Biennial Spring Autism Conference
The VTCAR Biennial Spring Conference: Promoting Well-being for Autistic People Across the Lifespan
* sold out *
Monday, March 24, 2025
8am - 4:30pm
The Inn at Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA
This day-long event is open to autistic individuals, parents/caregivers, researchers, students, providers and anyone interested and will be held at the Inn at Virginia Tech.
The event is free with an optional recommended donation of $20 per person ($5 per student) and can be made through the Virginia Tech Gift Accounting page or our VTCAR Make a Donation page.
SCHEDULE:
- Research Keynote: Promoting Wellness: A tiered approach to supporting autistic adults by Dr. Vanessa Bal, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology, Rutgers University
- Education Research: Human-Centered Design and Autism Research by Dr. Caroline Branscome, Instructor and Pathways & Experiential Learning Coordinator, Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering, Virginia Tech
- Technology Research: Designing neuro-affirming human-AI interactions for coping with negative self-talk for autistic adults with Buse Carik, VTCAR Student Award recipient, second-year PhD student, Computer Science, Virginia Tech
- Technology Demo: Hanging out with Robots! by Jia Dong, PhD candidate in Industrial and Systems Engineering and Dani Stephens, undergraduate in Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Tech
- Clinical Research: Organization, time management and planning: Strategies for autistic adolescents now and as they transition to adults with Dr. Rosanna Breaux, Assistant Professor, Director of the Child Study Center, Jerry L. Hulick Faculty Fellow, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech
- Clinical/Development Research: Sexual violence toward people with intellectual and developmental disabilities with Dr. Jamie Edgin, Professor and Department Chair, Department of Psychology, Virginia Tech
- Biomedical Research: TBD with Dr. Ligia Antezana, Post Doctoral Researcher, REAACT Research Program, University of Pittsburgh
- SAFE Award Presentation of Community Champion Award by Meghan Walsh, undergraduate, VTCAR SAFE Coordinator, Virginia Tech
- Symposium talks on Employment and Autism: Empowering Autistic Job Seekers Through Mentorship by Brittany Short, Manager for Hire Autism at the Organization for Autism Research; Beyond the Pigeonhole: Effectively Employing those with Developmental Disabilities by Rob Snow, Executive Director for the CEO Commission for Disability Employment; the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Neurodiversity Program
- Panel discussion: Understanding ways to promote inclusive integrated competitive employment for autistic individuals moderated by Dr. Caroline Branscome
- Self-advocate Keynote: TBD by Kelcey Majors, MBA, Program Coordinator, Duke University; Ms. Majors will speak to the importance of community, understanding and acceptance on her journey of self-discovery.
Plus snacks, lunch, exhibitors, networking, a SAFE space and more!
Your registration includes refreshments throughout the day and a buffet lunch.
If you are an individual with a disability and desire an accommodation, please contact us at 540-231-8747 or email vtautismcenter@vt.edu during regular business hours at least 10 business days prior to the event.
We are grateful for the generous and continued support from the Washington Group Special Care Planning Team and for grant funding from the Oak Ridge Associated Universities Innovation Partnerships Grant Program award.