Connecting Science, Community, and Family: Seeing the Diverse Potential of Autism

— The "Advancing Autism Awareness Forum" 
 

A Boston Chronicle

Boston in early April still carried the chill of early spring, but in a conference room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, an affiliate of Harvard Medical School, people came together around the topic of "autism"—and in doing so, temporarily drew together the otherwise disparate worlds of science, education, family, and community.

On April 4–5, 2026, the "Advancing Autism Awareness Forum" was held here. Participants from China, Taiwan, and the East and West Coasts of the United States crossed geographic boundaries to attend, bringing with them their own experiences, insights, and care, to join in this conversation about autism. Among them were doctors, researchers, educators, family members, community partners, and arts practitioners. Some came from a clinical background, some from the classroom, and some from the day-in, day-out companionship of family life—and it was precisely these different points of departure that gave the forum not only intellectual density, but also human warmth.