Systems are often designed around programs, eligibility requirements, professional roles, and organizational boundaries. Families, however, experience those systems as one continuous journey, and the spaces between them can become some of the most difficult places to navigate.

In this opening presentation, Michelle Whitlow, MS, Executive Director of the Lewis County Autism Coalition, will use the Coalition's growth and community-based work in rural Southwest Washington as a lens for examining what happens when families encounter gaps between education, healthcare, developmental disability services, behavioral health, and community supports.

Through real-world examples and reflection, participants will consider the difference between providing a service and creating genuine belonging, the role relationships and community partnerships can play when formal systems do not fully meet a family's needs, and what becomes possible when professionals, families, and communities work across traditional boundaries.

The presentation will establish the foundation for the conference theme, The Space Between: Where Systems End, Community Begins, & Connection Creates Possibility, and invite participants to consider where “spaces between” exist within their own professional practice and how they can help build stronger connections around students and families. 

Register for the conference here: https://www.lcautism.org/event-details/15th-annual-southwest-washington-autism-conference

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify common gaps that can occur between education, healthcare, developmental disability services, behavioral health, and community-based supports for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families.
2. Examine how relationships, community partnerships, and cross-system collaboration can reduce barriers and strengthen access, participation, and belonging.
3. Reflect on their own professional role and identify opportunities to strengthen connections between students, families, schools, and community systems.

IMPORTANT: Registering for clock hours through pdEnroller does not register you for the Southwest Washington Autism Conference.

Participants must separately register for the conference through the Lewis County Autism Coalition.

Educators seeking continuing education clock hours should also register for this offering through pdEnroller. There is no clock-hour payment collected by the Lewis County Autism Coalition.

Following the conference, attendance will be submitted to ESD 113. Participants who have met attendance requirements will complete the required course evaluation and may then purchase their clock hours directly through pdEnroller at the applicable ESD 113 rate.

Participants are responsible for completing the required attendance verification during the conference. Additional instructions will be provided at check-in.

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

What happens when representation becomes more than simply seeing autistic people on screen and instead becomes a pathway to participation, opportunity, and belonging?

In this interactive presentation, Tyrone “Ty” Greenidge, independent filmmaker, producer, and founder of My Three Angels Pictures Inc., will use the short film Dear Grandpa, It's Michael as a starting point for a broader conversation about autism, neurodivergent representation, employment, mentorship, and community belonging.

Inspired by lived experience with autism, the film project intentionally included neurodivergent cast and crew members, creating opportunities for skill development, mentorship, employment, and meaningful participation both in front of and behind the camera. Through selected film viewing, storytelling, facilitated discussion, and audience reflection, Ty will explore how creative projects can move beyond representation to challenge assumptions, build understanding, and create tangible opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

Participants will consider how educators, families, community organizations, employers, and other systems can use their own roles, resources, and partnerships to create pathways for neurodivergent individuals to develop skills, contribute their strengths, and participate meaningfully in their communities.

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Examine how storytelling and film can increase understanding of autism and neurodiversity while challenging assumptions about autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
2. Identify ways inclusive creative projects can move beyond representation to create opportunities for mentorship, skill development, employment, and meaningful participation.
3. Describe how collaboration among educators, families, community organizations, employers, and creative industries can expand pathways of opportunity for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
4. Identify opportunities within their own professional or community roles to promote inclusion, recognize neurodivergent strengths, and create meaningful opportunities for participation and belonging.

Strong partnerships between families and schools do not happen automatically. They require intention, mutual understanding, trust, and a willingness to move beyond traditional roles and agendas toward genuine collaboration.

In this interactive session, Larry M. Davis, M.Ed., special education advocate, consultant, and former school administrator, will draw from more than four decades of experience in education to explore practical principles for creating stronger, more productive relationships between parents and school professionals.

Using a framework centered on mutual understanding, positive and cohesive engagement, strength-based approaches, and collaborative problem solving, Larry will examine how educators and families can move from positions of disagreement or uncertainty toward shared understanding and solutions focused on the individual needs and strengths of the student.

Participants will leave with practical perspectives they can apply to IEP and 504 processes, family-school communication, problem solving, and everyday interactions with students and families.

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify principles that contribute to authentic and collaborative relationships between families and school personnel, including mutual understanding and strength-based approaches.
2. Recognize communication and relationship practices that can reduce conflict and strengthen trust between educators and families of students with disabilities.
3. Apply collaborative problem-solving approaches to educational conversations, including IEP, 504, and other student-support processes.
4. Consider student and family strengths, perspectives, and priorities when working toward shared educational goals and solutions.

Rural communities often face unique challenges in accessing behavioral health, developmental, educational, and family support services. At the same time, they possess powerful strengths: relationships, local knowledge, creativity, and a willingness to work together when traditional systems do not fully meet community needs.

