36th Annual Autism Conference
Kalahari Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells, WI
Thursday, April 3– Saturday, April 5, 2025

Deadline for Proposal Submissions: Friday, November 15, 2024

We are currently accepting proposals for the 2025 Annual Conference. The purpose of the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin’s Annual Conference is to provide a wide range of information to those within the autism community. Our goal is to provide relevant information for attendees at all levels, including those who are new to autism and those who have years of experience.

Breakout sessions take place on Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, 2025, lasting one hour each. We are not able to offer an honorarium or cover expenses for any presenters. Presenters do receive a discounted registration to attend the conference. Participants attending appreciate clear topic descriptions of what your session will look like. If selected, your presentation must coincide with the description provided in your proposal.

Proposal Considerations

We are looking for dynamic and empowering proposals that include practical strategies and evidence based practices encompassing issues facing Autistic individuals, their families, and those that support them.  Areas of interest include:

  • Academic Supports
  • Accessibility
  • Adolescence/Puberty
  • Advocacy
  • Assistive Technology
  • Autistic Culture and Perspectives
  • Communication
  • Culturally Responsive Practices
  • Diversity and Intersectionality
  • Employment/Vocational Training
  • Executive Function
  • Family Engagement and Supports
  • Inclusive Practices
  • Independent Living, Housing, Transportation
  • Long-Term Planning
  • Medical/Healthcare
  • Mental Health
  • Sensory Processing/Self-Regulation
  • Sessions with Advanced Level Content
  • Social Connection & Inclusion
  • Transition to Adulthood
  • Self Determination

Presenter Roles & Responsibilities

All presenters will:
  • Confirm commitment to present within 1 week of notification of selection.
  • Refrain from changing the title and content of the session after the proposal has been accepted.
  • Provide a PowerPoint presentation after the proposal has been accepted.  All selected presenters are required to email their presentation handouts in PowerPoint format to alefevre@autismgreaterwi.org by March 19, 2025.  The handouts will be converted to PDF handouts and placed on a secure website for conference attendees to print on their own.
  • Adhere to Universal Design Guidelines.
  • Use respectful language while presenting. We ask that all presenters:

    • Please use Neurodiverse affirming verbiage. Avoiding functioning labels (high, low, mild, severe, etc), and instead discuss relevant supports or services for targeted needs of individuals. 
    • Refrain from using the r-word in any context.
    • Please avoid possible triggering terminology. Including but not limited to mentions of; restraint, seclusion, self-harm, or other types of abuses. If these topics are part of your presentation, please list them in your submission.
  • Provide their own laptop computer at the conference.  A screen, projector, slide advancer, and microphone will be provided in each breakout session room. MAC users are required to bring the appropriate adapter to hook up to the LCD or VGA projector.  The Autism Society cannot guarantee the Kalahari will have additional adapters for use.
  • Adhere to all deadlines specified in the proposal form.

Factors Affecting Selection

The purpose of the Autism Society of Greater Wisconsin’s Annual Conference is to provide a wide range of information to those within the autism community. Our goal is to provide relevant information for attendees at all levels, including those who are new to autism and those who have years of experience. The following factors will be considered when selecting proposals:

  • Thoughtful completion of ALL sections of the proposal and adherence to directions.
  • Relevance to conference attendees.
  • Number of presentations on the same or similar topics and/or subtopics.
  • Content-area coverage.
  • Presenters’ apparent level of expertise.
  • Professional and geographic distribution of presenters.

Selection Timeline

  • November 15th, 2024 – Deadline to submit proposal
  • Late December 2024 – Decision notices are sent
  • Early January 2025 – Time/day of sessions are sent
  • March 19th, 2025 – Microsoft PowerPoint presentations of accepted proposals due for online handouts

*Confirm you can make it: breakout sessions may be scheduled the morning of Friday, April 4th through early afternoon Saturday, April 5th. Please do not submit a proposal if you are unable to present your session at any point during this time-frame. Special scheduling requests are not guaranteed.

Please contact Amber LeFevre at alefevre@autismgreaterwi.org with any questions.