The articles and webinars below highlight the latest autism research findings made possible by SPARK participants, researchers, and others throughout the world. You can also read about the autism journeys of SPARK families.
To browse through our articles, webinars, and family stories by topic, view our Topics in Autism page.
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Over the last 20 years, Ann Palmer has helped hundreds, if not thousands, of families get the autism services and support that they need. Palmer has an adult son with autism. She began working in the field when her son, now 33, was about 9 years old.
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Sarah Easterling teaches English and science to fourth-graders at Palmer Elementary School in Missouri City, Texas. At Palmer, children with special needs, including autism and dyslexia, join mainstream classes.
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Patty Manning, a developmental pediatrician at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, sometimes sees patients in unusual places—in a car seat, walking around the hospital’s library, or simply in the clinic hallway. As a specialist treating children with autism spectrum disorders, she follows her patients’ needs and moods on that particular day.
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Ariana Viscione, age 23, is an outspoken advocate for herself and others.
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Kathy Koenig describes the programs that she has developed tp help girls with autism learn to socialize and form friendships.
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Discovering their son’s genetic diagnosis helps one family in many ways.
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The speaker for our eighth webinar is Kathy Koenig, MSN, director of the Initiative for Girls and Women with Autism Spectrum Disorder and associate research scientist at the Yale Child Study Center. In this webinar, Koenig discusses the complexities of diagnosing girls and women with autism and describes the different challenges for intervention that families face. She also offers some thoughts about how parents can create learning and social opportunities for their daughters. This webinar is 60 minutes long.
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The speaker for our seventh webinar is Wendy Chung, M.D., Ph.D., principal investigator of SPARK. In this webinar, Dr. Chung discusses basic genetic concepts and shares recent scientific progress in autism genetic research. She also talks about the genetic aspect of SPARK. This webinar is 60 minutes long.
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Mary E. McDonald discusses how to prepare children and teens with ASD for adulthood.
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Our fifth webinar, moderated by Alison Singer, MBA, features Ann Palmer of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and Patricia Manning, M.D. of the Kelly O’Leary Center. In this webinar, our speakers discuss different approaches to partnering in the autism community. Each speaker brings a different perspective about how developing relationships from within the community enhance program outcomes. This webinar is 45 minutes long.
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