Chattanooga Autism Center to host conference

Trish Cox said raising a son with autism can be isolating and full of transitions and unknowns. There are late nights of internet research, long weeks waiting for test results, and many people that don’t understand the disability.

But the Chattanooga Autism Conference has been a tremendous asset for years, Cox said, equipping her with training and resources to better help and advocate for her son.

“The conference will give you the answer to a lot of questions and also give you a lot more questions to ask,” Cox said.

Hundreds of people have already registered to attend the eighth annual Chattanooga Autism Conference on April 21, and a discounted preregistration rate is available through Sunday.

Dave Buck, executive director of the Chattanooga Autism Center, said the conference offers tracks for parents, educators and adults with autism, and attendees are provided with the latest research and resources, along with the chance to network.

“Every year, people leave with some more hope and energy,” Buck said.

He said more than 180 local teachers have registered for the conference and will receive high-level professional development. It’s important for regular education teachers to attend, Buck said, because they learn about autism and are given tools to help effectively teach their autistic students in the regular classroom.

When teachers are equipped to reach all students, everyone in the classroom benefits, Buck said.

About 80 percent of students with intellectual disabilities attending Hamilton County Schools are separated from nondisabled students in Comprehensive Development Classrooms for most of the school day, according to data from the Tennessee Department of Education. Standardized test data also shows that Hamilton County is struggling to close the achievement gap between students with disabilities and their peers, as students with disabilities trailed their nondisabled peers by about 30 percentage points in each tested subject.

National research shows inclusion programs with appropriate classroom supports benefit all students and can work to help close the achievement gap. School districts like Metro Nashville Public Schools have pushed in recent years to include more students with disabilities in regular classrooms with added supports, and the achievement gap between these groups of students is narrowing.

The conference’s keynote address will be given by two leaders of Metro Nashville Public Schools efforts to boost inclusion, Debbie McAdams, the district’s executive director of exceptional education, and Sonya Dobbs, disability services coordinator.

Buck said McAdams and Dobbs plan to share about how Metro Nashville made the shift to being a more inclusive school district — highlighting both the successes and problems faced throughout the process.

Cale Horne has an elementary school son with autism and said these conferences and the Chattanooga Autism Center have been huge resources to his family.

And Horne is glad the theme of this year’s conference is inclusion and encourages all educators and administrators to attend.

“This [conference] is a great resource to help schools better serve all students,” he said.