By Kadi Luchsinger
Kadi Luchsinger, selected by Autism Science Foundation as a 2012 IMFAR Travel Grantee, is a parent an 11 year old son with Dup15q Syndrome.
I was so pleased to have the opportunity to attend the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR). I went with a mission: to meet as many people as I could and learn from them, but also to share my knowledge of Dup15q Syndrome. I’m pleased to say I accomplished my mission.
I spent a fair amount of my time at IMFAR reviewing the poster presentations. It was wonderful to see the young researchers’ excitement and to discuss their research. I wanted to know how they developed their hypothesis, how they were funded and what obstacles they encountered. It was enlightening for me to talk to those in the trenches and to gain a better understanding of the research world. As the Executive Director of Dup15q Alliance, gaining this understanding was important because our organization is moving in the direction of funding research. Speaking with some of the top experts in the field who are working on Dup15q related projects was also a priority to me.
As a science junkie, I enjoyed the keynote address by Dr. Feldman, entitled Bio-Behavioral Synchrony and the Development of Social Reciprocity. The details of her work and the videos were fascinating. She provided a great overview of the importance of relationships to children with autism, explaining it on a biochemical level. There were so many outstanding sessions, at times I felt information overload!
My favorite session was called Communicating Autism Science. The presenters focused on media training, working with the press and communicating with families. I learned about the importance of being prepared ahead of time for the press by developing three key points and practicing these points. This was a great session for me to attend as our organization is a volunteer-run parent organization and we do not have a staff to handle media relations.
In addition to research findings, I learned more about other organizations and the resources they offer in order to share resources with our members. Though I learned so much about the latest autism research, the best thing about IMFAR was meeting the leaders in the field of autism research. I made wonderful connections and learned so much from other attendees.
