Spotlight on Autism at ICI

ICI has five core program areas with each examining a cluster of related disability issues. However, some issues cut across program areas, and autism is a good example. Two of the Institute's centers - Minnesota Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities Program (MN LEND) and the Research and Training Center on Community Living (RTC-CL)  - and numerous ICI projects and publications relate to the needs of children, youth, and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ICI staff are always working on issues related to autism and following are some of those efforts taking place this month:

ICI's Minnesota Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (MN-ADDM) project, in collaboration with the Minnesota Department of Health (MDH), is hosting a webinar, "Autism Spectrum Disorder and the Somali Community of Minnesota," to be presented on April 18 by Anab Gulaid and MDH's Asli Ashkir (see "Events" section below). MN-ADDM is part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network  funded through the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

On April 25, Jennifer Hall-Lande, Minnesota's Act Early ambassador (pictured last year during her ambassador training at CDC in Atlanta) will co-present on Learn the Signs, Act Early  at the annual Help Me Grow National Forum in St. Paul.

Joe Timmons, Hall-Lande, Jeffrey Nurick, and Jody Hofer Van Ness are helping the Minnesota Department of Human Services with the soon-to-be-launched Minnesota Autism Resources website. The site, whose mission is to "build connections among people, organizations and resources around the issue of autism," will be the go-to place for information and content for families and practitioners.

Timmons and Rebecca Dosch Brown will present on career planning and person-centered practices at the Minnesota Autism Society Conference in St. Louis Park on April 28.