Autism experts to speak at Mariners Church event

Southern Californians are getting a rare chance to hear directly from autism experts next week when Children’s Hospital of Orange County co-hosts “Autism Research: Fact and Fiction” at Mariners Church worship center.

CHOC has teamed up with the UCI School of Medicine and the Grandparent Autism Network. The keynote speaker, Dr. Simon Baron-Cohen, will discuss facts about autism and new areas of autism research. Pediatric, neurological and biology experts will highlight today’s approaches to autism in Orange County.

Autism is a developmental disability that affects as many as one in 150 children, according to government statistics.

CHOC and UCI Medical Center are also paired through the state-funded “For OC Kids” program that aims to diagnose and manage autism.

The program will be at 9 a.m., Jan. 12 at Mariners Church in Irvine and costs $25 per guest. For more information or to call and register, call (800) 329-2900 or visit www.choc.org.

— Joseph Serna