Registration is now closed. Thank you and we'll see you next year!

Click here for the agenda and session information. 

Relevant Relationships & Disclosures

All planners and presenters must disclose relevant relationships, or lack thereof, to the Provider during course planning and to learners at the start of the course. Presenters need only disclose those relationships that are relevant to and may influence course content and design. 

Relevant Relationships may include:

• Receiving a salary, royalty, intellectual property rights, gifts, speaking fee, consulting fee, honorarium, ownership interest, or other financial benefit
• “Contracted research” in which the institution receives the grant, manages the funds, and the individual is the principal or named investigator on the grant
• Person or professional roles, experiences, and background

This conference is hosted by the Oklahoma Autism Network and is partially funded by the Oklahoma Department of Health, Developmental Disabilities Services, generous sponsors, vendors, and participant registration fees.

Biography for Dr. Jessica Minahan

Dr. Minahan is a licensed and board-certified behavior analyst, author, special educator, and consultant to schools internationally. Since 2000, she has worked with students who struggle with mental health issues and challenging behavior in public school systems. She specializes in training staff and creating behavior intervention plans for students who demonstrate explosive and unsafe behavior. She also works with students with emotional and behavioral disabilities, anxiety disorders, trauma histories, and autism. Her particular interest is to serve these students by combining behavioral interventions with a comprehensive knowledge of best practices for those with complex mental health profiles and learning needs.

She is a blogger on The Huffington Post, the author of The Behavior Code: A Practical Guide to Understanding and Teaching the Most Challenging Students with Nancy Rappaport (Harvard Education Press, 2012), and the author of The Behavior Code Companion: Strategies, Tools, and Interventions for Supporting Students with Anxiety-Related or Oppositional Behaviors (Harvard Education Press, 2014).

She holds a Ph.D. in Education from Lesley University, a BS in Intensive Special Education from Boston University, and a dual master’s degree in Special Education and Elementary Education from Wheelock College. She has a certificate of graduate study (CGS) in teaching children with Autism from the University of Albany and received her BCBA training from Northeastern University in Boston. She is sought-after internationally to speak on subjects ranging from effective interventions for students with anxiety to supporting hard-to-reach students in full-inclusion public school settings.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE?

• Applicants for the partial registration scholarship must be an autistic individual, parent, legal guardian, or grandparent of an autistic child or adult.

APPLICATION PROCESS

• Submit the completed application (link below) to the Oklahoma Autism Network.

• Applicants are responsible for their transportation and lodging.

• A limited number of scholarships are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

• Applications will be accepted through September 25th, 2025.

• Applicants will be notified upon receipt of their application if they have been selected to receive a scholarship.

• Scholarship recipients should not complete the conference registration form.  Scholarship recipients will be registered by the Oklahoma Autism Network.

• Scholarship recipients will be responsible for a $10 registration fee for two-day conference attendance. Scholarship recipients will be responsible for a $5 registration fee for a one-day conference attendance. An invoice will be emailed to the attendee if a family scholarship will be granted. The invoice must be paid before October 1, 2025.

• Sooner Success is offering educational vouchers to help caregivers pay for the care of their loved ones so that they can attend the conference. Vouchers are $50 for half-day or $100 for a full day for eligible caregivers.  To be eligible,  you must complete an application PRIOR to the conference and you must be registered for the conference. Please visit soonersuccess.ouhsc.edu, email respite@ouhsc.edu or call 405-271-2710 for the voucher application.

Registration is now closed.

We hope you will consider joining us as a Hospitality, Platinum, Gold, Silver, or Bronze sponsor to bring this event to the state. With your support, the Oklahoma Autism Network will be able to accomplish the goals of building community capacity and understanding, using evidence-based practices, and providing relative, timely, and effective services while delivering quality professional development through the conference. We hope we can count on your help to make this year’s event one of the best yet!

