Autism Spectrum Unplugged panel discussion at NCCC Nov. 2

WINSTED — The Parent Support Group at Northwestern Connecticut Community College, and the Litchfield County Autism Spectrum Association will host an Autism Spectrum Unplugged panel discussion on Nov. 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

The presentation will take place in Founders Hall Auditorium on the Northwestern Connecticut Community College campus in Winsted.

The Panel of experts will be comprised of children and adults from the FOCUS Center for Autism in Canton, which specializes in the treatment of children and adolescents who are on the autistic spectrum, suffer from anxiety disorders, or experience processing and social learning difficulties.

These articulate, bright, left of center participants are very open and honest about their journey with their disorders. They will discuss how their experiences affect their lives at home, school and in the community. They will share how they have suffered but they have not given up and have grown to accept and embrace their “peculiarities” and channel their life challenges into something useful, without changing who they are.

The presentation is intended to help educate the public and provide new insights into autism, which has become more widespread in our society. The expectation is that by sharing their experiences, the panelists will inspire others to have hope and change their lives. In addition, they will also provide information on the interventions that work when they are in crisis, or on helping others understand their sensory issues and the “Circle of Anxiety” they experience for example, and thus help provide a better understanding of what their world is like for them. They will also share the strategies that have helped them become the successful people they are today.

The organizers will focus on changes that have occurred in the last year and the effects those changes have had on the lives of the panelists.

The event is free. For more information, contact Dr. Robert Beck at 860-738-6383 or rbeck@nwcc.edu.