The UNC School of Social Work was a co-sponsor of Northwest AHEC’s conference, “Autism 2010: Crossing Bridges Despite the Challenges,” Sept. 23-24 in Clemmons, N.C. This year’s pre-conference and conference plenary presenter was nationally-known speech language pathologist Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP, who specializes in the treatment of students with cognitive deficits. Winner coined the term “social thinking” and the related treatment strategies, and this was her first visit to North Carolina. The conference was well attended, with about 170 participants.
Sherry Mergner, clinical assistant professor, and Ginny Thompson, speech pathologist at Perry Harrison School in Chatham County, spoke in a break-out session on “Accepting Differences: Telling Classmates and Teachers About a Child’s Disability.” Over 85 participants attend this session.