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Columbus Hosting Conference On Autism

Hundreds of people are attending a convention on autism in Columbus this week. It's a chance to learn more about the condition and for family members of people with Autism to network. Ohio Public Radio's Andy Chow reports.

Families from around the world are coming to Columbus this week for a convention hosted by the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence.

Executive Director Shawn Henry says more than 1,500 people are expected to attend the event which boasts many exhibits and presentations.

Susan Rothschild and her 21-year-old daughter Chloe, who has autism, have been coming to the convention for three years now. They say the annual event bring a sense of community and friendship among families dealing with the same issues.

Chloe: “An event like this is fun because I really just like being with my friends and kind of my people and see all the people I talk with on Facebook and we all talk about coming and connecting.”

Susan: “It’s just nice to see things from other perspectives—like—sometimes I don’t think that way then someone will say something that makes sense and then I’ll be like ‘oh my gosh, you’re right, that’s why she does that.’ It’s just moms talking and you learn all sorts of stuff.”

This year Chloe is an official speaker at OCALICON. She now travels around the country to talk about the issues that people with autism face.

Jim has been with WCBE since 1996. Before that he worked as a reporter at another Columbus radio station, and for three newspapers in Southwest Florida.
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