In this interactive session, Aliza Quinlan, Ph.D., and CEO of Rural Behavioral Connections, will explore how rural communities can build meaningful solutions through collaboration, local leadership, and shared purpose. Drawing from nearly two decades of experience supporting autistic individuals, families, educators, and community providers, as well as her current doctoral research focused on rural advocacy, community collaboration, and behavioral health equity, Aliza will share practical examples of partnerships that bridge gaps between families, schools, healthcare providers, and community-based supports.

Participants will consider the strengths already present within their own communities and identify ways to build relationships and partnerships that promote inclusion, belonging, and more equitable access to support for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families. 

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify strengths and challenges unique to rural communities that influence access to behavioral health, educational, developmental, and community supports.
2. Describe how collaboration among families, educators, healthcare providers, and community organizations can help bridge gaps between formal systems and community needs.
3. Identify practical strategies for building local partnerships that promote inclusion, belonging, and equitable access to support for autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families.

Complex behavior rarely has a single cause, yet individuals and families often encounter systems that examine behavior through only one professional lens at a time.

In this 90-minute facilitated case consultation, participants will work through the story of “Mateo,” a composite case designed to reflect the complexity that autistic and neurodivergent individuals and their families may experience when needs cross multiple systems. The discussion will move beyond asking simply, “How do we stop the behavior?” toward understanding what the behavior may be communicating and what factors may be contributing to it.

A cross-disciplinary panel rich with professional expertise, lived experience, and system-level knowledge will examine Mateo's story together, bringing perspectives from pediatrics and autism assessment, developmental disabilities, psychology, speech-language pathology, behavioral services, special education, family advocacy and crisis support, and lived parent experience. The panel brings together leaders and practitioners working across many of the very systems families are asked to navigate, including Laura Galati, an Autism Center of Excellence physician and rural School-Based Health Center clinician; Kate Orville, MPH; Jim Mancini, MS; Felice Orlich, PhD; Laura Staley, Director of Special Services for Rochester School District; Kaitlan Collie, BCBA; Donna Ramsey, DDA Case Resource Manager; Katrina Davis, Family Advocate/Crisis Case Manager; and Lindsay Hodge, parent panelist.

Rather than approaching Mateo's story through a single professional lens, panelists will be invited to think together in real time, examining what each discipline notices, what another may see differently, where critical information can be lost between systems, and how a more complete understanding emerges when professional expertise is combined with family knowledge and lived experience.

Through facilitated discussion, table reflection, panel consultation, and audience questions, participants will explore how professionals, families, and community partners can share information, recognize the limits of their individual roles, and identify appropriate next steps while keeping the whole person at the center of decision-making.

The session emphasizes curiosity before conclusion, behavior as communication, cross-system collaboration, and the importance of understanding the human story behind what may initially be labeled simply as “complex behavior.”

Scholarships are available for educators who need financial assistance to attend.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Examine complex behavior as a form of communication and identify medical, behavioral, environmental, developmental, relational, and contextual factors that may contribute to what is observed.
2. Recognize the limitations of interpreting behavior through a single professional or system perspective and describe the value of cross-disciplinary information sharing and consultation.
3. Differentiate between observation, interpretation, and assumption when considering the needs of an autistic or neurodivergent individual.
4. Identify role-appropriate next steps educators and other professionals can take when concerns extend beyond their own area of expertise, including collaboration with families and other systems of support.
5. Apply a person-centered approach that considers individual strengths, communication, environment, family knowledge, and lived experience when responding to complex behavior.

When an autistic or neurodivergent individual is experiencing distress or crisis, communication differences, sensory needs, unfamiliar environments, and interactions with first responders can quickly affect the outcome. Building understanding and relationships before a crisis occurs can make those encounters safer and more supportive for everyone involved.

This interactive, cross-sector session brings together developmental disability professionals, regional law enforcement, family perspectives, and community partners with lived experience to explore how families, educators, service providers, and emergency personnel can better prepare for and respond to situations involving autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

Panelists will examine communication and sensory considerations that may influence behavior during high-stress encounters, practical tools families and support teams can use to prepare for emergencies, and ways first responders and communities can build trust and familiarity before they are needed in a crisis. Participants will also learn about regional approaches and resources, including initiatives such as Project Guardian and Project SAFER, that help connect individuals with disabilities, families, and emergency-response systems in their local area.

Through facilitated discussion, real-world perspectives, and audience questions, participants will consider what preparation can happen today to reduce misunderstanding tomorrow, and how stronger relationships between schools, families, disability services, and first responders can contribute to safer, more person-centered responses when a crisis does occur.

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify communication, sensory, and environmental factors that may affect autistic and neurodivergent individuals during high-stress or emergency situations.
2. Describe practical strategies families, educators, and support professionals can use to prepare for potential interactions with first responders before a crisis occurs.
3. Explain how relationship-building and information sharing between individuals, families, schools, disability services, and first responders can improve preparedness, trust, and safety.
4. Identify regional programs, tools, and community resources that can support proactive emergency planning for autistic and developmentally disabled individuals.

Repeat Session: This presentation is offered during both the morning and afternoon breakout periods to increase attendee access to the film screening and facilitated discussion. Participants seeking clock-hour credit should attend this presentation only once and should select a different breakout session during the alternate session period.

