PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--

Raising a child with autism can leave parents with big questions, both at the time of diagnosis and in the years that follow. Prominent among them: What do I need to do when my child is first diagnosed? How can I help my son or daughter make friends? What should I know to help my teen with autism make the leap to adult life?

Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford is here to help parents find answers. On June 1, the hospital presents its Sixth Annual Autism Spectrum Disorders Update, an event that gives members of the community a chance to learn about new autism research and therapies. This year's theme, Growing up with Autism: Genes, Families, Friends and Schools, encompasses every stage of a childs development, including the root causes of autism, diagnosis and the transition to adulthood.

WHAT: Autism experts from Packard Children's, the Stanford University School of Medicine and the local autism community will give presentations on a wide cross-section of topics. The day includes keynote sessions on stem cell research and the brain in autism, and on improving peer friendships in children with autism. Additional breakout sessions will be offered on genes and environmental factors; helping families post-diagnosis; early interventions; the impact on autism of upcoming revisions in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5); making friends; attention, language and math abilities in autism; the transition to adulthood; and parenting tools. The complete program is online at http://bit.ly/10efBfX.

WHERE: Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, Stanford University, 326 Galvez St., Stanford, Calif. Register online at http://bit.ly/10gRp8F.

WHEN: Saturday, June 1, 2013, 8:15 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (Registration and continental breakfast begin at 7:45 a.m.)

WHY: We have a lot of ways to help parents and educators, said Carl Feinstein, MD, director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Packard Childrens and professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine. The majority of our topics at this years symposium have to do with real-world issues faced by children and families with autism.

Among other highlights, the symposium will help to launch a new Packard Childrens program to provide parents of newly diagnosed children with several sessions of direct, one-on-one guidance for how to relate best to their child. Its a tremendous shock to find out that your child has an autism spectrum diagnosis, Feinstein said. But theres a lot that can be done to help decipher your childs behavior, and we want to help parents get started. The program is a partnership with the Childrens Health Council in Palo Alto and the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

By popular request, the symposium also includes a strong emphasis on how to help children with autism navigate friendships with peers. In the past, children with autism have often attended social skills groups to learn about social interaction, but a more hands-on approach is gaining popularity, Feinstein said. Were moving much more to the real-time environments of the child, such as classrooms and playgrounds, and were also helping other kids receive non-invasive coaching about how to relate better to children with autism.

"We really want to reach out to parents," Feinstein concluded. "At the Center for Autism, we believe that two-way communication between parents and experts is an essential part of providing the best care for children, teens and young adults with autism spectrum disorders."

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Autism Symposium June 1 at Stanford University, Sponsored by Packard Children's Hospital