A conference next week will focus on autism and resources available for families dealing with the condition.

Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services in conjunction with Three Rivers EI Council and Auburn University Montgomery Continuing Education are sponsoring the conference Nov. 12 at the Dallas County Health Department.

“[Attendees will gain] a working knowledge of the latest best practice for working with children with autism as well as the statewide resources that are available for families in Alabama,” said Tania Baldwin, district early intervention coordinator with the Alabama Department of Rehabilitation Services.

The speakers at the conference will be Dr. David Finn, professor at Samford University, and Suzanne Perrigin Dowling, cofounder and director of development and public relations for Arts ‘n Autism in Tuscaloosa and a mother of a 20-year-old son with autism.

“[Finn has] traveled all over the world speaking and training as well as consulting with school systems to support families with children with special healthcare needs,” Baldwin said.

Finn and Dowling will be discussing collaboration to improve outcomes and resources available for families.

“Suzanne will specifically be addressing those with real life scenarios though her journey,” Baldwin said. “It’s an excellent opportunity for families and family members to attend.”

Baldwin said they have held conferences in Selma before, with the latest being around five years ago, but she still encourages everyone who has an interest in attending to do so because of the variety of topics and new developments.

Selma is one of 12 counties in Baldwin’s district.

“We do trainings in Selma and other areas of our district periodically, but this is one that they decided that this year they wanted to address, so that’s what sparked the opportunity for it to be had in Selma,” Baldwin said. “Our district wanted more information on autism, and so we chose to have a training in Selma to address that.”

There’s no cost for families. For professionals, it’s $20 for preregistration and $30 the day of.

Along with families attending the conference, Baldwin said that continuing education unit’s (CEU) will be applied for social workers, occupational therapists, teachers, speech and audiology at no cost, and an additional $15 for nurses.

Those interested in attending can call 1-800-723-0490 for information or to obtain registration information, and Baldwin said space is limited. The conference will be held at the Dallas County Health Department conference room on Nov. 12 from 9:30 a.m. through 2:30 p.m. There will be a break for lunch from 12-1 p.m.