The Monarch School at The Autism Society of America's 39th
National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders
July 9-12, 2008
Orlando, Florida

The Autism Society of America recognizes that families and individuals living with an autism spectrum disorder have a range of issues and needs. The National Conference of the Autism Society of America, which was held July 9-12 in Orlando, Floriday, is the only conference that addresses the range of issues, including early intervention, education, employment, behavior, communication, social skills, biomedical interventions and others, across the entire lifespan. Bringing together the expertise and experiences of family members, professionals and individuals on the spectrum, attendees are able to learn how to more effectively advocate and obtain supports for the individual with ASD. The ultimate goal is to empower family members, individuals on the spectrum and professionals to make informed decisions.

Debrah Hall, Ph.D. presented her research supporting the progress of students attending The Monarch School at this conference. She shared the results of a study designed to investigate the impact of an objectives based curriculum targeting the development of behavioral and metacognitive skills of executive functioning in students with a diagnosis of PDD.