Griffin Promise Autism Clinic Prepares For The 1st Eastern Oklahoma Autism Conference

The first-ever Eastern Oklahoma Autism Conference is in Broken Arrow on February 26.

Speakers from around the country and as far as England will be providing education and resources to professionals and caregivers. It’s hosted by The Griffin Promise Autism Clinic.

"We're so excited to be able to finally host this and give much needed resources to families,” said Executive Director, Lori Frederick.

Frederick said she needed those resources when her son Griffin was diagnosed with autism, much like other parents and teachers with students on the spectrum.

"That a lot of times, you're almost at a loss and you're like, where do I start, where does my journey begin, who is going to help me on this pathway, what does this mean for my child as they grow up?" Frederick said.

Eight years ago, she opened The Griffin Promise Autism Clinic. A team who worked with Griffin came up with the name.

"And it was their promise to kind of not stop with Griffin but continue to give back to other families helping them on their journey,” Frederick said.

It's been her dream to host a conference to help other families. Planning started in 2019, but the conference was canceled two years in a row due to COVID.

"Because there's so many different approaches and there are so many different resources that are available to families that they just don't know about,” Frederick said.

Speakers will cover topics from feeding and food aversion to coaching strategies for parents at home.

They'll talk about medical practices, special needs custody law, artificial intelligence like recognizing emotions and facial features.

She said she wanted to connect people to resources in their communities.

"We just wanted to create a place where they were able to do that. And that it gets to the people who need it the most,” Frederick said.

The Eastern Oklahoma Autism Conference is on February 26 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Stoney Creek Event Center. Registration is open until Friday, February 25.

You can sign up here: Conference Info | The Griffin Promise