Utah-based initiative connecting families with local resources for special needs children
by Sarah Earnshaw ksl · KSL.comKEY TAKEAWAYS
- The CHILL Act Expo connects families with local resources for special needs children.
- Director Amit Lodha highlights the importance of face-to-face interactions for families.
- The initiative served 6,000 parents and completed 250 autism pre-screenings this year.
SALT LAKE CITY — A new nonprofit is bringing local resources for special needs children in one place, allowing families the opportunity to discover what's available near them.
The Children's Health Inclusion Learning Leadership, or CHILL, Act Expo, has helped thousands of parents across the country this year alone. On Saturday, it wrapped up its fourth 2026 Utah event in Logan.
Initiative director Amit Lodha said many families get overwhelmed when looking for resources to help their child.
"Just going online does not really give them all the options, so this is where they find all the possible resources in the city, state or their neighborhood," Lodha said.
He believes these expos make that challenge a little bit easier.
"Compared with shopping online and Walmart, how much can you see versus when you actually go to the store? You see so many options," Lodha said.
The idea is to offer these expos to families for free while providers pay to attend.
"We have had cases when families actually came in, and they did not know the provider was a mile away from their house, and they were traveling 30 miles away to get the child therapy," Lodha said. "These are things that change when you do face-to-face interactions with the providers."
According to Lodha, the initiative has served 6,000 parents and helped 700 providers this year. It has also completed over 250 autism pre-screenings, which are free for attendees. Lodha believes these expos are the only ones offering these free pre-screenings from qualified organizations.
The CDC reports autism spectrum disorder can be detected before a child is even a year old. A diagnosis by 2 years can be considered very reliable. However, the agency said many children aren't diagnosed until they are much older.
Lodha said these free pre-screenings can help bridge that gap, "to make sure that the age and the development related is in sync, if at all."
The expos have visited 17 cities across the country, including four in Utah this year. While no more are scheduled in the near future in Utah, the initiative is actively working on hosting more events in 2027.
A list of resources that have participated this year can be found here.
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