Capital Area Autism Network

10/13/2026

Mark your calendars for this event from our friends at Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge (FHFGBR)

🌟 SAVE THE DATE! 🌟
💙 Join us for the 1st Annual Flourish & Thrive Special Needs Health Fair!
Families Helping Families of Greater Baton Rouge is excited to partner with Aetna Better Health of Louisiana for this FREE community event connecting children and youth with special health care needs and their families with valuable resources and services!
📅 Saturday, November 21, 2026
⏰ 10 AM – 12 PM
📍 The Inspiration Center, 5509 Winbourne Ave, Baton Rouge, LA
🤝 VENDORS: Register to share your resources and connect with families!
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 FAMILIES: Join us for a morning of resources, connections, and community support!
🔗 Vendor Registration: https://velocity-partners-group.smblogin.com/public/forms/FormConfigID-0bc003fd-dd55-4e40-8204-00aa61bab53d
📣 Share with your friends, families, and community!

10/02/2026

Two days ago, something happened in Baton Rouge that has never happened before.

29 professionals from 15 organizations — providers, educators, behavioral health clinicians, family navigators, and state agency representatives — sat down together and drafted the first cross-sector coordination standard for neurodivergent care in the Capital Area's history.

The Capital Area Neurodivergent Care Continuum Protocol addresses the three handoffs where people most often fall through the cracks:

→ From diagnosis to educational supports
→ From school-based services at age 21 to adult waiver enrollment
→ Between providers serving the same adult

These aren't new problems. They've existed for decades. What's new is that the organizations responsible for those handoffs sat in the same room, named the failures honestly, and drafted concrete recommendations for what doing it right looks like.

CAAN will work to formalize those recommendations and release the final protocol before the end of 2026.

Yesterday at the State of Neurodiversity Conference, we released the first annual State of Neurodiversity in the Capital Area report — the first systematic public accounting of where Greater Baton Rouge stands on 25 community commitments made in 2016. The protocol will follow.

To every organization that showed up on September 30: thank you. You built something real.

caanbr.org | | | |

10/02/2026

The 2026 State of Neurodiversity in Baton Rouge Conference was a huge success! Thank you so much to our presenters:

Sara Godchaux, Loyola University College of Law
Dr. Jenny Phan, George Mason University
Our keynote, Dr. Kerry Magro's Autism Journey
Charlotte Bencaz, Together Home Louisiana
Chris Casselberry, Living Unified
Dr. Eileen Haebig, LSU
Dr. Wan-Chun Su, LSU
Gabriel Bostick, Dance & Neurodiversity Camp
Dr. Ellis Smith, Franciscan Missionaries of Our Lady University

Also a big thank you to our vendors and attendees for such great day!

10/02/2026

Thank you for sharing your insights with us today, Dr. Kerry Magro's Autism Journey!

10/01/2026

Today's the day!

This morning, we release our first State of Neurodiversity in the Capital Area report at our annual conference. This report includes an accountability audit of the 25 recommendations that formed the basis for CAAN's creation ten years ago, then looks at the current state of affairs for the four pillars that contribute to the Silo Tax, and closes with a look ahead to where CAAN is headed.

The conference starts 9:00 am this morning at the EBRPL Main Branch, 7711 Goodwood Blvd. Registration is $50 and available on-site.

In addition to the release of our report, we will welcome a slate of speakers that touch on every pillar with important information and practical tips for families anchored by our keynote speaker, Dr. Kerry Magro.

To download the full report, click here: https://shorturl.at/x7miC

09/30/2026

We're pleased to share the full agenda for the 2026 Annual Conference: State of Neurodiversity in Baton Rouge, hosted by the Capital Area Autism Network.

The day opens with the release of CAAN's first annual State of Neurodiversity in the Capital Area report, followed by sessions on special education law (Sara Godchaux), the transition cliff for youth with IDD (Jenny Phan), housing (Charlotte Bencaz and Chris Casselberry), the benefits of movement for sensorimotor development, ABA tips for homework help, and university research (Eileen Haebig and team) — anchored by a keynote from Kerry Magro.

Our thanks to this year's sponsors, including Aucoin Wealth Management, Louisiana Blue, FMOL Health, Progeny Law Firm, Meredith Eicher, and the Franklin J. Foil Committee, for making this work possible.

📍 East Baton Rouge Parish Main Library | 🗓️ October 1, 2026

Tickets are $50 with scholarships available for families who may need it. Pre-registration is open until 11:59 PM tonight here: https://shorturl.at/YBNbD

On-site registration will also be available.

09/24/2026

It's too early to know the on-the-ground impact, but we're paying attention, especially since Louisiana was a plaintiff to the lawsuit.

09/24/2026

We're just a week away!

The State of Neurodiversity in Baton Rouge conference is next Thursday, October 1st at the EBRPL Main Library.

We'll welcome a slate of speakers, including our keynote Dr. Kerry Magro, and the release of our inaugural State of Neurodiversity in the Capital Area data report.

Registration is available here: https://shorturl.at/dvss1

Tickets are $50, but if cost is a barrier, we do have a scholarship fund for families, just let us know.

Be on the lookout for the full agenda soon, and we can't wait to see you there!

09/17/2026

It's official! Our full speaker lineup is set for the 2026 State of Neurodiversity in Baton Rouge conference on October 1st!

In addition to our keynote speaker, Dr. Kerry Magro, we'll have a slate of local and national speakers sharing information about SPED law, the need to extend education beyond the school years, housing initiatives in Capital Area, the benefits of movement for neurodivergent individuals, updates on recent local research, and ABA strategies to use at home.

It will be a full day from 9:00-4:00 at the EBRPL Main Library on Goodwood Blvd., and will be anchored by the release of our 10-year accountability audit and the full State of Neurodiversity in the Capital Area data report.

Tickets are $50, and registration is open here: https://shorturl.at/jMzlu

If cost is a barrier, we do have a scholarship fund for families. Just let us know.

We hope to see you there!

09/14/2026

KEYNOTE SPEAKER ANNOUNCEMENT!

CAAN is pleased to welcome Dr. Kerry Magro's Autism Journey as our keynote speaker at the 2026 State of Neurodiversity in Baton Rouge conference.

Kerry Magro is an award winning national speaker and best-selling author. Kerry has become a rolemodel in the disabled community. Non-verbal at 2.5 and diagnosed with autism at 4, Kerry has overcame countless obstacles to get to where he is today. In May of 2019, Kerry received his doctorate in Educational Technology Leadership from New Jersey City University to become Dr. Kerry Magro. He currently is CEO and Founder of KFM Making a Difference, a non-profit corporation focused on disability advocacy and housing.

Learn more about Dr. Magro at his website: https://kerrymagro.com/

Link to register is in the first comment.