MOTHER OF MIRACLE CHILD TO KEYNOTE AUTISM CONFERENCE; SPEAKER TO APPEAR ON MONTEL WILLIAMS MAY 1

Salt Lake City, UT – US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc. (USAAA) (www.usautism.org) announced today that Shannon Kenitz, Executive Director of the International Hyperbarics Association (www.ihausa.org), will serve as the keynote speaker at USAAA’s upcoming Autism Spectrum Disorder Premier International Conference, August 9-12, in Park City, Utah.

Kenitz knows firsthand the heartbreak and struggles of having a child with a disability. Her youngest daughter, Grace, was diagnosed with a very rare mitochondrial disorder that kept her in the hospital virtually for the first three years of her life. Grace more recently has been diagnosed on the autism spectrum. Shannon did not accept the recommendation to cease life-prolonging measures. And because of that, Grace progressed to feed herself, recover from blindness, and at almost 7-years old, walk for the first time unassisted on January 20.

Kenitz will appear on The Montel Williams Show, Monday, May 1 and share her story on how she believed in hope and possibilities and brought her daughter back from a prognosis of death to thriving via hyperbaric oxygen therapy. Kenitz has appeared on “CBS Saturday Early Show” with Grace and her sister Lily and has a book and a movie forthcoming.

USAAA has assembled 34 leading experts on autism and Asperger's Syndrome, with special presenters from France and Italy. Speakers will focus on ways to improve the quality of life for the affected individuals and their families/caregivers by conducting presentations in the areas of biomedical interventions, research, adjunct therapies, diet and nutrition, and family issues. There are over 40 national and international companies exhibiting new and innovative products at the four-day conference.

The annual conference provides comprehensive, evidence-based information to assist parents, family members, caregivers, physicians, educators, therapists, social workers, nurses, and other professionals in building effective interventions for all individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

The US Autism & Asperger Association, Inc. is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. The USAAA mission is to enhance the quality of life of individuals and their families/caregivers touched by autism spectrum disorders by providing educational and family support through conferences/seminars and published and electronic mediums.

For more information contact Dr. Kaplan, USAAA Executive Director at (801) 649-5752 or email information@usautism.org.