Dr. Stephen Shore

Dr. Blythe Corbett

By Carol Baker-Willey, Secretary, Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network

On Feb. 12, the Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network will hold its 15^th Annual Autism Awareness Conference at the Marriott Hotel, 801 Truxtun Ave., in Bakersfield. Featured speakers are Dr. Stephen Shore and Dr. Blythe Corbett.

Diagnosed with “atypical development with strong autistic tendencies,” Shore was viewed as “too sick” to be treated on an outpatient basis and recommended for institutionalization. Though he was nonverbal until the age of four, with much help from his parents, teachers, and others, Shore completed his doctoral dissertation at Boston University, which was focused on matching best practice to the needs of people on the autism spectrum.

Recently, Shore has accepted a professorship at Adelphi University teaching courses in special education and autism.

In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Shore presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his books Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum, and the critically acclaimed Understanding Autism for Dummies.

President emeritus of the Asperger’s Association of New England, Shore serves on the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, for the Board of Directors for Autism Society of America, Unlocking Autism, MAAP, the College Internship Program, and USAAA.

Blythe Corbett, Ph.D., is a pediatric neuropsychologist at UC Davis MIND Institute and associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. She has been working with children with autism since 1991 and has published more than 25 scientific papers and chapters. Corbett is the recipient of a NIH Mentored Clinical Research Training Award, the Japanese-American Frontiers of Science Young Scientist award sponsored by the National Academy of Sciences, as well as several other foundational grants and gifts.

Corbett’s research program, referred to as the Social Emotional NeuroScience Endocrinology (SENSE) laboratory, was developed to expressly investigate emotion regulation and the neural correlates of stress that contribute to the perception of and response to various social situations. The ultimate goal of the SENSE translational program is to allow our psychobiological studies that are revealing distinct profiles in children with neurodevelopmental disorders to guide the development of well-designed biological and behavioral treatments.

Most recently, Corbett has founded a non-profit, community-based intervention program called SENSE Theatre which arose from her clinical science work and an extensive theatre background.

Autism is characterized by impaired social interaction, problems with verbal and nonverbal communication, and unusual, repetitive, or severely limited activities and interests, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

A national report released in the Oct. 5 issue of the journal “Pediatrics” revealed that one in every 91 U.S. children ages 3 to17 has an autism spectrum disorder. This means 1 to 1.5 million Americans live with an autism spectrum disorder. (Based on the autism prevalence rate of 1 in 150 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2007) and the 2000 U.S. Census figure of 280 million Americans. Learn more at www.autism-society.org.

Doors open at 7:30 a.m. and the first presentation begins at 8:30 a.m. The conference concludes at 5 p.m. Vendors with materials geared toward autism will be available during the day. Tickets are $95 each. For more information, call 588-4235. Online registration is available now at kernautismconference2010.eventbrite.com.

Autism Society Chapter-Kern Autism Network provides support, awareness, information and education to families, professionals and the public throughout Kern County. It works toward cooperation, coordination and the creation of services between all individuals and agencies working with people with autism.