physical Activity and Game to Enhance Learning, Social Skills and Self-Control with Autistic and Typical Populations
Elaine Hall and Diane Isaacs – (USA)
Seven Keys to Unlock Autism
The Miracle Project – music, movement and theater for social skills and communication profiled in HBO film AUTISM: The Musical
Inbar Konforti, BCaBA (Israel)
Founder and Director, Refael Center
ABA The Human Challenge, About Parents, Therapists, and what lies in-between
Anne M. Mungai, Ph.D. (USA)
Associate Professor and Chair of Curriculum and Instruction Department, Director of Special Education graduate Program, Adelphi University
A Cultural Comparison of how families in Africa and United States consider their children with Autism
James W. Partington, PhD, BCBA-D (USA) – Invited speaker
Director of Behavior Analysts, Inc., and author of the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R).
Teach your children well: Practical advice for parents and professionals regarding designing and
implementing effective interventions for the acquisition of language and social interaction skills
Stephen Shore, Ed.D. (USA)
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Special Education, Adelphi University, NY
Life on and Slightly to the Right of the Autism Spectrum: An Inside View Towards Success
Alisa Vig, Ph.D, Clinical Psychologist (Israel)
Founder and director of Simaney Kesher Center, Co-director of DIR Israel, Profectum Faculty, DIR consultant at the Association for Children at Risk and Sulam
The DIR/Floortime Model – Treating the core deficits of children with ASD
Abbie Weisberg and Heather Tratt, Directors at Keshet (USA)
Abbie Weisberg, CEO/Executive Director, and Heather Tratt, COO/Director of Programs and
Operations, Keshet (USA)
Keshet: Practical Approaches for life span programming for individuals on the Autism Spectrum
Drs Tamar Weiss, Eynat Gal, Nirit Bauminger-Zviely, Sigal Eden, and Massimo Zancanaro (Israel and Italy)
Patrice L. (Tamar) Weiss, OT, Ph.D., Eynat Gal, OT, Ph.D., Dept. of Occupational Therapy, University of Haifa; Nirit Bauminger, Ph.D., Sigal Eden, Ph.D., Bar-Ilan University, Israel; and Massimo Zancanaro, Ph.D., Italy
Symposium – Applying Participatory Design to Develop Technology for Autism
Pamela Wolfberg, Ph.D. (USA) – Invited speaker
Associate Professor and Director, Autism Spectrum Program in Department of Special Education,
San Francisco State University, CA, USA
Integrated Play Groups®: Guiding Children with Autism in Social and Imaginary Worlds with Typical Peers
Massimo Zancanaro, Ph.D. (Italy)
Constructive misunderstandings: a computer scientist’s report on the design of collaborative technologies for children on the autism spectrum
Dalia Zwick, PT, Ph.D. (USA)
Senior Rehabilitation Supervisor, Coordinator, Premier HealthCare, NY
Autism – Therapy and Orthotics in Persistent Toe Walking
Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) Policy and Awareness
Merry Barua (India)
Director Action For Autism – National Centre for Autism, India
Perspectives in Including Children with Autism in Mainstream Classrooms and
Empowering Mothers to Increase Reach in Low Resourced Settings
Juan Carlos Brandt (United Nations) – Invited speaker
Chief, Advocacy and Special Events, Department of Public Information
United Nations
Generating and promoting awareness resulting in positive outcomes for treatment, research, and improving the day-to-day lives of those with autism
Eileen Hopkins (UK)
Special Advisor, Autism, Policy and Practice Autistica, Autism Consultant to the Shirley Foundation, Member of ICare4Autism Advisory Council.
Autism Awareness and Advocacy
Parents and Families – Their role in our past and their future.
Ra’aya Levy-Goodman (Israel)
Director of Special Education, The Ministry of Education
Mrs. Marta Linares de Martinelli (Republic of Panama)
First Lady of the Republic of Panama, Welcoming Remarks
Carlos Marcin Salazar, Ph.D. (Mexico) – Invited speaker
Director, The National Autism Clinic of Mexico (CLIMA) (Mexico)
ASD and Advocacy – The ASD Child´s Families Burden Puzzle
Hugh Morgan, MMedSc OBE FRSA (Wales)
CEO Autism Wales and Expert Advisor for ASD to the Welsh Assembly Government, Wales, Member of the ICare4Autism Advisory Council
The Welch Government’s National ASD Strategy (2008): What can we learn from the World’s First Government Strategy for Autism?
Dr. Shekhar Saxena (Switzerland)
Director, Dept of Mental Health and Substance Abuse, World Health Organization (WHO)
Opening Remarks at the Plenary Session
Dame Stephanie Shirley (UK) – Keynote Speaker
The British Government’s Founding Ambassador for Philanthropy, and Chairman of the Shirley
Foundation
Joshua Weinstein, Ph.D., MBA (USA, IS)
Founder & CEO of ICare4Autism, Shema Kolainu – Hear Our Voices, School and Center for
Children with Autism and TISHMA, ABA Center for Children with Autism, USA and Israel
Dr. Wendy Zhang (China)
Founder/CEO of SinoCure LLC, China
New Autism Initiatives in China
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Developing Language and Functional Skills for Children with Autism at Home, in School, and in the Community with ABLLS-R
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Pre-Conference Workshop at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem (Israel)
July 31st, 20129am-4pm
Presenter:
James W. Partington, Ph.D., BCBA-D, Director of Behavior Analysts, Inc., and author of the Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills-Revised (ABLLS-R)
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A Certificate of Attendance and 7 Type II continuing education BACB credits for BCBA’s and BCABA’s were offered at this event.