Agenda
Two days of clinical insight, lived experience, and community collaboration.
Conference Schedule
The Advancing Autism Awareness Forum brings together clinicians, researchers, families, and community partners for two days of keynotes, clinical lectures, case presentations, documentary screenings, and art exhibition.
Day 1 · Saturday
Autism Research, Clinical Care & Community
Morning Sessions
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
On-Site Registration, Light Breakfast (Provided)
8:30 – 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks
Welcome to the Advancing Autism Awareness Forum
Matcheri S. Keshavan, MD; Patricia Ellen Grant, MD, MSc
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston Children’s Hospital; Harvard Medical School
8:45 – 9:45 AM
Keynote Speech
Autism – Research and Clinical Challenges Across the Lifespan
Margaret Bauman, MD
Pediatric Neurologist, Integrated Center for Child Development; Associate Professor, Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine
9:45 – 10:15 AM
Clinical Lecture
Autism: Navigating Work, Environment and Climate
Thomas H. Gassert, MD, MSc, FACOEM
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
10:15 – 10:30 AM
Break & Exhibition
Coffee Break and Art Exhibition
10:30 – 11:00 AM
Clinical Lecture
From Awareness to Action: Precision Science and Strength-Based Futures in Autism
Xue‑Jun (June) Kong, MD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Boston Children’s Hospital; Harvard Medical School
11:00 – 11:30 AM
Community Model
Oasis TLC: A Local Farmstead Service Model for Autistic Adults
Mai Cleary and John Cleary Jr.
OASIS TLC (Ongoing Autistic Success in Society; Therapeutic Life Centers)
11:30 AM – 12:00 N
Education & Intervention
Preparing Neurodivergent Learners to Develop Executive Functioning Skills from Early Childhood through Adulthood
Bai L. Pan, MS, BCBA
Queens College, New York
12:00 – 1:00 PM
Lunch & Exhibition
Lunch (Provided) and Art Exhibition
Midday Sessions
1:00 – 1:45 PM
Clinical Lecture
Updates on Autism and Cognition: Effects of Other Neurodevelopmental Conditions and Comorbidities
William Stone, PhD
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Massachusetts Mental Health Center; Harvard Medical School
1:45 – 2:15 PM
Work & Neurodiversity
Neurodiversity in the Workplace
Walid Yassin, DMSc, MMSc
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Harvard Medical School
2:15 – 2:45 PM
Translational Science
Gene Modulation Therapies for Genetic Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Xin Tang, PhD
Boston Children’s Hospital; Harvard Medical School
2:45 – 3:15 PM
Education & Neuroscience
Beyond Accommodations: Reframing Neurodiverse Education Through a Neuroscience-Informed Medical Model
Debra May, PhD
SparkSeed Academy
3:15 – 3:30 PM
Break & Exhibition
Coffee Break and Art Exhibition
Afternoon & Evening
3:30 – 4:00 PM
Family & Finance
Building a Solid Financial Future for Families with Special Needs
Jing Liu, CPA
4:00 – 4:15 PM
Documentary Screening
Film: “Raymond’s Equations”
Directed by Amber Huang, New York University
4:15 – 4:30 PM
Documentary Screening
Film: “Art Is to Heal”
Directed by Bonnie Bige Chen
4:30 – 5:15 PM
Documentary Screening
Film: “Aegean Sea Adventure”
Directed by Jianping Qu, Franklin Foundation
5:15 – 5:30 PM
Closing
Q & A and Closing Remarks
Xue‑Jun (June) Kong, MD and Walid Yassin, DMSc, MMSc
6:30 PM
Reception
Dinner Reception for Speakers and Organizers (By Invitation Only)
Day 2 · Sunday
Family Perspectives, Case Presentations & Community
Morning Sessions
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Registration & Breakfast
Registration, Art Exhibition, Light Breakfast (Provided)
8:30 – 8:45 AM
Opening Remarks
Opening Remarks
Xue‑Jun (June) Kong, MD and Walid Yassin, DMSc, MMSc
8:45 – 9:30 AM
Case Presentation
Talent Is Not Accidental: Building Strength-Based Pathways in Autism
Raymond K. Wang, MS; Xiaochun Wang, PhD — Parent–Child Duo
9:30 – 10:15 AM
Case Presentation
Diagnosis Is Not Destiny: Redefining the Future of Autism
Andrew Day and Jack Day — Parent–Child Duo
10:15 – 10:30 AM
Break & Exhibition
Coffee Break and Art Exhibition
10:30 – 11:15 AM
Case Presentation
A Life-Course Study of Internalizing Behaviors in Autism Spectrum Disorder
Chen Yi‑Hong and Chen Yin‑Chun — Parent–Child Duo
11:15 AM – 12:00 N
Case Presentation
Walking with Starlight: A Mother’s Love Guiding My Dreams
Mengyuan Liu and Lan Chen — Parent–Child Duo
Midday & Closing
12:00 – 12:30 PM
Panel & Closing
Panelists and Q & A · Advance Autism Community
12:30 – 1:30 PM
Lunch & Social
Lunch (Provided) and Social Connections