Karen Simmons

A gemologist by trade, Simmons switched gears to help her real gems, her six children. Once her son, Jonathan was diagnosed with autism, she devoted her life to helping him and others with autism become their personal best. Simmons’ first book, Little Rainman: Autism Through the Eyes of a Child, was written from three-year-old Jonny’s perspective to help his teachers, siblings, and other parents understand his uniqueness. Highly articulate, Jonny speaks for so many who cannot, as the thousands who have read Little Rainman have told us.

Karen’s love and passion to help those with autism led her to create more resources, write books, found the website, www.AutismToday.com, host conferences and ultimately become one of the world’s leading clearinghouses on information and help for those with autism and Asperger’s syndrome. As CEO of Autism Today, she hosts expert classes designed for parents, educators, doctors, therapists, and those who serve the autism and special needs community.

As co-author of Chicken Soup for the Soul, Children with Special Needs with Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, and Heather McNamara, Karen also empowers others to share their heartwarming stories. Her son, Alex, was diagnosed with ADHD, making two of her six children the inspiration for all her work.

Karen authored several other titles: Artism: Art by Those with Autism, The Autism Experience: Stories of Hope and Love, Peace of Mind for Autism (CD); Autism From The Soul (CD), Surrounded By Miracles, plus the Amazon bestseller and Book Of The Year In The Medicine Category, The Official Autism 101 Manual. Her books have received critical acclaim from media sources such as Fox News, Global News, PBS, ABC’s View from the Bay, and Woman’s World Magazine.

Bill Davis

Bill Davis began speaking for and representing his son, Chris, to give him a voice. He quickly became a stellar advocate for children and adults with autism. Bill is the author of two books: Breaking Autism’s Barriers: A Father’s Story and Dangerous Encounters: Avoiding Perilous Situations With Autism. Davis speaks throughout the country, at universities and before Congress. He has trained hundreds of Emergency Service Responders, served as an expert witness and written numerous articles for autism journals. Bill is the past President of the Harrisburg (Pennsylvania) Chapter of The Autism Society of America (ASA), a representative for Unlocking Autism, and recipient of Temple University’s ‘End of The Victim’s Silence’ Advocacy Award.

Carolyn Bruey

Carolyn T. Bruey, Psy.D., BCBA, has been supporting individuals with autism spectrum disorders, their families, and educational settings for over thirty years. She is currently the Supervisor of School Psychologists and ABA Consultants for the Lancaster-Lebanon Intermediate Unit 13 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, as well as the onsite administrator for the IU 13’s center-based educational program servicing students with significant behavioral challenges. Dr. Bruey is the author of Demystifying Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Guide to Diagnosis for Parents and Professionals, as well as chapters in various books focusing upon best practices when supporting children and adults with autism spectrum disorders.

Eric Chessen

Eric Chessen, M.S., YCS, is an Exercise Physiologist and the Founder of Autism Fitness. In addition to working with young athletes on the autism spectrum, Eric consults with educational and therapeutic programs around the world. He presents workshops and his own Autism Fitness Initiative seminars for parents, educators, and professionals seeking to optimize the health and development of individuals with special needs. For more information, visit www.AutismFitness.com.

John Dowson

John is the Executive Director and founder of LifeTRUST Planning. He is the author of "Lifetime Security Planning Kit," a do-it-yourself future planning guide that shows parents how to prepare a future life plan for their child, and “Just Imagine” a simple planning guide. John is a long standing member of “Community Living Newmarket and Aurora District” and chairs their annual "Tribute Dinner" committee. He is a co-trustee and advocate of a special needs “Henson” trust for his niece. John has spoken on Life Planning issues to over 300 organizations in Canada and a key note speaker at provincial and national conferences for parents of people with disabilities. For more information, visit www.life-trust.com.

John Halloran

John Halloran is a speech and language pathologist, and Senior Clinical Associate for The Center for AAC and Autism. He received his Masters Degree in Communicative Disorders from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in 1992. He has worked in the field of Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) since 1994 and has taught augmentative communication at local universities. He was the primary developer of Language Acquisition through Motor Planning and trains therapists, educators, and parents nationally on developing language and communication through AAC.

Julie Matthews

Julie Matthews is an internationally respected autism nutrition specialist and author of the award-winning book, “Nourishing Hope for Autism,” and the creator of “Cooking to Heal: Autism Nutrition and Cooking Class” (DVD). Julie provides diet and nutrition intervention guidance backed by scientific research and applied clinical experience. She presents at the leading biomedical autism conferences in the US and abroad. For more information, visit www.NourishingHope.com.

Katya Hill

Katya Hill, Ph.D., CCC-SLP is an internationally recognized speaker in the field of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Her career reflects her mission of improving the quality of life for children with autism by advocating for the most effective communication possible.

