A two-day immersive training for PreK–12 teachers, special educators, school counselors, and district administrators — designed to equip every educator to see, support, and celebrate every learner on the autism spectrum.
Every session draws from CDC surveillance data, peer-reviewed research, and evidence-based frameworks like TEACCH, ABA, DIR/Floortime, and Universal Design for Learning.
We follow the learner from preschool identification through adult transition — because understanding the full arc changes how you teach every stage.
Practical, immediately applicable tools: visual schedules, sensory accommodations, IEP goal-writing, parent communication frameworks, and inclusive classroom design.
Approved for teacher in-service week. Certificates of completion issued. Aligned to IDEA, FAPE, and LRE mandates. Documentation provided for district records.
We open the conference not with statistics but with a story — the human story of a child who needed an educator to truly see them. Maestra Anna shares her journey as an autism educator, sets the tone for the weekend, and invites every participant into a posture of curiosity, compassion, and professional courage.
An accessible walkthrough of the CDC's 2025 ADDM Network findings — 1 in 31 children, shifting racial/ethnic diagnosis trends, and what improved identification means for your district right now. We translate surveillance science into classroom reality.
Drawing on the CDC's "Learn the Signs. Act Early." program and developmental milestone research, this session equips teachers to recognize early indicators of ASD in preschool and early elementary settings — and know the right steps to take. Includes the free CDC Milestone Tracker resource.
A facilitated conversation with parents of children across the spectrum — from preschool to adulthood. This grounding session reframes the IEP table, offers perspective on home–school partnerships, and reminds educators of the profound privilege they hold in each family's story.
Maestra Anna closes the evening with a reflective send-off — grounding the work in both professional excellence and human dignity. Participants receive their Saturday pre-reading materials and resource packet.
Virtual doors open. Recap of Friday's key themes, housekeeping, and introduction of the day's structure across four developmental tracks.
This keynote dismantles the myth of the "autism spectrum" as a simple scale from mild to severe. Maestra Anna uses vivid metaphor, case illustrations, and current neuroscience to show educators how ASD presents differently across ages, genders, cultural backgrounds, and co-occurring conditions.
Designed for PreK–K educators. Covers sensory-friendly classroom design, play-based assessment, communication supports for non-verbal learners, ABA in the preschool setting, and the DIR/Floortime model. Includes case vignettes from real classroom scenarios.
Hands-on workshop module. Educators learn to apply TEACCH (Treatment and Education of Autistic and Related Communication-Handicapped Children) principles: visual schedules, structured work systems, task organization, and clear physical boundaries within classroom spaces. Includes printable templates.
Addresses the full elementary experience for students with ASD. Covers Universal Design for Learning (UDL), inclusive classroom strategies, peer-mediated social skill programs, behavior support plans vs. punishment, and sensory breaks that restore rather than reward. Based on CDC treatment research and Psychology Today clinical insights.
The often-overlooked stage. This session addresses masking and late diagnosis, anxiety as a co-occurring condition, social challenges at puberty, executive function support, modified curriculum access, and how secondary teachers can create belonging for students who have learned to hide who they are.
A collaborative, practitioner-led workshop on writing measurable, meaningful IEP goals for students with ASD across grade levels. Includes goal-writing templates, common error analysis, and a live drafting practice with peer review.
Transition planning is not a checkbox — it is a life-shaping process. This session covers transition IEP requirements, post-secondary options, employment skills, self-advocacy development, and the services available as students with ASD move into adulthood. Includes community resource mapping.
The conference closes with Maestra Anna's signature keynote — equal parts challenge and encouragement. Participants leave with a personal commitment card, a curated resource library, and a renewed sense of why this work matters. Certificate of Completion issued at close.
Early identification, preschool classroom design, sensory foundations, communication supports, DIR/Floortime, and the critical first IEP.
Academic access through UDL, social skill development, peer modeling, behavior support frameworks, and collaborative family partnerships.
Masking and late diagnosis, anxiety management, executive function scaffolding, secondary curriculum access, and belonging in the secondary school.
Transition IEP planning, employment readiness, self-advocacy skills, post-secondary pathways, and adult services navigation.
The CDC's landmark 2025 surveillance summary covering ASD prevalence among 4- and 8-year-old children across 16 U.S. communities. Essential data for every district conversation.
Access ReportThe CDC's educator-facing toolkit including the free Milestone Tracker app, classroom play-based monitoring tools, and early identification guidance for educators of children ages 2 months to 5 years.
Access ToolkitCDC's clinical and educational treatment framework covering behavioral, developmental, educational, and social-relational interventions — the research base behind this conference's curriculum.
Read the OverviewA curated set of Psychology Today articles examining ASD diagnosis, anxiety as a co-occurring condition, adolescent masking, and the neuroscience of the spectrum — recommended reading for conference participants.
Browse ArticlesResearch-informed guidance on sensory sensitivities in students with ASD, practical classroom accommodations, and the science behind why "sensory breaks" restore regulation rather than reward avoidance.
Read MoreA practitioner guide to the TEACCH model's five elements of structured teaching: physical structure, visual schedules, work systems, task organization, and visual information. The evidence-based backbone of our Saturday workshop.
Read the GuideFull two-day attendance. Partial-day credits available for Friday-only or Saturday-only participation. Contact us for district bulk registration and invoice options.