Autism New Jersey’s 39th Annual Conference a Success

On October 21 and 22, 2021, Autism New Jersey launched its online conference community to attendees of the 39th Annual Conference. The Power of Connection was on full display featuring seven live Keynote addresses, 21 new workshops, and interactive features exclusively for our attendees in a 2-day live event.

Autism New Jersey Executive Director, Dr. Suzanne Buchanan welcomed more than 1,000 attendees from across the nation by reiterating the agency’s commitment to inform, connect, and advocate for the autism community. Dr. Buchanan addressed the toll the pandemic continues to have on our families, while addressing the health, safety, diversity, and quality of life for individuals with autism of all ages and abilities.

Conference Highlights

Seven live Keynote addresses from national leaders in the field gave us the platform to address critical topics needed now more than ever including diversity and inclusion, addressing problem behavior, law enforcement, promoting happiness, and advancements in research on the potential causes of autism.

Our carefully curated program included 21 workshops by expert presenters on a variety of topics for attendees to build a custom conference schedule. Attendees also accessed 45 workshops from last year using our 2020 Encore Track.

We hosted five live “Hot Topic Meet-ups” during the first two weeks of our conference to facilitate open-forum discussions with our presenters. Each meet-up offered time for attendees to ask questions, share their experiences, and network with each other.

The Power of Connection

Our platform included community boards with dozens of discussion topics linking attendees, presenters, sponsors, self-advocates, and families to specific topics ranging from job openings for professionals to support groups for families.

On-Demand Access

Attendees had the opportunity to continue to browse the library of recorded workshops, remain engaged on the community boards, and visit our sponsor exhibit booths with on-demand access through January 19, 2022.

We want to thank everyone who attended, our presenters, and sponsors for working with us as we hosted our second virtual conference. The support undoubtedly added to the success of this event.

Save the date!

We are actively planning an in-person event to celebrate the event’s 40th Anniversary at Harrah’s in Atlantic City on October 20 & 21, 2022!