Phil Christie online on June 6, 2008 to answer your questions on educating individuals with autism

[Guest guest]

Hello all,

www.awares.org/conferences

Just to let you know that, in the fourth of our series of one-day online

autism seminars on Awares in 2008, we are delighted to welcome Phil

Christie, a leading British educationalist in the field of autism, who is

presenting a paper on early education but is happy to answer questions about

many different aspects of educating autistic individuals.

Phil Christie is Director of Sutherland House Children's Services, part of

NORSACA (a regional autism charity). This includes retaining an advisory

and strategic role for Sutherland House School, of which he was Principal

for more than 20 years. Sutherland House is a non-maintained special school

for 84 pupils and students with autism between the ages of 3 and 19. The

school has recently been awarded specialist status and was judged to be

outstanding by OFSTED in 2007. Phil is closely involved with the diagnosis

of children with disorders of communication and development at the

Newson Centre, where he leads a team of Consultant Child Psychologists. The

centre has a particular specialism in Pathological Demand Avoidance

syndrome, a condition first described by Newson and increasingly

being recognised as a sub-group within the autism spectrum. The centre

carries out a range of other activities such as training and research, which

included an action research project on early diagnosis and intervention with

2-3 year olds with autism. This project refined an approach known as

'Frameworks for Communication', which prompted the development of the Early

Communication and Autism Partnership, a multi-agency service in

Nottinghamshire. For a number of years Phil was a team leader on the Autism

Services Accreditation Programme, reviewing the quality of services for

children with autism throughout the UK. He was one of the two the founding

Chairs of the Confederation for Service Providers for People with Autism and

held this position in the school's section from 1990-95. Phil is an

Associate Editor of 'Good Autism Practice' and previously undertook the same

role for 'Autism: International Journal of Research and Practice'. Phil has

been involved in training sessions and presentations on a range of topics

related to autism across the UK and also in South Africa, Spain, Sweden,

Holland, Finland, Belgium and Greece.

The seminar will open at 12.01am British time on June 6, 2008, to allow

delegates from overseas to enter their questions. Phil will be available to

respond to questions from 1pm GMT on June 6 and the seminar will run until

11.59pm GMT that day.

Don't miss this unprecedented opportunity to put your questions to Phil

Christie on June 6, 2008.

You can register right now for this exciting event at

www.awares.org/conferences

Best wishes,

Adam Feinstein