Dr. Hill is a speech and language pathologist with over thirty years of clinical and teaching experience. Currently, she is an Associate Professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders at the University of Pittsburgh where she conducts research on AAC performance measurement and language activity monitoring. Dr. Hill is a co-founder of the AAC Institute and ICAN Talk Clinics a worldwide resource for AAC education, clinical services and research. She is also the Executive Director of the AAC Institute.

Keri Bowers

Keri Bowers, is the creator of the hit film, Normal People Scare Me; the Sandwich Kid; & ARTS. Seminars and workshops based on her workbook, Mapping Transitions to Your Child’s Future have Keri traveling around the world to share her work in possibilities, disabilities, and the arts. Her current film in production is called Desire, a film about sexuality and disabilities. For more information, visit www.NormalFilms.com.

Kim Schnepper

Kim A. Schnepper, CLTC (Certified Long Term Care) specialist, and a Financial Representative, specializes in helping families who have children with developmental disabilities, as well as helping all families create proper plans for their future.

She and contributing author, Martin Cherrin, work with most financial companies, so they can best suit the needs of their clients. They focus on special needs planning, charitable giving, but most importantly they make sure that you, your child, and entire family receive the proper help and guidance needed.

You can reach Kim at the Forest Hills Financial Group at (212) 687-8901 for more information on how to create a sound financial plan for your child or family member.

Kumar Ramlall, M.D.

Kumar Ramlall, BSc, M.D., FAAP, FRCPC, FCCP, is a Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Alberta specializing in Pediatric Pulmonology, and is the Chief Examiner of the Royal College Pediatric Respirology Board. His medical practice previously focused on children with the most complex medical problems and helping them get the most “function” and the most “living” with the medical conditions they had. His son had Autism Spectrum Disorder and is now showing marked improvement. He and his wife are experts at using principles from business and personal development to improve the outcomes for pre-school children with developmental problems and are committed to teaching other families these skills. For more information, visit www.ThinkTAction.com.

Martin Cherrin

Mr. Cherrin is a Registered Representative of Park Avenue Securities LLC (PAS), 95-25 Queens Blvd. 10th Floor, Rego Park, NY 11374. He focuses on special needs planning, charitable giving and help for families who have special needs children. Securities products and services are offered through PAS, (718) 268-9255.

He and Ms. Schnepper are Financial Representatives of Guardian Life Insurance Company of America (Guardian), New York, NY. PAS is an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Guardian. PAS is a member of FINRA, SIPC.

Forest Hills Financial Group is not a wholly owned subsidiary of the Guardian. The information presented here is designed for educational purposes and is not intended to be tax or legal advice. Guardian, its agents, subsidiaries and employees do not give tax or legal advice. For specific advice, seek and rely upon the advice of a qualified tax advisor or attorney.

Mary Beth Urban

Mary Beth Urban, M.Ed., is co-author in The Autism Transition Guide and has been working with children with disabilities and their families for twenty-one years. Her work as a special education teacher and special education consultant for secondary programs provided her with a variety of experiences related to developing transition services for students, including those with developmental disabilities and those on the Autism spectrum.

Pat Wyman

Pat Wyman is an educational consultant and author. She is the CEO and founder of HowToLearn, best-selling author of Learning vs. Testing: Strategies That Bridge the Gap Between Learning Styles and Test Taking Success; Instant Learning for Amazing Grades; and co-author in the IPPY, Book Of The Year in the Medicine Category, The Official Autism 101 Manual. She is also a university instructor at California State University, East Bay, a legislative expert, who testifies on school vision screening legislation and specializes in solving reading and learning challenges. For more information, visit www.HowToLearn.com.

Stephen Shore

Stephen Shore has Asperger’s, is a professor at Adelphi University and earned the following degrees: Ed.D. in Education, Boston University (2008); M.A. in Music Education, Boston University (1992); B.A. in Music Education, University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1986); B.A. in Accounting and Information Systems, University of Massachusetts at Amherst (1986); Ed.D. (2008) Boston University. For more information, visit www.AutismAsperger.net.

Temple Grandin

Dr. Temple Grandin presently works as a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. She speaks around the world on both autism and cattle handling. Dr. Tony Attwood, world renowned expert on ASD, says this about Temple, "Temple is my hero. She has my vote for the person who has provided the greatest advance in our understanding of autism this century."

HBO recently featured Dr. Grandin in a special television series on autism titled, “Temple Grandin,” which won 5 Emmy Awards in 2010.  She inspired millions with her story and advancements despite having Asperger’s and holds a place in history as the most famous woman with autism.  

Watch Karen Simmons introduce Temple Grandin.

Dr. Grandin is the best selling author of multiple books, including, The Way I See It: A Personal Look At Autism and Asperger’s; Thinking In Pictures: My Life With Autism; Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships and Animals Make Us Human. For more information, visit www.TempleGrandin.com.

These 16 authors, experts and professionals collaborated to write this groundbreaking new book. It gives practical information to parents and helps dispel common myths about autism at the same time.

Each contributing author shares their experiences and deep commitment for you and your child's happiness and success today and in the future. Purchase your copy today!