The University of North Carolina TEACCH Autism Program will hold its 45th annual conference October 15–16, 2026, at the UNC Friday Conference Center in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The hybrid event, offered in person or by live Zoom webinar, is aimed at clinicians and educators who work with autistic people, autism researchers, and autistic individuals and their families.
This year’s theme is Thriving with Autism: Strengthening Neuroaffirming Practices. Speakers include Ari Ne’eman of the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health on operationalizing neurodiversity in service provision; Aubyn Stahmer, PhD, BCBA, of the UC Davis MIND Institute on neurodiversity in early naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions; Vanessa Bal of Rutgers on adult autism assessment; Giacomo Vivanti of Dalhousie University on profound needs and human rights; and Christina Nicolaidis on healthcare for autistic adults. Sessions will not be recorded. Continuing education credits are offered through the Eastern Area Health Education Center and require a separate registration; in-person registration closes October 11 and virtual registration stays open through October 15.
TEACCH, founded by Dr. Eric Schopler in 1972, operates a university-based network of regional centers across North Carolina offering clinical, training and research services. Its neuroaffirming focus, and a BCBA-credentialed intervention researcher on the program, make the conference relevant to behavior analysts tracking how autism services are adapting to autistic self-advocacy.