The Anna Shaw Children’s Institute (ASCI) will host the seventh annual North Georgia Autism Conference on Friday, Oct. 28 at the Dalton Convention Center. ASCI follows social distancing and CDC guidelines.

Registration is now open by visiting www.hamiltonhealth.com/autismconference.

Keynote speakers will include Haley Moss, Esq., and Jackie and Jordyn Moore.

Moss, an author, artist and advocate who made international headlines when she became Florida’s first attorney who was open about having autism, will present at the conference. Moss was diagnosed with autism at age 3. She says she is passionate about disability inclusion and neurodiversity. She has been featured in Forbes Magazine, USA Today, Yahoo! Life, New York Post, CNN and more.

“I take that passion to help our world be more inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities,” Moss says on her website. “My personal and professional experiences allow me to bring unique insight and perspective across different professions and settings.”

Jackie and Jordyn Moore will share their stories related to autism. Their family has a business, at bekindtoeveryone.com, selling T-shirts. The business began as a summer project to sell shirts to family and friends with the purpose of teaching job skills to Jordyn, who has autism. Be Kind to Everyone tees have been sold in all 50 states, and Jordyn has been featured on 11 Alive, Fox 5 Atlanta, 94.9 The Bull, Forsyth County News and Love What Matters.

“We are excited to continue our mission in providing a well-rounded conference with presentations to help increase functional skill development and decrease behavioral challenges to ensure individuals with autism can live enriched successful lives,” said Lindsey Coker, educational resource coordinator. “By bringing speakers such as these, the North Georgia Autism Conference can continue to be viewed as the premier conference in the region.”  

The event is intended for parents, caregivers, educators, professionals, medical providers, young adults on the autism spectrum, self-advocates and other interested individuals.

The planning committee is requesting presentation proposals from professionals, to be presented in one of the conference tracks: parents, educators, young adults with autism, Spanish speakers and healthcare providers. Submissions are due by 5 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 12. The submission deadline may be closed early if all presentation slots are filled.

Limited stipends may be available on a case-by-case basis.

Interested individuals may go to hamiltonhealth.com/conferencepresentations.

For more information, please contact Coker at lcoker@hhcs.org