Autism Summer Institute to Feature Amanda Baggs

The IOD will be presenting the tenth annual Autism Summer Institute on August 11-14, 2008, at the UNH campus in Durham, NH. This year's four-day Institute, "Emotion, Behavior, and Belonging," is open to anyone interested in learning more about Autism Spectrum Differences (ASD) from experts including persons living with ASD. Topics will include understanding the emotional experiences of living with ASD, interpreting the meaning of behavioral differences, and addressing confusion by teaching the unwritten rules of the social world.

In keeping with the tradition and mission of the conference, this year's Autism Summer Institute features keynote presentations by individuals who experience ASD. This year's keynote presenters include Amanda Baggs, a 26-year-old autism activist and a prolific blogger who has recently garnered national media attention for several self-produced YouTube videos. Amanda's most popular video, "In My Language," documents her "constant conversation" with the world around her and has been viewed by more than 600,000 individuals. Being unable to rely on verbal speech, Amanda expresses herself independently by typing at 120 words per minute on a voice synthesis computer.

The Institute will also feature keynote presentations by CarolAnn Edscorn, a Granite State mother and master of the arts with Asperger Syndrome, and Ros Blackburn, a lecturer from England living with autism.

For more information on the Autism Summer Institute, visit www.iod.unh.edu.