The Interdisciplinary Council on Learning Disorders will hold its Annual Conference next Friday through Sunday (November 7th-9th) highlighting ethical issues in autism. What is remarkable about this is that the creator of the widely acclaimed framework for caring for children with Autism and founder of ICLD, Stanley Greenspan, and Editor-in-Chief of AJOB, Glenn McGee with both be speaking at this conference about the emergent, critical, and rapidly expanding ethical problems associated with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorders).
McGee will specifically speak on the ethical issues in educating children with autism while Greenspan will address an ethical approach to overcoming aggression and misbehavior in schools. (See program for further details.)
Elevating ethical issues in autism is a sign that the fields of bioethics, mental health, education, and others are beginning to connect out of a clear need to draw on as many frameworks as possible to help society cope with the dramatic increase in the number of children diagnosed with autism who will be attending daycare, public and private schools, and colleges, as well as utilizing the healthcare system.
This promises to be an interesting series of talks that hopefully will raise awareness about autism among the bioethics community and about bioethics among the autism community.
Summer Johnson, PhD