Amarillo, TX: 190+ teacher attend ASD conference; each year...there are more students diagnosed with autism

July 9, 2025, KVII, Amarillo: Educators in Amarillo gather to enhance autism support strategies in classrooms

More than 190 educators spent their day at Region 16 in Amarillo attending an autism conference titled “Spectrum of Supports."

The one-day conference is designed to help enable educators to have a better grasp on how to deal with students in their classroom who are diagnosed with autism.

“So, love coming to these conferences to learn how I can help my kids, and my personal kids do better in education and at home,” said Jen Smith, TLC teacher at Canyon ISD. . . .

 “One of the big things with our students is communication,” said Brandy Tirey, coordinator of Tiered Services at Region 16. How do we get kids to communicate? Another thing is, how do we make them fully inclusive in our classroom? How do we accommodate to meet their needs in our classroom? We want them to have access to all the education opportunities they can.”

Each year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that there are more students diagnosed with autism. . . .

As educators gear up for the start of the 2025/26 school year, there is a curriculum connect conference that is taking place on July 15 and 16 on the campus of West Texas A&M University.

The autism conference at Region 16 gives educators a better understanding and new ideas on how to prevent or better control meltdowns by students who have autism while being in a classroom environment.