15th Annual Southwest Washington Autism Conference

Dear Friends,

The Lewis County Autism Coalition warmly invites you to join us for the 15th Annual

Southwest Washington Autism Conference on Friday,

October 30, 2026, from 8:30am (opening remarks) to 4:00 p.m.

at Great Wolf Lodge in Grand Mound, Washington.

For fifteen years, the Southwest Washington Autism Conference has brought together families, professionals, advocates, and community partners from Lewis County and communities throughout Southwest Washington and beyond.

Every day, autistic and neurodivergent individuals, families, educators, healthcare professionals, first responders, service providers, and community partners navigate the spaces between healthcare, education, developmental disability services, family support, public safety, employment, community resources, and everyday life.

Each system has an important role. But people do not live their lives inside one system at a time. Meaningful support often depends upon what happens between them: whether information travels, whether relationships exist, whether people understand one another, and whether someone is willing to bridge the gap.

That is where collaboration begins.

That is where community matters.

That is where possibility opens.

That is The Space Between.

This full-day conference will bring together autistic and neurodivergent self-advocates, families, educators, clinicians, therapists, developmental disability professionals, first responders, service organizations, researchers, and community leaders to share practical strategies, elevate lived experience, strengthen partnerships, and explore better pathways of support across the lifespan.

What to Expect

Attendees can expect a full day of learning, conversation, and connection, including:

• Engaging keynote and breakout presentations

• Autistic and neurodivergent voices and lived-experience perspectives

• Practical strategies for families, educators, healthcare professionals, first responders, service providers, and community partners

• Conversations about rural access, education, healthcare, culture, crisis prevention, family support, and cross-system collaboration

• A special interdisciplinary lunch plenary built around a complex real-world case

• Film and storytelling exploring autism, opportunity, and belonging

• Opportunities to connect directly with presenters, professionals, advocates, and community organizations

• A Resource and Exhibitor Hall featuring organizations serving Southwest Washington and beyond

• A Silent Auction featuring original artwork and unique donated pieces, including work created by people with lived experience

• A delicious, warm lunch catered by Great Wolf Lodge, is included with registration

  
  

(If you are an artist yourself and would like to add to our growing list of beautifully

donated pieces, please contact Krystian at (360) 508-5825 or Michelle at executivedirector@lcautism.org

Conversations Across the Day Will Explore:

How rural communities build solutions together; what stronger partnerships between families and schools can look like; how storytelling can create pathways to opportunity and belonging; the experiences of Latino families navigating autism diagnosis and services; ways to build safer relationships with first responders before a crisis occurs; developmental disability services and advocacy; behavior and family support; healthcare and co-occurring needs; and what becomes possible when systems stop working in isolation and begin working together.

A Special Lunch Plenary

The Human Story Behind Complex Behavior

Lunch will be part of the learning experience.

Through a facilitated interdisciplinary case discussion, attendees will meet “Mateo,” a fictional individual whose needs cross multiple systems and whose story will unfold throughout the session.

An interdisciplinary panel will examine the case from the perspectives of healthcare, developmental disability services, education, family support, community navigation, and lived experience.

But this will not simply be a panel of experts telling the audience what should happen.

Attendees will be invited into the conversation, considering what each system can do, where responsibility becomes unclear, what happens when services do not connect, and what meaningful collaboration can look like in the first days, weeks, and months of a complex situation.

It is The Space Between brought to life: one person, many systems, and the question of what becomes possible when people stop working in silos.

REGISTER FOR THE CONFERENCE

Standard Registration: $75

Late Registration: $90

Beginning October 15, 2026

A delicious, warm lunch is included with registration.

Conference Scholarships

We believe everyone should have the opportunity to learn, connect, and belong.

A limited number of scholarships are available for autistic self-advocates, parents,

caregivers, educators, students, professionals, and community members who need

financial assistance. Applications will be reviewed as they

are received and awarded based on available funding.

APPLY FOR A CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIP

RESOURCE & EXHIBITOR OPPORTUNITIES

Organizations and businesses are invited to participate in our Resource and Exhibitor Hall.

This is an excellent opportunity to connect directly with families, professionals, advocates,

educators, and community leaders from throughout Southwest Washington and beyond.

Space at Great Wolf Lodge is limited, with approximately 20–25 Resource and Exhibitor tables available, so advance registration is strongly encouraged.

RESERVE A TABLE TODAY!

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

Conference sponsors help make affordable registration, scholarships,

accessible learning opportunities, and meaningful community connections possible.

Sponsorship opportunities are available for businesses, agencies,

healthcare organizations, foundations, and

community partners that would like to support this

important regional event.

For fifteen years, the Southwest Washington Autism Conference has been a place

where ideas become partnerships, professionals become collaborators,

and families discover they are not alone.

We hope you will join us as we strengthen the connections between people, organizations,

communities, and systems of support.

Because when we strengthen the space between systems, people have a better chance to find the support, connection, and belonging they need.

VIEW THE SPONSORSHIP PROSPECTUS

Explore the fantastic sessions currently being planned!

Thank You to Our 2026 Conference Sponsors & Community Partners

(We are still accepting sponsors until early October!)

The Southwest Washington Autism Conference remains accessible because organizations throughout our region invest in community connection, education, and belonging. We are deeply grateful to our 2026 sponsors and partners for helping make this gathering possible.

With true appreciation,

Michelle Whitlow, M.S.,

Executive Director

LCAC Staff, Volunteers, and our Board of Directors

executivedirector@lcautism.org| (360) 644-LCAC (5222)

Lewis County Autism Coalition

dba Spectrum & Development Community Center

info@lcautism.org