CIGNA’s Autism Education Series Extended With Summer Sessions

BLOOMFIELD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--CIGNA's (NYSE:CI) free monthly autism education series has been extended with summer sessions in June, July and August. All three programs will be presented by experts from the YAI Network’s Autism Center.

“A Visual Tour of the Social Brain in Autism.”

The series started last September to help people better understand the physical, mental, and emotional challenges in children who may display the symptoms of developmental disorders like autism and Asperger syndrome. These one-hour seminars are open to any parent or care giver who is interested in learning more about autism and autism spectrum disorders.

Registration isn’t required and people can choose to listen to all three programs or any individual program that interests them. Each session features an expert guest presenter who will speak for about 40 to 45 minutes, followed by a question and answer session. Playback of each session will be available for people who are unable to listen to the live sessions.

Each program in the series will begin at 1 p.m. Eastern time so that it’s convenient for people in all time zones to listen and participate. To listen to a seminar, call toll-free 1.866.431.5314 and enter passcode 1150266 when prompted.

Schedule for summer sessions:

June 6: “A Visual Tour of the Social Brain in Autism.” Guest presenter: Charles Cartwright, M.D., Chief, Premier HealthCare Autism Research and Treatment Institute and Director, YAI Autism Center.
July 14: “Developing Early Communication Skills in Toddlers and Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Limited Language.” Moira Lewis, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech & Language Pathologist, YAI Autism Center.
August 11: “Evidence-Based Practice: What Does It Mean?” Jill Krata, Ph.D., Associate Chief, Premier HealthCare Autism Research and Treatment Institute and Manager of Clinical Services, YAI Autism Center.

Click here for information about the entire series, including playback information and seminar handouts.

CIGNA's autism education series is intended to provide general information to the public. People who have specific questions and have CIGNA behavioral health care benefits should contact their health advocate.

About CIGNA

CIGNA (NYSE: CI) is a global health service and financial company dedicated to helping people improve their health, well-being and sense of security. CIGNA Corporation's operating subsidiaries in the United States provide an integrated suite of health services, such as medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmacy and vision care benefits, as well as group life, accident and disability insurance. CIGNA offers products and services in 29 countries and jurisdictions and has approximately 65 million customer relationships throughout the world. All products and services are provided exclusively by such operating subsidiaries and not by CIGNA Corporation. Such operating subsidiaries include Life Insurance Company of North America, CIGNA Life Insurance Company of New York, and Connecticut General Life Insurance Company. To learn more about CIGNA, visit www.cigna.com. To sign up for email alerts or an RSS feed of company news, log on to http://newsroom.cigna.com/rss. Also, follow us on Twitter at @cigna, visit CIGNA’s YouTube channel at http://www.youtube.com/cigna and listen to CIGNA's podcast series with healthy tips and information at http://www.cigna.com/podcasts or by searching "CIGNA" in iTunes.

About the YAI Autism Center

For more than 50 years, the YAI Network has been providing comprehensive person-centered services to people with autism spectrum disorders and their families. Their new state-of-the-art Autism Center combines a long tradition and expertise of serving people with autism with an early detection and treatment center; family support and life planning services; and a resource library. For more information go to www.yai.org/autism or call 1-888-YAI-Autism.