Workshops

Learn, connect, and grow with AuSM’s workshops.

Throughout the year, AuSM offers virtual workshops that dive into real-world topics affecting autistic individuals and the people who support them. Whether you’re a family member, educator, professional, or an autistic adult yourself, you’ll find sessions led by knowledgeable presenters who bring insight, empathy, and lived experience. Topics range from person-centered planning and navigating disability services to intimacy, emotional regulation, and neurodivergent identities like AuDHD.

Upcoming AuSM Workshops

All workshops are presented virtually unless otherwise noted. Virtual workshops are recorded and available for viewing for one month after the workshop date.
Pricing: $59.99 (non-member), $49.99 (member), $39.99 (autistic individual)
All AuSM members receive a $20 coupon towards a class or workshop of their choice!

Introducing AuSM’s Workshop Bundles

In 2026, we’re making it easier to access meaningful, neurodiversity-affirming education while saving money. Our new Workshop Bundles group four carefully selected workshops into themed learning paths designed for specific audiences and lived experiences.

Each bundle reflects the real questions, challenges, and goals of the people we serve, built to give you tools that you’ll use in your everyday life. When you register for a bundle of four workshops, you’ll save $40 compared to registering for sessions individually — while gaining a more cohesive, connected learning experience.

Don’t see the bundle you want? Contact Megan to create your bundle of 4 workshops at manton@ausm.org.

Pricing: $199.99 (non-member), $159.99 (member), $124.99 (autistic individual)

Learn More About Bundles

Featured Workshop - Understanding the Medical & Biological Aspects of Autism

Date: March 19, 9-11:30 a.m.
Presented by: Dr. Steven Smedshammer & Dr. Molly Sajady

This interdisciplinary learning session brings together clinicians and researchers from Children’s Hospital Minnesota to offer a clear, evidence-based overview of the medical and biological aspects of autism. Designed for both professionals and individuals with a personal interest, the session will review accepted and emerging research on causes and genetic heritability, common co-occurring conditions, neurology, sleep, and relevant approaches to medical management.

Register Now

Upcoming Workshops

A close-up of a brass key in a wooden door lock, attached to a keyring with a small house-shaped charm, with warm sunlight and a softly blurred outdoor background.Autistic House to Home: A Guide to Affirming Home Space

Date: May 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
Presented by: Joyner Emerick

For autistic people and those who support us, our homes are often where we are most able to customize and innovate the environment for access, enjoyment, and rest. How can we effectively and creatively design our home spaces to maximize our well-being? One of our community’s greatest autistic integrators, Joyner Emerick, will share concepts and strategies for building an affirming home, offering tools for sensory accommodation, executive function support, routine, and regulation.

Register

An older woman sits outdoors on a cushioned swing seat beside a young person wearing over-ear headphones. The older woman holds up a small white card or booklet and points to it, while the young person looks on and holds a patterned cloth. A table and a fenced backyard are visible in the background.Supporting Autistic People With Higher Support Needs: Tools for Communication, Choice, and Quality of Life

Date: June 11, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Presented by: Dr. Barb Luskin

Autism is a spectrum, and autistic people have a wide range of support needs. Individuals with higher support needs may use limited or non-speaking forms of communication and may have difficulty understanding how their actions affect others. Participants will explore evidence-based tools and strategies, including visual supports, social narratives, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), that can strengthen communication, expand choice, and improve quality of life.

Register

Two people sit at a desk reviewing paperwork together. One person points to a printed document with charts and graphs, while the other holds a pen and gestures toward the page. A laptop, clipboard, and additional documents are spread across the table, suggesting collaborative planning or problem-solving.Maximizing Your Disability Services in Minnesota: Person-Centered Planning and Creative Solutions

Date: July 9, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Presented by: Jillian Nelson

Join us for a workshop focused on empowering individuals with disabilities and their families in Minnesota through person-centered planning and innovative approaches. This session will guide participants on how to leverage available disability services effectively while fostering a personalized, strengths-based approach to support and services.

Register

A person sits in a green upholstered chair against a patterned wallpaper background, holding a white theatrical-style mask slightly away from their face. They wear a green dress and look directly toward the camera, creating a visual contrast between the mask and their uncovered expression.Finding Yourself Beneath the Mask: Tools, Experiments and Everyday Strategies for Unmasking

Date: August 6, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Presented by: Jillian Nelson and Zephyr James

In the autism community, the term masking refers to the way that many autistic people (consciously to unconsciously) try to blend in and appear less autistic. This interactive workshop offers autistic adults a supportive, practical space to explore what masking looks like in their own lives and begin the process of unmasking in ways that feel intentional, flexible, and safe. Participants will be guided through reflection, discussion, and hands-on exercises help them better understand why they mask, how it impacts them, and what unmasking could look like for them — if and when they choose it.

Register

A person sits at a desk using a laptop while wearing over-ear headphones and smiling. They hold a pen and appear to be engaged in an online meeting or focused work. The setting looks like a home office, with shelves, a calendar on the wall, and a small vase with dried flowers in the background.A Realist’s Guide to Employment Supports

Date: September 10, 9-11:30 a.m.
Presented by: Abbie Wells-Herzog

While various employment policies and programs in Minnesota have experienced cuts and shifts, autistic and disabled adults will always continue to seek opportunity, security, and purpose through work. In this session, career autism specialist and AuSM board leader Abbie Wells-Herzog will help participants understand the lay of the land in 2026, clarifying updates and misinformation related to Minnesota’s vocational rehab services and DHS employment services.

