Provincial Ballroom

Lunch

Keynote Presentation: Disrupting Diagnosis

Dr. Melanie Penner, Developmental Pediatrician and Clinician Scientist, Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital Bloorview Research Institute

In Canada, one in 68 children are affected by autism spectrum disorder (ASD).  But how would you know if your child has ASD?  Finding out will be hard and often agonizing – many children and their parents have to wait months, even years, until an accredited professional can provide a diagnosis.  But Dr. Melanie Penner says there’s a way to shake up the system and reduce those wait times.  Her research has proven that community paediatricians without specialized training are often highly accurate in diagnosing autism.  Dr. Penner is one of Canada’s most respected authorities on autism.  As a developmental paediatrician, she works with children who have ASD and their families at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital.  And as a scientist at Holland Bloorview and the University of Toronto, Dr. Penner explores ASD from many perspectives, with a focus on improving service delivery for ASD and other neurodevelopmental disorders.  “We have a system plagued by horrible wait times,” says Dr. Penner.  “We need to do better for children and families.  I believe we can.”