Autism Heroes: Ariana Viscione
Ariana Viscione, age 23, is an outspoken advocate for herself and others.
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Get the latest autism updates from SPARK, including information about genes and ASD research, webinars, and personal stories from our community.
Our ‘genes’ page provides short, easy-to-understand descriptions of genes linked to autism. Under ‘research’, you’ll find the latest updates from SPARK and other autism studies. In our ‘stories’ section, families, scientists and others share their journeys. In our monthly webinars, speakers from the autism community provide useful information for families and people with autism. All are welcome–invitation links are issued in our monthly newsletter. If you have suggestions for webinar topics, please email us at webinars@sparkforautism.org.
Partnering for Autism
Our fifth webinar, moderated by Alison Singer, MBA, features Ann Palmer of the Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities and Patricia Manning, M.D. of the Kelly O’Leary Center. In this webinar, our speakers discuss different approaches to partnering in the autism community. Each speaker brings a different perspective about how developing relationships from within the community enhance program outcomes. This webinar is 45 minutes long.
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Advocating For Your Loved One with Autism
The speaker for our third webinar is Gary Mayerson, JD, founder of Mayerson and Associates, the nation’s first civil rights law firm dedicated to representing individuals with autism. In this webinar, Mayerson discusses how families can have an effective IEP meeting and make the case for services and assessments. This webinar is 60 minutes long.
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Meet Amy Gravino
Amy Gravino was recently asked to take part in the SPARK online research partnership, and was both excited and apprehensive to hear about the study’s purpose and intended goals.
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Meet Sunghee Park
Sunghee Park and her family have a packed schedule. They participated in SPARK because online participation is perfect for her and her son.
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Meet Pam Kattouf
Pam Kattouf and her family want to accelerate research to discover better treatments for people with autism. They know that the more people that participate, the better research can be, and hope that many more will join SPARK.
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Meet Darnell Carr Newsum
Darnell Carr Newsum has two children with autism, each with unique strengths and challenges. By participating in SPARK, she hopes researchers can uncover some of the causes and supports for her children and many others.
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Meet Alycia Halladay
Years of professional experience in the autism field and the personal experience of having a daughter with autism spectrum disorder have Alycia Halladay invested in advancing autism research.
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