The Defeat Autism Now (DAN) 2008 Conference is scheduled for April 3 - 7 in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.  The DAN conference is geared towards parents, caregivers, and autism professionals in a wide range of specialties.  The organization has just announced the clinician seminars scheduled for Monday, April 7, 2008.

Introductory Lecture for Everyone: Vicious Cycles in Autism - An Integration of the Science
Elizabeth Mumper, MD

Dr. Mumper will review common problems in four areas - intestinal inflammation, metabolic abnormalities, immune dysregulation, and detoxification impairment. The basic science will be explained and documented with peer-reviewed, published science in preparation for application to case histories.

Essential Clinician Seminar:

Clinical Manifestations of Nutrient Deficiencies
Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN

Ms. Laake will review signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiencies, the recognition of which is an integral part of patient evaluations. She will cover a broad spectrum of nutrients including their functions, deficiency manifestations, interrelationships, deficiency diagnosis, and therapies.

History, Physical, and Laboratory Essentials
Nancy O’Hara, MD

Dr. O’Hara will present representative explanations and illustrations of history, physical exam, and lab features common in children with autism spectrum disorders.

Case Studies and Lab Interpretation
Nancy O’Hara, MD

Dr. O’Hara will review common case presentations of children with autism spectrum disorders and discuss how to determine interventions and set priorities based on the presentation and laboratory findings of each child.

Interactive Case Studies
Elizabeth Mumper, MD

Dr. Mumper will demonstrate how abnormalities in one aspect of the child’s health can interact to exacerbate symptoms in other systems, necessitating a comprehensive approach cognizant of the synergy associated with biologic systems. Clinicians in the audience will be encouraged to participate in analyzing the cases.

Sequential Clinician Seminar:

Those Who Ignore Individuality Fail the Patient
Sidney Baker, MD

Dr. Baker will illustrate the value of a comprehensive, mutually respectful dialogue between clinician and parent and patient, aimed at identifying what might be present that the child must get rid of, and what the patient is missing that could be of benefit.

Innovative Therapies and Strategies for Non-Responders
Jeff Bradstreet, MD

Dr. Bradstreet will present medical evidence in support of innovative strategies designed to help each patient reach their fullest potential for health, cognitive function, and social interactions. He will present strategies to consider when attention to the basics is not getting the child well.

Simplifying Supplementation: Compounding and Combining
Dana Laake, RDH, MS, LDN

How to utilize individually compounded formulas in combination with OTC supplements. Creating hypoallergenic and GF/CF custom compounds is an important tool in treatment.

Advanced Case Studies and Lab Interpretation
Sidney Baker, MD

Dr. Baker will analyze some complicated case histories to demonstrate the nuances of the clinical presentations of children with autism spectrum disorders. He will demonstrate how to use more advanced interventions consistent with the Defeat Autism Now!® philosophy and knowledge base.

Advanced Lab Interpretation with Summary
Jeff Bradstreet, MD

Dr. Bradstreet will summarize the lessons from the advanced-practitioner training by utilizing and interpreting complex lab reports from actual patients. He will explain how to determine when a lab value is important in the context of the patient’s presentation, and how to avoid chasing abnormal labs that might not be clinically significant.

Source:  Defeat Autism Now Mailing List