Report on Autism Conference Sponsored by NEC*TAS (Hartford, Connecticut, February 1996).

This issue of the "Early Childhood Bulletin" is a summary of information that was presented at a 1996 conference on autism sponsored by the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS). Participants included Part H and Part B, Section 619 Program coordinators, individual program providers, and Interagency Coordinating Council (ICC) parents of children with autism. The single overriding theme discussed was the need for family support in a variety of forms, including parent training, in-school respite care, and programs for keeping children occupied during school vacations. Parents at the conference all agreed that one of the hardest challenges they face is choosing which method of intervention to try. Evidence was cited that supports a multiple approach to intervention and education. Another issue discussed was the great variation among individual children within the overall category of autism. One critical need that emerged from the conference was the need for more research, especially in the area of outcomes and efficacy. Two books on autism are briefly reviewed at the end of the bulletin: "Thinking in Pictures and Other Reports from My Life" (Temple Grandin) and "Out of Silence" (Russell Martin). (SG)