When award-winning author Ellen Notbohm took the podium as keynote speaker at an autism conference at California University of Pennsylvania, she shed light on the fastest growing developmental disability in the United States -- autism spectrum disorders.

"Fourteen years ago, the Center for Disease Control reported that one in 10,000 children was diagnosed with autism," she said. "Today, the rate is one in every 150."

Close to 600 parents, teachers, speech pathologists, occupational therapists and others with an interest in autism attended the conference March 13, presented by the university in partnership with Intermediate Unit 1.

The mother of a son with autism and award-winning writer on the subject, Ms. Notbohm's talk took a positive, problem-solving approach to the disorder.

The author of "Ten Things Every Child with Autism Wishes You Knew, Ten Things Your Student with Autism Wishes You Knew" cautioned against seeing affected children primarily as autistic rather than as whole and vibrant people. Rather, she suggested finding the potential inherent in each affected child.

"Often expectations for a child are too low," she said. "Kids are sensitive and they sense your level of expectation. Think in terms of a retractable dome. On a bad day all you see is the ceiling. On a good day, the dome opens up and you can see sky high."

When dealing with a child on the spectrum, she said to remember that their perceptions are disordered. Those with normal perception process multiple aspects from various senses without even giving it a second thought.

"Kids with autism don't have the ability to do that and usually operate in only one modality, mainly ... vision," she said.

For a child with autism spectrum disorder, she said the entire environment is often invasive. To help understand what it's like to function with autism, she made a comparison to a roller coaster ride where, just as the car is about to make the plunge, the emotionally charged rider attempts to do something such as use a laptop. She also quoted writer and speaker with autism, Temple Grandin, who once compared walking through a Wal-Mart to "being inside the speaker at a rock and roll concert."

To show how perception is influenced by the impairment of only a single sense, Ms. Notbohm used as an example the vestibular sense, which regulates balance. The initial impairment, which often results in dizziness, can escalate into chronic nausea, night blindness, chronic fatigue, even depression and anxiety. For children on the spectrum, the problem is often compounded by multiple sense impairments.

When dealing with a child with the disorder, she said it's important to distinguish between "I won't" and "I can't." Many affected by the disorder don't have the knowledge or skills to describe their feelings and emotions, to retrieve or sort information or generalize from one experience to another.

"Because many affected children are also concrete thinkers, it's important to avoid language traps that might confuse them such as idioms, and slang,

"For instance, when they hear someone say 'James was kicked out of class,' they might take the words literally."

In conclusion, Ms. Notbohm stressed the importance of accepting the child with autism as they are, and said it's important to pay attention and reinforce the things they do right.

Beginning in the fall, the university will offer a Certificate of Advanced Study in Autism Spectrum Disorders. Kate Mitchem, chairwoman and graduate coordinator of the Department of Special Education, said one of the major rationales for the program is the growing incidence of autism and the lack of specialized preparation for teachers.