28th Annual Parent Retreat & Retreat Training
Retreat Training - Friday, May 1, 2026
Parent Retreat - Saturday, May 2 - Sunday, May 3, 2026
Please join us for our 28th Annual Parent Retreat at the beautiful Connors Center, May 2-3, 2026!
We are pleased to be hosting our Parent Retreat…Reflecting on the Journey, at the lovely Connors Family Retreat and Conference Center in Dover, MA. This facility is affiliated with Boston College. Please check out their website.
The primary purpose of the annual Parent Retreat is to provide a relaxing and supportive environment for parents or caregivers to reflect on, explore, and share the rewards and challenges of raising a child with ASD. There will be opportunities for relaxation, discussion, networking, making new friends, and learning from other parents, in a beautiful country setting with great food. Although there will be opportunities to learn, the format is that of a retreat, not a conference. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual.
The cost for conducting the retreat weekend is $250.00 per person. A $50.00 deposit per person is required with your application. If you are confirmed to attend, your deposit will be applied toward your retreat payment. If you are not confirmed due to lack of space, your deposit will be refunded.
Those of us who plan and arrange the retreat volunteer our time in doing so. We are asking those who are in a position to do so to cover the full cost of the retreat. If that is not possible due to your current financial situation, there are other levels that you can check off so that you may attend the retreat (see Retreat Application Form for payment levels.)
Retreat Fee Includes:
(1) Overnight stay at the beautiful Connors Center in Dover, MA, which includes lodging for Saturday evening and all meals from Saturday morning (Continental Breakfast) through lunch Sunday afternoon.
(2) Participation in all retreat activities (with the exception of a massage, should that be available) from Saturday morning through after lunch on Sunday.
We are asking that if you are able to commit to attend the retreat weekend, please complete the application:
CLICK HERE for the 2026 Application/Retreat and include $50.00 per person deposit -- payment link is on the application.
Applications and deposits are due no later than March 11, 2026!
Retreat Conformations will be sent out on April 1, 2026.
Complete payments will be due upon receipt of confirmation.
Should you commit to the retreat and are confirmed and then cancel, you will be held responsible for payment in accordance with the Connors Center Cancellation Policy:
- 20 day advanced notification -- 75% of payment forfeited (25% refund)
- Less than 20-day notification – 100% of payment forfeited (no refund)
There will be no refunds once payments are made unless space(s) are filled (which we will try to do.) Sorry, there can be no exceptions.
For those of you who may be flying, we recommend that you do not purchase non-refundable air tickets until you receive confirmation from us on April 1st!
The following article provides a nice summary of the purpose and intent of the retreat.
ASQ9 – Reflecting on the Journey: A Retreat for Parent of Children with Autism, Spring 2010
[Click to download this Publication]
We hope you will join us for the Reflecting on the Journey Parent Retreat, May 2 – 3, 2026!
Community Autism Resources Parent Retreat Committee: (Dr. Barry Prizant, Dr. Elaine Meyer, Barbara Domingue, M.Ed., ATP, Parent Retreat Coordinator)
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Retreat Training:
May 1st (Retreat Training) – May 2nd & May 3rd (Parent Retreat), 2026
We are once again offering a full-day training for parents, professionals, or organizations who are interested in developing and running their own retreat.
The training will be the day before the retreat weekend and will be followed by your participation in the actual retreat over the weekend. You will come away with the specific skills and support which we have developed over 25 years, to run a successful retreat through your agency or group. The training will be conducted by the developers of the “Reflecting on the Journey” retreat model: Dr. Barry Prizant (University of Rhode Island); Dr.Elaine Meyer (Harvard University); and staff of Community Autism Resources (CAR) including Ms. Barbara Domingue, Founder and Retired Executive Director of CAR. If you are interested in receiving information about the retreat training, which will be limited to 10-16 participants*, please contact us at: bprizant@gmail.com or dominguebarbara@gmail.com.
*Please note that we strongly encourage teams of at least two participants who would be working together to offer a retreat – parent-professionals or a professional teamed with a parent.
Retreat Training Fee:
$1,250.00 per person/ $2,500.00 for a team of 2.
This fee includes:
(1) A two-night stay at the beautiful Connors Center in Dover, MA, which includes lodging for Friday & Saturday evening and all meals from Friday morning through lunch Sunday afternoon.
(2) Full day retreat training on Friday including all materials in a binder with everything you need to plan and run a retreat, AND (3) Participation in all retreat activities from Saturday morning through after lunch on Sunday.
We are asking that if you are able to commit to attend the retreat training and weekend, please complete the application: 2026 Application/Training (linked here) and include full payment ($2,500.00 for a two member team.)
Applications and payment are due no later than March 11, 2026 as we must notify the retreat venue of our plans to include the training.
Should you commit to the training and then cancel, you will be held responsible for payment in accordance with the Connors Center Cancellation Policy:
1. 30 day advanced notification -- 75% of training fee forfeited (25% refund)
Less than 40-day notification – 100% of training fee forfeited (no refund)
2. If your team needs to cancel, the fee may be applied for another team that you designate to attend. The replacement team must meet our criteria for the training.
Should you decide you are no longer interested in the retreat training, we would appreciate it if you would email a short note indicating that you are not interested.
Based on initial responses, we are very optimistic that we will be able to provide the training. We also recommend that you do not purchase non-refundable air tickets until you receive confirmation from us during the week of April 1st.