8:30 – 9:00 AM

Registration and networking breakfast

9:00 – 9:15 AM

Meeting opening and welcoming remarks

Co-Hosts: 

• Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Vice President, Research and Director, Bloorview Research Institute
• Family leader co-host – to be confirmed

9:15 – 10:00 AM

Linguistic profiles and brain mechanisms of limited spoken language in autistic youth

Presented by: Dr. Lindsay Butler, Assistant Professor of Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences, Connecticut Institute for the Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Director, Brain and Language on the Autism Spectrum Lab

This talk will discuss methodological challenges and solutions in communication assessment and brain imaging with minimally/non-verbal autistic youth. Naturalistic and implicit approaches that our lab has developed will be outlined, including natural language sampling, psycholinguistic experimental tasks, and functional near-infrared spectroscopy for real-world brain imaging. How the practice of Speech-Language Pathology and a community-engaged collaborative approach has enhanced and advanced this research program will be discussed throughout the talk. 

10:00 – 10:30 AM

Access innovations for children and youth with limited functional speech and motor control

Presented by: Dr. Tom Chau, Distinguished Senior Scientist, Bloorview Research Institute

This talk will introduce a sampling of access technologies developed at Holland Bloorview for children and youth whose unique expressive abilities are not functionally accommodated by conventional access technologies. Examples will include access technologies based on extant motor control, vocalizations, orofacial gestures and brain activity. Selected case vignettes will be provided and some challenges with access technology delivery will be highlighted. The talk will close with a brief mention of current developments. 

10:30 – 10:45 AM

Refreshment break

10:45 – 11:30 AM

Panel session – research agenda for minimally verbal and nonverbal individuals

Moderated by: Dr. Jessica Brian, Senior Clinician Scientist, Psychologist, Bloorview Research Institute 

Panelists:

• Alison Singer, President, Autism Science Foundation Canada
• Natalie Richter, Parent and Family Advisor, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital, Language Research Collaborator
• Vithangi Ramachandran, Speech-Language Pathologist, Senior Director, Speech-Language and Adult Services, South Asian Autism Awareness Centre (SAAAC)
• Donna Cappelli, Family leader, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital 

11:30 AM – 12:00 PM

Promoting accessible communication: evaluating AAC apps for autistic children and youth 

Presented by: 

• Lauren Denusik, SLP/PhD student, Western University
• June Coan-Brill, SLP/PhD student, Western University

In recent years, the number of AAC applications available for tablets and phones has increased significantly. Our talk will discuss the preliminary results of a systematic health app review that aims to explore and compare AAC apps for Android and Apple devices. Recommendations and considerations for accessible AAC apps will be provided to support clinical decision-making for clinicians, families, and clients. 

12:00 – 1:00 PM

Networking lunch and Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) demo 

1:00 – 1:30 PM

Accessible language comprehension for children with significant speech and motor limitations: Tailoring a new tool for the Canadian context

Presented by: 

• Dr. BJ Cunningham, Assistant Professor, School of Communication Sciences and Disorders, Western University, Scientist, CanChild, Associate Scientist, Children’s Health Research Institute
• Aileen Costigan, Assistant Clinical Professor, C-BiLLT Project Manager, School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Western University
• June Coan-Brill, SLP/PhD student, Western University  

1:30 – 1:50 PM

Using neuroimaging to assess language comprehension in autistic individuals with limited functional speech 

Presented by: Dr. Morgan Barense, Professor and Glassman Chair in Neuropsychology, Director, Toronto Neuroimaging Facility, Department of Psychology, University of Toronto 

Some autistic individuals may understand far more than they can express. But because traditional assessments rely on motor responses like speech or pointing, they often miss this gap between receptive and expressive language—especially in those with motor control difficulties. This project uses brain imaging to infer narrative comprehension directly from patterns of brain activity, offering a way to assess understanding without requiring any motor output.

1:50 – 2:10 PM

Smart watches to virtual reality: technology supports for children 

Presented by: Dr. Azadeh Kushki, Senior Scientist, Associate Chief of Data Science, Bloorview Research Institute, Associate Professor, Institute of Biomaterial and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto
Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Neurodiversity and Personalized Health 

2:10 – 2:30 PM 

Facilitated discussion 

Moderated by: Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Vice President, Research and Director, Bloorview Research Institute

2:30 – 2:45 PM

Refreshment break 

2:45 – 3:45 PM

A “minimal responder” profile in autistic children: toward promoting development and supporting families

Presented by: Dr. Isabel Smith, Professor, Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Autism Research Centre, Dalhousie University 

Dr. Smith will describe a 20-year program of research in autism intervention aimed at establishing which children benefitted to the greatest and least extent from a province-wide program for autistic preschoolers (based on Pivotal Response Treatment), and at refining intervention approaches for the children at greatest disadvantage.

Presentation of inaugural Lifetime Award in Pediatric Disability Research  

Award recipient: Dr. Isabel Smith, Professor, Division of Developmental Pediatrics, Autism Research Centre, Dalhousie University 

3:45 – 4:00 PM 

Closing remarks and adjournment 

Co-Hosts: 

• Dr. Evdokia Anagnostou, Vice President, Research and Director, Bloorview Research Institute
• Family leader co-host – to be confirmed