MICHAEL MICHAEL CHERTOFF MICHAEL ... - Kean University

Nearly 1,000 parents, health care professionals
and educators representing more than 50
school districts from New Jersey, New York,
Delaware and Pennsylvania, filled Wilkins Theatre
on Friday, November 21, for Kean University’s Putting
the Pieces Together: An Interdisciplinary Conference for Teachers,
Parents and Professionals. New Jersey ranks among the nation’s
highest in cases of autism, with as many as 1 in 94 children diagnosed
with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The conference was designed to
provide information and much-needed resources on autism and featured
a day-long series of lectures and panel discussions led by leading research
and medical experts from across the country.
Jake Greenspan, co-director of DIR
Support Services in Bethesda,
Md., provided the keynote address
in the morning. He discussed
evaluation and
intervention programs based
on the DIR (Developmental, Individual
Differences, Relationshipbased)
model. Greenspan’s message
expanded on his collaborative work
with co-director Tim Blecker and
Jake’s father, Dr. Stanley Greenspan.
Kean Puts the Pieces
Together During
Autism Conference
From the perspective of a father of a
child with autism, Jim Watkins, co-anchor of
the CW 11 News at 10, provided a poignant
keynote address in the afternoon. “What I
am able to do here today is provide some
good snapshots in what I call the autism
world,” he said. In addition to displaying images
of his son, Liam, Watkins also showed a clip
from the documentary directed by his wife, Lauren
Thierry, called Autism Every Day. True to
form, Watkins continued the discussion on his
popular blog.
Putting the Pieces Together represents the first in a planned series
of initiatives to promote awareness and encourage action
related to autism. The conference concluded with a networking
luncheon and exhibitors’ display.
Be encouraged. Click here to visit Jim Watkins’ blog.
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