Register

Three young children sit at a classroom table, playing together with colorful dinosaur cutouts. One child holds up a dinosaur figure while the others look on and interact. Colored pencils rest on the table, and the classroom setting is softly visible in the background, suggesting collaborative play and learning.Making Gen Ed Work for More Kids with IEPs

Date: October 8, 10 a.m.-1 p.m.
Presented by: Mash Makhlyagina

We have more students struggling in general education than ever while supports for teachers are tighter than ever. How do we sustainably include more students with disabilities in general education? How do we do it in a way that benefits ALL students? Is there a way to plan lessons, respond to needs, and feel less overwhelmed? Yes! Let’s talk about how to do this realistically.

Presented in partnership with Autism Society of Wisconsin.

Autism Society of Wisconsin Logo

Register

A person reclines in a fabric hammock outdoors, holding an open book while resting their bare feet toward the sunlight. The hammock is strung between trees in a green, leafy setting, creating a calm and restful scene.Rest, Stim, Repeat: Strategies for Fighting Burnout

Date: November 12, 9-11:30 a.m.
Presented by: Dayna Nelson

This session is a practical and restorative training designed to help you create meaningful moments of recovery and authenticity — for yourself, your clients, or your loved ones. Through guided reflection and hands-on strategies, this session explores how rest, sensory engagement, and self-expression can reduce the effects of masking and burnout.

Register

Two people sit across from each other at a wooden table, gently holding hands in the center of the frame. One person wears a denim shirt and a watch, while the other wears bracelets. The image focuses on the hands, conveying connection and support, with the background softly blurred.Just Talk to Me: Setting and Respecting Boundaries Within Relationships

Date: December 3, 9 a.m.-12 p.m.
Presented by: Kendrick Hogue and Mason Esposito

The foundations of relationships – things like mutual trust, kindness, and respect – can be more complicated than they sound. It can be difficult to know how to set boundaries and communicate your needs, and it can be just as difficult to understand the needs and boundaries of others. This workshop will discuss the challenges of communication within various relationship structures (romantic, platonic, familial, and sexual), ways to express your needs, and understand the needs of others through a neurodivergent lens.

Register

Purchase the Recording: Growing Up Confident: Shame-Free, Affirming Strategies for Raising Neurodivergent Kids

Presented by: Amber Johnson, MA and Sara Pahl, MS, LPCC, BCBA, NCC

Many autistic and neurodivergent children grow up carrying deep shame about their differences—shame that can limit confidence, contribute to anxiety and depression, and prevent them from reaching their full potential. This workshop provides tools and strategies for navigating day-to-day challenges while fostering confidence and self-acceptance in children.

PURCHASE THE RECORDING

Purchase the Recording: PTSD and ASD: Double Neurodivergence

Presented by: Sara Lahti

Autistic people are likely to experience trauma at a higher rate compared to neurotypicals. Sometimes these traumatic experiences turn into Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD. What does it mean to have two forms of neurodivergence? This workshop will go over the intersection of PTSD and ASD, the basics of EMDR (a common trauma therapy), and PTSD as acquired neurodivergence.

PURCHASE THE RECORDING

Accessing ASD Supports and Services in Minnesota

Available to watch at your own pace, in your own space, in your own time at no charge. Increase your awareness of and access to the range of services and supports available to people with autism in Minnesota.

  • Minnesota Department of Education (MDE)/BrightWorks
  • Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
  • Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS)
  • Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS)
Learn More

AuSM Workshops are sponsored by Best Care

AuSM Scholarships

AuSM wants to make its programs and services available to as many individuals as possible. Scholarships are available for most of our programs, including:

  • AuSM Camps
  • Memberships
  • Workshops
  • The Minnesota Autism Conference
  • The Autistic Community Summit

Apply for scholarships through the registration form for each event or activity. Scholarships are funded by donations and are only offered when funding is available.

Waivers

Check with your county case manager to learn if your selected class, camp, or program can be paid for under the Consumer Directed Community Supports (CDCS); Brain Injury (BI); Community Alternative Care (CAC); or Developmental Disability (DD) waivers. By registering for an AuSM class, camp, or program, you agree to pay in full any amount not covered by the Third Party Payer.

Cancellation Policy

Notification of cancellation: If an event or class is cancelled or postponed, AuSM will attempt to notify you via phone, using the phone number provided with your registration. We also will post notice of cancellations and postponements on www.ausm.org.

Cancellation by registrant: Refunds less a $25 processing fee will be given for cancellations received in writing to info@ausm.org ten business days prior to the start of the event or class. Following this date, no refunds will be given. Requests for transfer of registration to another individual will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

Cancellation by program organizer: AuSM reserves the right to cancel an event or class due to low registrations or other circumstances that make the event or class non-viable. If AuSM cancels an event or class, registrants will be offered a full refund. If the event or class is postponed, registrants will have the option to either receive a full refund or transfer registration to the same event or class at the new, future date.