Hospitality Sponsorship (Break refreshments) $3000

• Includes an opportunity for a 5-minute sponsor presentation on Day 1
• Signage on Break and Hospitality Tables
• Company information on the conference website for six months with a 500-character exhibitor description and logo
• One full-page color advertisement in the conference program
• Inclusion of company materials in participant welcome bags (materials to be provided by the sponsor)
• Special recognition as a Hospitality Sponsor in the conference program
• Company promotional information in at least 2 pre-conference email blasts
• Priority placement in the sponsor scrolling banner during event breaks
• Priority placement in the exhibition area
• Two exhibit booth spaces and six complimentary conference registrations

Platinum Sponsor $2000 

• Includes an opportunity for a 5-minute sponsor presentation on Day 2 before the General Session
• Complimentary sponsorship link on the conference website for six months with a 500-character sponsor description and company logo
• One full-page color advertisement in the conference program
• Special recognition as Platinum Sponsor in the conference program
• Company promotional information in at least 2 pre-conference email blasts
• Inclusion of company materials in participant welcome bags (materials to be provided by the sponsor)
• Priority placement in the sponsor scrolling banner during event breaks
• Priority placement in the exhibition area
• One exhibitor space and four complimentary conference registrations

Gold Sponsor $1000

• Complimentary sponsorship link on the conference website for six months with a 500-character sponsor description and company logo
• One full-page color advertisement in the conference program
• Special recognition as Gold Sponsor in the conference program
• Company promotional information in at least 2 pre-conference email blasts
• Inclusion of company materials in participant welcome bags (materials to be provided by the sponsor)
• Priority placement in the sponsor scrolling banner during event breaks
• One exhibitor space and three complimentary conference registrations

Silver Sponsor $750

• One half-page color advertisement in the conference program
• Special recognition as Silver Sponsor in the conference program
• Placement in the sponsor scrolling banner during event breaks
• One exhibitor space
• Two complimentary conference registrations

Bronze Sponsor $500

• One quarter-page color advertisement in the conference program
• Special recognition as a non-profit sponsor in the conference program
• Placement in the sponsor scrolling banner during event breaks
• One exhibitor space
• One complimentary conference registration

Exhibitor $400 (will be provided a 6-foot table and 2 chairs)

Non-profit exhibitor $150 (will be provided a 6-foot table and 2 chairs)
 

If you would like to make a donation to help cover the cost of a family attending the conference, please click here or contact Michele-DeBerry@ouhsc.edu.  Thank you in advance!

For more information on being a Sponsor or Exhibitor at the 2025 Oklahoma Autism Conference, please email michele-deberry@ouhsc.edu or use your credit card to register here. For other forms of payment, please email michele-deberry@ouhsc.edu.  The registration date to be included in the printed program is September 21, 2025. Exhibitors and sponsors will be accepted until Friday, September 26th.

Thank you to our 2025 generous sponsors and exhibitors.  We love collaborating with you! 

Peak Behavioral

Can Do Kids Therapy

Oklahoma Autism Center

Autism Oklahoma

Professional CEUs: Participants registered as providers/educators may be eligible to receive CEUs that have been approved by your professional organization.  Applications have been made for CEU approval for Oklahoma BCBAs, Occupational Therapists/COTAs, Physical Therapists/PTAs, and ASHA CEUs.  

At the conclusion of each session, you will be provided a link and instructions to complete a session evaluation summary and to provide your appropriate association number (i.e. ASHA number) to be processed for the CEUs. Please stay for the entire session to get this information.  Partial credit for a session will not be awarded.

Course description:

The Oklahoma Autism Conference will include interactive breakout sessions and panel discussions on best practices across clinical, educational, and community settings. Topics include early intervention, school-based services, communication and social supports, transition planning, mental health, and approaches that promote inclusion and belonging across the lifespan.

Learning outcomes: Upon completion of this conference, participants will be able to: 

1. Identify current research, policies, and evidence-based practices related to autism across the lifespan.

2. Apply practical strategies to support communication, social-emotional development, education, employment, and community inclusion for autistic individuals.

3. Demonstrate increased knowledge of interventions and supports that address co-occurring conditions, such as mental health and sensory needs.

4. Integrate family and self-advocate perspectives into professional practice to promote person-centered planning and meaningful outcomes.

5. Evaluate innovative approaches and tools that can enhance service delivery in clinical, educational, workplace, and community settings.

6. Collaborate effectively across disciplines and with families to improve systems of support for autistic individuals.

We want to make sure our guests and speakers are comfortable and make appropriate accommodations for their participation.  

Accommodation requests are closed for the 2025 Oklahoma Autism Conference.  We look forward to seeing you in 2026!

Conference participants should receive an email with links to slides or handouts from presenters on Tuesday, 10/21.  If you were a registered participant and haven't received this email, please let me know at michele-deberry@ou.edu.  There were several emails that bounced, and we want to make sure you get the information you need!