Center for Autism and Related Disorders to Host One-Day Conference in Cambridge, Ontario on October 22, 2010

The comprehensive conference will be held in Cambridge, Ontario on Friday, October 22, 2010 and open to parents, practitioners and caregivers.

Cambridge, ON – October 22, 2010 The Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc. (CARD), the world’s largest autism treatment center, will host a CARD Canadian Autism Conference on Friday, October 22, 2010 at the Galt Country Club, located at 750 Coronation Blvd, in Cambridge. World-renowned autism expert / behavior analyst and CARD founder, Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh, will open the conference with a keynote speech.

“When I began my career, the incidence rate of autism was 1 in 10,000. Today, it’s 1 in 110 children in the US alone,” says Dr. Granpeesheh. “This is an epidemic that we as a society, in both the U.S. and Canada., should address. Autism is treatable. So many children would benefit from the most effective treatment programs. This is why I started CARD 20 years ago, and is why I’m so passionate about spreading quality autism treatment globally.”

The CARD Canadian Autism Conference program will include autism and medical experts who will deliver the most effective and current information to parents, caregivers, and professionals working in the medical, therapeutic, and mental health fields. It will focus on assessment, diagnosis, autism interventions, the most current autism research, and information on the most successful autism curricula to date.

This conference will also feature a screening of the award-winning documentary RECOVERED: Journeys Through the Autism Spectrum and Back, a story of four children who recovered from autism. The film presents documentation of therapy sessions along with interviews of the children who are now teenagers, their parents, and therapists.

For more information about the CARD Canadian Autism Conference, visit: www.centerforautism.com/canada-autism-conference.

Conference Presenters

Doreen Granpeesheh, PhD, BCBA-D

Dr. Granpeesheh has dedicated over thirty years to helping individuals with autism lead healthy, productive lives. Dr. Granpeesheh began her studies in autism as an undergraduate student at UCLA. While completing her graduate degree there, she worked with Dr. Ivar Lovaas on the world-renowned outcome study published in 1987 which showed a recovery rate of close to 50% among the study's research participants. She earned a PhD in Psychology from UCLA in 1990.

Dr. Granpeesheh is licensed by the Medical Board of California, the Texas, Virginia and Arizona State Boards of Psychologists, and the Dubai Healthcare City. She earned a Certificate of Professional Qualification in Psychology from the Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst.

She is an active member of many boards whose mission is to advance the treatment of autism. She is on the Scientific Advisory Boards of the Autism File Magazine, Autism 360 and the 4A Healing Foundation. Dr. Granpeesheh is on the Practice Board of the Association for Behavior Analysis International , the Board of Directors of InCept and is a member of the Autism Human Rights and Discrimination Initiative steering committee, the North Los Angeles County Task Force of the Senate Select Committee on Autism, and the Oversight Committee of the Department of Developmental Disabilities for the State of Arizona. She also is the founding member and President of Autism Care and Treatment Today (ACT Today!), a non profit organization that helps families access effective treatment.

Dr. Granpeesheh is known throughout the world as an expert in the field of autism research and treatment. Specific areas of expertise and research include curriculum development from early intervention through the early stages of adulthood, diagnostic, developmental and behavioral assessment, higher order skill acquisition, long term outcomes, and the effects of medical interventions in conjunction with behavioral programs. She has trained thousands of professionals and families on her treatment techniques and curriculum, leading to a faster dissemination of quality treatment information.

Dr. Granpeesheh has not only helped tens of thousands of families, but has successfully helped many children and young adults attain their highest potential, giving further merit to the notion that autism is treatable and that affected individuals can lead independent, meaningful lives.

Adel Najdowski, PhD, BCBA-D

Dr. Adel Najdowski graduated from the University of Nevada, Reno in 2004 with her doctorate in Psychology. She was a Manager of Research and Development at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders, Inc from 2005 – 2009 during which time she was a co-creator of CARD SKILLS, a comprehensive assessment and curriculum for children with autism. She currently serves as the Director of SKILLS. Dr. Najdowski has served children with autism for 15 years. She began in 1995 as a therapist providing direct 1:1 instruction to children with autism using applied behavior analysis (ABA). Since then, Dr. Najdowski was a behavioral consultant for multiple school districts between 1999-2003 as well as a Clinical Specialist for the Nevada Center for Severe Behavior Problems from 2000-2004 and the Assistant Co-Director of the UNR Early Childhood Autism Center-Based Program from 2001-2002.

