Description

AUTCON 2026, the 10th Annual Autism Conference by NICE, conducted in collaboration with the IAP Chennai City Branch (IAP CCB) and the IAP Growth, Development & Behavioural Pediatrics (GDBP) Chapter, marked an important milestone in advancing autism care.
With the theme “Real-World Evidence in Pediatric Autism Care,” the conference brought together over 250+ delegates for focused discussions on translating evidence into everyday clinical practice.
We were privileged to have the presence and guidance of distinguished dignitaries including
Dr Rema Chandramohan (CEO, Govt of TN AUTSIM CoE), Dr. Nachiketa Rout (Director, NIEPMD), Dr. Somasundaram Aiyamperumal (President IAP TNSC), Dr Sudhakar P (President IAP CCB), and Dr. Jagadeesh Kumar (Chairperson, IAP GDBP TN state Chapter).
The scientific program featured insightful contributions from:
Dr Kanimozhi T, Dr. Paul Swamidhas Sudhakar Russell (from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore), Dr. Krupa M, Nitya Raman, Dr Pankaj kumar, PhD, MOT-Neurology, BOT, Hariharan R Dr. S. Thangaveluv Dr. L. Madheswari (from Nishta integrated neuro-development centre), and Dr Lakshmi Prasanth (Secretary IAP CCB), who addressed key challenges in real-world autism care.
The National Expert Panel brought together perspectives from across India with Dr Srinivasa Raghavan R (from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore), Dr Praveen Suman (from Sir Gangaram Hospital), and Dr Koyeli Sengupta (from Ummeed Child Development Center) offering valuable insights into diverse models of care.
Further strengthening the academic depth, sessions on outcome measurement and clinical documentation were led by
Dr. Thomas Kishore (from NIMHANS, Bangalore) and Dr. Dr. Subramanian Sethuraman (from Nishta integrated neuro-development centre.
Alongside plenaries and panel discussions, the conference also witnessed active academic engagement through scientific paper presentations, the Autism PG Quiz, and the Reels Competition.

A significant step forward this year was the launch of NICE Academy, reflecting a shift towards structured, practice-orientated learning.

As part of this initiative, the Pediatric Disability & Rehabilitation Fellowship (PEDRF) was introduced—aimed at enabling practising paediatricians to integrate developmental and rehabilitation perspectives into real-world clinical care.
As AUTCON completes a decade, it continues to evolve—from a platform for knowledge sharing to one that actively shapes clinical practice.
Grateful to all faculty, delegates, and collaborators who made this possible.