Session I: Looking at the Past and Future of Families, Parenting, and Disabilities

• Terrell Dougan, author of That Went Well: Adventures Caring for My Sister, When Siblings Become the Caretakers: Multi-Generational Challenges for Families
• Carmen Pingree, Parent and Autism Advocate, A Model of Education for Families and Communities: Lesson I’ve Learned as a Parent, Advocate, and Educator
• Jordan and Heather Callister, Parents and Advocates: “Negotiating the Landscape of Disabilities Services as a New Parent”
• Moderator: William McMahon, Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah

Speaker / Author

Terrell Dougan

Author

Born September 26, 1939, Terrell Harris Dougan grew up in Salt Lake City. Her first published work appeared when she was in third grade, reporting news from her elementary school for the local newspaper. By her senior year in high school, she was a stringer for Good Housekeeping magazine's column on trends in the younger generation. In her sophomore year at Stanford University, she was one of twenty winners of Mademoiselle Magazine’s College Board Contest. Terrell gave birth to her first daughter, Katy, and also acquired a German shepherd puppy which refused to be trained. By the time she had her second daughter, ... Read More

Carmen B. Pingree

Founder, Carmen B. Pingree Autism Center of Learning

Carmen B. Pingree received her bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Utah, in History and Special Education/Political Science respectively. Her master's degree thesis was the Identification of Previously-Unidentified Individuals with Autism in Utah. She was a consultant in Autism Genetic Studies for UCLA, Stanford University, Utah State University, and the University of Utah Autism Research Program. She has numerous national publications on the topic of autism. Carmen is the parent of a child with autism, and in the late 1970's spearheaded a movement to get funding for a pre-school for children with autism in Utah. The program, which opened ... Read More

William McMahon

Chair, Department of Psychiatry, University of Utah

As chairman of the psychiatry department since 2007, Dr. William McMahon has worked to build excellent clinical services and systems of care at the University of Utah. He is board certified in adult psychiatry and in the sub-specialty of child and adolescent psychiatry. He has cared for children, adolescents and adults in inpatient, outpatient and other settings for more than three decades. He has followed his particular interest in developmental disorders, including autism, Tourette's Disorder and other psychiatric conditions with increased genetic risk, such as suicide and nicotine addiction. Currently, his responsibilities are focused on fostering innovative approaches to diagnosis, ... Read More