Dr. Najdowski has taught multiple undergraduate and graduate level courses in psychology for the University of Nevada, Reno. She is a current member of the editorial board for the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and has also served as a guest reviewer for Behavior Analysis in Practice. Dr. Najdowski has been a National Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) since 2003 and a doctorate level BCBA-D since 2009. She has six first-authored publications, 14 co-authored publications, and has been an author on 63 presentations given at conferences.

Her current research interests include teaching higher level skills to children with autism, assessment and curriculum design for children with autism, evaluation of procedures used in early intensive behavioral intervention programs, and feeding disorders.

Dennis Dixon, PhD

Dr. Dennis Dixon received his Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Louisiana State University with a focus in developmental disabilities. He completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and specialized in the treatment of severe challenging behaviors. The author of over 20 peer-reviewed articles and multiple book chapters, he currently serves on the editorial board of Research in Developmental Disabilities and Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders. He also serves as a frequent reviewer for the Journal of Mental Health Research in Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Dixon is the Director of Analytics at the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. In addition to his work at CARD he is also currently affiliate faculty within the Applied Behavior Analysis program at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. His research interests have focused on issues related to challenging behaviors, test construction, sleep disorders, and biomedical interventions for persons with intellectual disabilities.

Dr. Mark Guker, BA, DC

Dr. Mark completed his studies in Kinesiology in 2001 at the University of Western Ontario before going to New York State to attend New York Chiropractic College (NYCC). While at NYCC, Dr. Mark had the opportunity to be a part of a revolution for chiropractic. He was selected, with one other classmate, to start-up the Government-funded introduction of chiropractic in the Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital system in Buffalo, NY. This program now treats thousands of veterans every year, and is the first undertaking of its kind in North America. Dr. Mark's studies eventually led him to his first clinical placement in Stamford, Connecticut where he practiced in a multi-disciplinary setting alongside Chiropractors, Medical Doctors, Physiotherapists, Athletic Trainers and Acupuncturists. Dr. Mark returned home to Canada to open a private practice and has been doing so since 2006. ReAlign Health is a functional integration of alternative medicines that has been helping the families of Waterloo Region get well and stay well.

Dr. Mark has recently completed Level 1 of Physician Training for Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) and is passionately looking to help those suffering from the autistic spectrum disorders. Dr. Mark is also certified in the low-force chiropractic adjusting technique, Activator Methods Chiropractic Technique. Dr. Mark has been treating pediatrics chiropractic cases since 2005.

Dr. Jennifer Hendry-Lynn, HBSc, ND

Dr. Jennifer Hendry-Lynn ND completed her Bachelor of Health Science degree with first class honours at Brock University. After University, she went on to receive her Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine from the Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine in Toronto, Ontario. She completed her 12-month clinical internship at the Robert Schad Naturopathic Clinic in Toronto, ON. During her internship, she was also selected to be a Naturopathic intern at the L.A.M.P. Community Centre, a Naturopathic outreach clinic. In 2009, Dr. Jennifer Hendry-Lynn ND joined the team at ReAlign Health, an integrative clinic in Cambridge, Ontario, where she helps families all over the Waterloo Region. In her daily practice she focuses on family/pediatric medicine. She utilizes a number of different modalities including: homeopathy, botanical medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, clinical nutrition, physical medicine, hydrotherapy, lifestyle counseling, and laboratory medicine. She aims to treat the root cause of disease in each patient by developing individualized treatment plans.

Dr. Jennifer Hendry-Lynn ND has had a special interest in autistm spectrum disorders throughout her medical training. She recently completed Level 1 Clinician Training at the Defeat Autism Now! (DAN!) conference. She is also trained in Biotherapeutic Drainage™. She is currently fully licensed under the Board of Directors of Drugless Therapy-Naturopathy. She is also an active member of the Ontario Association of Naturopathic Doctors.