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Seattle Teachers Autism Symposium
Announces Traci Schneider as Keynote Speaker
St. John’s Masonic Lodge of Seattle is proud to announce Traci Schneider as the first
annual Seattle Teachers Autism Symposium keynote speaker. Traci Schneider is one
of Seattle’s most influential voices and autism advocates. Along with her husband,
Seahawks Executive Vice President/General Manager John Schneider, she established
Ben’s Fund in 2012.
Helping educators best support children with autism spectrum disorder is the goal of the inaugural Seattle
Teachers Autism Symposium, a free, two-day event to be held August 12 and 13, 2015 at the University
of Washington.
Organized by St. John’s Masonic Lodge and the University of Washington Autism Center, the
symposium will include sessions on topics ranging from social interactions to challenging behaviors,
classroom strategies, communication supports and strategies for supporting students.
“Effective teaching for a child with ASD requires training in specific and complex strategies that
educators may not have access to. We want to give teachers the support they need and ensure all
educators feel equipped to handle the unique challenges of children with ASD.” – Robin Talley, Director
of Training at the UW Autism Center.
The two-day symposium is for educators working in the public school setting, including general
education teachers, special education teachers, para-educators, support staff, and administrators. In the
first annual symposium, our goal is to reach 1/10th of the Seattle teacher workforce in K-12.
Symposium topics will include: communication supports, emerging social interactions, challenging
behaviors, understanding ASD, classroom strategies, and supporting students with high functioning ASD.
Sessions will be taught by clinical psychologists, speech and language pathologists, and behavior and
education consultants from the UW Autism Center.”
The symposium is free of charge, however class sizes are limited, so interested teachers and staff
members are encouraged to register early. Please visit www.seattleautism.org for more information and
to register, or contact the symposium staff at russ@seattleautism.org or the University of Washington
Autism Center Director of Training, rtalley@uw.edu.
The UW Autism Center is a nonprofit organization committed to people with autism spectrum disorders.
It is proud to be an internationally recognized leader in the field of autism. The mission is to provide
exceptional care for individuals with autism and their families by offering evidence-based clinical
services, conducting cutting-edge research, and providing specialized training opportunities for parents,
service providers, and future professionals. Visit www.uwautism.org for more information.
St. John’s Masonic Lodge is a fraternity of like-minded men who have decided to live a more noble and
honorable life through a life-long pursuit of personal growth and improvement. Formed in 1860, many of
the early pioneers of Seattle were members of the St. John’s. The Lodge is a non-profit organization
whose purpose is community building and improvement through programs that enhance the lives of all
Seattle residents. www.seattelmasons.com
Ben’s Fund was established by Traci and John Schneider in partnership with Families for Effective
Autism Treatment (FEAT). Ben's Fund provides grants to families across Washington State to help cover
costs associated with medical bills, therapies, communication tools and numerous other aspects of
supporting a child, or children, on the autism spectrum. The grant was named in honor of their son, Ben,
who was diagnosed with autism when he was three years old. Through Ben’s Fund, more than 550 grants
have already been given to families in the state of Washington. The grants help pay for a variety of
therapies, services and even tablets to help with communication. Visit Seahawks.com/BensFund for more
information.