Thursday, April 13

Doors Open: 10:00AM / Presentation: 11:00AM

FREE ADMISSION

Opening remarks by Judge Maureen Skerda at 11:00AM Presentation by William Stillman at 11:30AM B.L.U.E. Awards Presentation at 1:00PM

William Stillman has been dubbed "The Autism Whisperer," by talk show host Frankie Picasso, for his innate ability to understand and interpret children and adults on the autism spectrum. Lisa Jo Rudy, About.com's autism moderator, has said, "William Stillman is one of the few who can translate the workings of the autistic mind to the neuro-typical community." And Kelly Jad'on, of Internet news outlet BasilandSpice.com, stated, "William Stillman dares to go where few have gone before; without a doubt, he is the forerunner of the beginning of a movement which will alter the development and future of mankind."

Stillman is an award-winning author known internationally for his ground breaking work, Autism and the God Connection: Redefining the Autistic Experience Through Extraordinary Accounts of Spiritual Giftedness (2006), which peaked at #22 on Amazon.com. His first book on the subject of autism, Demystifying the Autistic Experience: A Humanistic Introduction for Parents, Caregivers and Educators (2002), has been highly praised by the autism and self-advocacy communities. Stillman's other books include Empowered Autism Parenting: Celebrating (and Defending) Your Child's Place in the World (2009), a 2011 Indie Book Awards Finalist; The Autism Answer Book (2007); The Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Asperger's Syndrome: Help, Hope and Guidance (2005) and many more. To date, Stillman's writings have been translated in four languages.

Stillman has also written for The Autism Perspective and Autism Voices and Choices magazines. In 2008, Stillman was one of fifteen authors selected to contribute to Autism Today's Autism-at-Home Series, a monthly publication designed to provide premier advice and recommendations to parents and professionals. The dance company, dre.dance, cited Stillman's autism writings as an inspiration for its 2009 choreography performance, beyond.words, which had its New York premiere at Tribeca Performing Arts Center. And on April 27, 2010, Stillman's Everything Parent's Guide to Children with Asperger's Syndrome was prominently featured in the closing scene of the "Perchance to Dream" episode of NBC-TV's hit series Parenthood.