Autism awareness within the Fox Cities will be the focus of an informational event on May 7 at Shattuck Middle School in Neenah.
The event, titled “You Don’t Know What You Don’t Know,” begins at 6 p.m. and will consist of a keynote speaker and panel discussion about autism services in the community. The main speaker will be James Sarver, a young adult with autism who will share his perspective of dealing with autism in the school setting and what he wishes teachers would have understood about how he saw the world.
Following Sarver’s presentation, there will be a panel discussion with local experts and service providers in the community describing services in the Fox Valley for children and adults on the autism spectrum and their families. Discussion will focus on how to interact with and engage individuals with autism and the services available for them. The event will conclude with a question and answer session.
The panel discussion includes Kelly Brodhagen from the Autism Society of Wisconsin, Jill Gretzinger from Easter Seals of Wisconsin, Kara VanHooren from the Northeast Regional Center, Lisa Lesselyong from CESA 6, Diane Nackers from the Autism Society of the Fox Valley and parents Lawren Olivanti and Janet Sarver.
The evening is made possible by a mini-grant the Neenah Joint School District received from the Wisconsin Department of Instruction. Questions about the event may be directed to NJSD Autism Specialist Sara Kokko at 920-751-6850 ext. 214.
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