WMU Hosts Second Michigan Autism Conference

Western Michigan University's Department of Psychology hosted the second annual Michigan Autism Conference and expectations were exceeded by both participants and the planning committee. During the first year, which was considered successful, there were 270 registrants. In 2014, the number of attendees and speakers jumped to 480! Educators and researchers from Michigan, California, Massachusetts, Ohio, Illinois, and Indiana converged in Kalamazoo, Mich., to discuss autism topics related to Michigan legislation and services in the state.

Dr. Jessica Frieder, WMU professor of psychology and coordinator of the conference notes that WMU has the premier institution for behavior analysis and views this conference as a way to bring high-caliber educational opportunities to the state of Michigan for practitioners, researchers and parents of autistic children. "Understanding that professionals and families are bombarded with information on possible interventions, the largest mission of the Michigan Autism Conference is to support education in an accessible manner," Frieder said.

In addition to providing great opportunities for educators and experts to collaborate in Kalamazoo, Frieder expressed the value of WMU hosting the conference as it relates to alumni and current students. Frieder stated, "Alumni love to return. They come to the conference and are proud." Graduate students also benefit as the conference "brought the classroom to life. They got to hear from the people who write the books they are reading." The educational value extended outside of the classroom as graduate ambassadors served as assistants to conference speakers and several speakers attended poster ceremonies for students. 

When asked about planning for next year's conference—Oct. 7 through 9, 2015—Frieder plans to incorporate more mainstream topics that will focus on children and advocacy for transition, implement more sessions for medical practitioners and offer more resources for parents. Please visit the WMU Department of Psychology for details on the program and visit Michigan Autism Conference for information on next year's conference.