Synchrony 2026
Advancing Care, Improving Outcomes. Bringing Hope.
A CONFERENCE FOR PARENTS, CAREGIVERS, & FAMILIES
speakers:
Jennifer Frankovich, M.D., MS
Clinical Professor, Stanford University
TALK TITLE: Recognizing Possible Rheumatologic Clues in Youth and Adults with Autism
– When sudden behaviors may have a medical cause
– Autoimmune and inflammatory conditions affecting behavior
– Current approaches to evaluation and treatment
Laura Pace, M.D., Ph.D, FACG
Neurogastroenterologist. Director, Neuroimmune Axis Disorders Program. Founder & CEO Meliora Bio
TALK TITLE: Neuroimmune Axis Disorders
– Neuroimmune disorders affecting the GI tract
– Understanding GI symptoms that impact behavior
– Emerging diagnostic and treatment approaches
Sam Pleasure, M.D., Ph.D
Professor of Neurology, UCSF
TALK TITLE: When Should a Child with Autism Be Evaluated for Brain Inflammation?
– What are autoantibodies?
– Current research into immune-mediated neurological disorders
– Advances in lab testing and precision medicine
Richard Jin, M.D., Ph.D
A.P. Giannini Fellow, Psychiatrist, University of California San Francisco
TALK TITLE: Catatonia in Autism: Recognizing the Signs and Finding Effective Treatment
Kevin William Hoffman, M.D., Ph.D
Clinical Assistant Professor, Stanford University
TALK TITLE: When Your Child Suddenly Changes: Clues That There May Be an Underlying Medical Cause
Shebani Sethi M.D., ABOM
Founder & Director of the Metabolic Psychiatry Clinical Program, Assistant Professor, Stanford University
TALK TITLE: Metabolic Psychiatry: Could Metabolism Affect Brain Health and Behavior?
Jeremy Veenstra Vanderweele, M.D.
Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist, Columbia University
TALK TITLE: Opportunities for Improving Care in ASD
Ahmed Obeidat, M.D., Ph.D
Associate Professor of Neurology, Medical College of Wisconsin
TALK TITLE: When New Psychiatric Symptoms Appear: Could Inflammation Be Affecting the Brain?
Karen Bauer , M.D.
Pediatric Hospitalist, Palo Alto Medical Foundation and Stanford Children’s Hospital
TALK TITLE: Could an Infection Trigger a Sudden Change? What Parents Should Look For & Pitfalls to Avoid
Craig Rouskey, MSc
Founder and CEO Flore. Microbiome
TALK TITLE: What’s on the Horizon? Promising Clinical Trials in Autism
Charles Niesen, M.D.
Pediatric Neurologist, CEO AMS Neurology
TALK TITLE: What’s on the Horizon? Promising Clinical Trials in Autism
EXPERT PHYSICIAN PANELS
Supporting Families After Diagnosis
- Building your child’s medical team
- Choosing specialists
- Medical comorbidities often missed
- Questions every family should ask
Catatonia in Autism
- Recognizing symptoms
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- When urgent evaluation is needed
Behavioral Deteriorations in autism
- Medical causes of regression
- Immune, GI, neurologic and psychiatric contributors
- Current treatments
- Future therapies
MEET THE EXPERTS…
INTERACTIVE RECEPTION
Parents — Caregivers — Adults with Autism
Meet one on one with expert physicians, ask questions, connect with other
families, and learn about future BRAIN Foundation initiatives
BRAIN FOUNDATION UPDATES
PARTNERING WITH STANFORD
Partnering with Stanford University to develop physician consensus protocols for behavioral deteriorations in autism.
Advancing clinical trials
Developing a multi-center clinical trial platform to accelerate research & clinical treatment
funding autism research
Supporting autism research advances at 30+ institutions across the country
Together we are advancing research, improving clinical care, and bringing hope to individuals with autism and their families…
POSTER SESSIONS BY ASD HIGH SCHOOL AND COLLEGE STUDENTS
bring your work and inspire us
Synchrony 2026 featured a low-stakes poster session to display the work and impact of ASD students.
Event Venue
Crowne Plaza, 4290 El Camino Real, Palo Alto, California
SYNCHRONY SPONSORS
Thank you to our wonderful sponsors!
platinum sponsor
We wish to express our gratitude to our generous sponsors, above all the fantastic CharmHealth for their continuous support and dedication to our cause. Powered by cutting-edge AI, CharmHealth offers a comprehensive suite for medical practices of all sizes. From practice management and an EHR to billing and revenue cycle management, CharmHealth provides everything a healthcare practitioner needs to run efficiently and focus on patient care.
gold sponsor
Thank you also to the O’Sullivan Foundation, whose mission is to support causes that help enable people to help themselves, through education, employment, research and disruptive advances of technology.
Luminous Pathways who provide high-quality, accessible, and reliable services and support to individuals with autism, cognitive, intellectual, and other related disabilities.
Sirica Therapeutics is developing Cognitive Sensorimotor Therapy©, a novel category of therapy for autism and related disorders that integrates virtual reality, video gaming, advanced robotics, and physical exercise in a deeply immersive environment.
Metabolic Psychiatry Labs is a physician-led care built on over a decade of clinical research that looks at how metabolism affects the brain and treats both together. For adults with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and other psychiatric conditions.
Meaxtime is an operations platform for Regional Center providers — connecting staff, clients, schedules, EVV-compliant clock-ins, documentation, mileage, expenses, approvals, and report exports in one place.
ORGANOIDS
GASTROENTEROLOGY
NEUROLOGY
TREATMENT TRIALS
BIOMARKERS
IMMUNOLOGY
GENETICS
ANIMAL MODELS
EPILEPSY & SEIZURES
NEUROINFLAMMATION
FDA APPROVAL
NOVEL THERAPEUTICS
BASIC SCIENCE
NEUROLOGY
ENDOCRINOLOGY
ORGANOIDS
GASTROENTEROLOGY
NEUROLOGY
TREATMENT TRIALS
BIOMARKERS
IMMUNOLOGY
GENETICS
ANIMAL MODELS
EPILEPSY & SEIZURES
NEUROINFLAMMATION
FDA APPROVAL
NOVEL THERAPEUTICS
SYNCHRONY PUBLICATIONS
