Helping Your Child Understand Their Autism: When and How to Explain It

Please join SPED*NET for another informative session, Helping Your Child Understand Their Autism: When and How to Explain It.  When parents get an autism diagnosis for their child, they might be relieved to know what’s happening, but, most likely, they will also be fearful. What does this mean for the future? When and how do I tell my child? And how do children and teens react?  Marcia Eckerd, PhD, and Rob Bernstein will explore these questions and more in this practical and helpful seminar.

Marcia Eckerd has provided therapy, evaluation, and consultation for neurodivergent individuals since 1985. She serves on the CT ASD Advisory Council and the Board of Directors of Autism Today! A frequent presenter on webinars and podcasts, she’s been featured at US national and international conferences including AANE.org, the Autism Parenting Magazine National Summit, the US Autism Association National Summit, and the Autism Today! World Summit. She’s a prolific writer, and her journal articles on diagnosing autistic adults and autistic women are read internationally. In addition to her therapy and consultation practice, she’s co-authorizing a book on neurodivergent students and schools with Robert Bernstein.

Robert J. Bernstein, an educational and behavioral therapist, has been working with children on the autism spectrum for more than 35 years. His book Uniquely Normal: Tapping the Reservoir of Normalcy to Treat Autism (2017) won six awards, including the Independent Publisher Book Awards (gold medal for psychology and mental health). His newest book is Uniquely Normal Manual (2023).  Rob has a personal link to autism, having grown up with an autistic brother and as the parent of an autistic son. His family experience led him to train in developmental psychology and education, the knowledge base that underlies his cognitive method for working with autistic children. He is well established with a media presence through his podcast, monthly webinars that he runs for the US Autism Association and his YouTube channel with Marcia Eckerd, Everything Neurodiversity. His work has been featured on Dateline and in the New York Times. Rob has presented dozens of workshops and keynote addresses, at both national and international conferences. He is an international consultant working with autistic children and special education PTA groups across the United States, the United Kingdom, and India. He is on the Board of Directors of ARC and the US Autism Association.

Presented by SPED*NET in partnership with Wilton Library, Wilton Public Schools and Newtown Sped PTA.  Registration suggested.