What happens when representation becomes more than simply seeing autistic people on screen and instead becomes a pathway to participation, opportunity, and belonging?

In this interactive presentation, Tyrone “Ty” Greenidge, independent filmmaker, producer, and founder of My Three Angels Pictures Inc., will use the short film Dear Grandpa, It's Michael as a starting point for a broader conversation about autism, neurodivergent representation, employment, mentorship, and community belonging.

Inspired by lived experience with autism, the film project intentionally included neurodivergent cast and crew members, creating opportunities for skill development, mentorship, employment, and meaningful participation both in front of and behind the camera. Through film viewing, storytelling, facilitated discussion, and audience reflection, Ty will explore how creative projects can move beyond representation to challenge assumptions, build understanding, and create tangible opportunities for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

Participants will consider how educators, families, community organizations, employers, and other systems can use their own roles, resources, and partnerships to create pathways for neurodivergent individuals to develop skills, contribute their strengths, and experience meaningful participation and belonging within their communities.

Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Learning Objectives

Same objectives as the morning session:

1. Examine how storytelling and film can increase understanding of autism and neurodiversity while challenging assumptions about autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
2. Identify ways inclusive creative projects can move beyond representation to create opportunities for mentorship, skill development, employment, and meaningful participation.
3. Describe how collaboration among educators, families, community organizations, employers, and creative industries can expand pathways of opportunity for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.
4. Identify opportunities within their own professional or community roles to recognize neurodivergent strengths and create meaningful pathways for participation, opportunity, and belonging.

An autism diagnosis does not happen in a cultural vacuum. Families bring language, traditions, values, beliefs, experiences with institutions, and understandings of disability into every interaction they have with schools, healthcare providers, and service systems.

In this interactive session, José Pacheco, LICSW, and Kristal I. Vega Carrasquillo, Community Health & Developmental Support Specialist and Program Coordinator with the Lewis County Autism Coalition, will explore the space between culture and diagnosis and how that space can shape the experiences of Latino families navigating the autism journey.

Participants will examine how language, cultural beliefs, family values, communication styles, access to information, and trust in systems can influence autism screening and identification, engagement with professionals, and a family's ability to access and navigate educational, healthcare, and community supports.

Through professional experience, community perspective, practical examples, discussion, and interactive activities, José and Kristal will explore culturally responsive approaches that help professionals build authentic relationships with Latino families, reduce barriers to participation, and create environments in which families feel heard, respected, understood, and welcomed as meaningful partners.

Participants will leave with practical strategies for strengthening communication and relationships with Latino families while recognizing that culturally responsive practice begins not with assumptions about a community, but with curiosity, humility, listening, and partnership.

***Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

1. Identify cultural, linguistic, familial, and systemic factors that may influence how Latino families experience autism screening, diagnosis, education, and access to services.
2. Recognize potential barriers to communication, trust, participation, and service access for Latino families navigating autism-related systems.
3. Apply culturally responsive communication and engagement strategies that strengthen relationships between professionals and Latino families.
4. Examine their own assumptions and professional practices and identify opportunities to create more equitable, respectful, and family-centered partnerships.
5. Identify practical strategies for partnering with families in ways that recognize family knowledge, cultural context, strengths, priorities, and individual needs.

Autistic self-advocate and disability rights advocate Ivanova Smith brings lived experience, humor, honesty, and years of advocacy to a deeply human conversation about what it means to have a voice in your own life. Ivanova is a thoughtful, funny, candid, intelligent, and very human speaker who skillfully shares her story while inspiring others to build their own.

Ivanova's perspective has been shaped not only by her work as an advocate, but by a lifetime of experiences, from childhood and education to young adulthood, marriage, motherhood, and becoming a leader in Washington's disability community. Her advocacy has included years of work supporting passage of Washington's “Nothing About Us Without Us” legislation, grounded in a simple but powerful principle: people with lived experience must have a meaningful voice in the decisions that affect their lives.

Throughout the day, this conference asks participants to examine the spaces between systems, between education and adulthood, diagnosis and meaningful support, eligibility and actual access, professional expertise and lived experience, and services and genuine community belonging. Ivanova brings those conversations back to the person at the center of them.

Through stories, lived experience, advocacy, and reflection, Ivanova will challenge participants to consider what changes when educators, professionals, families, and systems move beyond speaking about or for autistic people and instead listen to, learn from, and work with them.

This closing keynote invites participants to carry the principle of Nothing About Us Without Us beyond the conference and into the everyday decisions, relationships, classrooms, organizations, and communities where belonging is ultimately created.

***Scholarships are available for educators who may need financial assistance with conference registration.

Participants will examine the importance of autistic lived experience and meaningful participation in decisions, practices, and systems that affect autistic and neurodivergent individuals.

Participants will identify ways educators and other professionals can support student voice, self-advocacy, self-determination, and meaningful inclusion in educational and community settings.

Participants will reflect on how professional assumptions, practices, and systems can either create barriers to or expand opportunities for belonging, access, participation, and equity for autistic and neurodivergent individuals.