SEDC and USOE held their Annual Autism Conference on April 26, 2014 in Cedar City, the conference was attended by parents, caregivers, educators and specialists in the field.
Below are the session descriptions and handouts.
Dr. Springer
Social Skills Assessment:
Don’t forget this crucial first step in social skills instruction! Come and learn how to identify levels of social motivation and learn the difference between skill deficits and performance deficits. You’ll save time, money, and student frustration–that’s a guarantee!
Paul Day
Managing Explosive behavior
Children with autism may exhibit extreme emotional outbursts. This may include behaviors such as hitting, biting, self-injury, running, screaming, spitting, etc. This presentation will look at the causes and types of emotional outbursts. We will look at functional behavior assessment as well as skill assessment. Finally, there will examples of building a comprehensive behavior curriculum to address the child’s needs.
Cathy Longstroth
Academic Interventions
As the numbers of students with high functioning autism continue to rise, general education and special education teachers are increasingly challenged to help them succeed in English Language Arts. This is especially important with the emphasis on writing in all content areas in the Utah Core Standards. This presentation will introduce teachers to strategies designed to help students on the spectrum and other students with similar challenges improve written composition as well as reading comprehension.
Kristyn Peterson
Positive Behavior Management-
While caring for a child with autism, we may be confronted with behaviors like tantrums, self-injury, stimming and/or physical aggressions. Using positive behavior management techniques is often more powerful than consequences or punishment. Come learn how to implement some common strategies and learn more about visual supports!
ABA Functional Skills-
For many children we care for, basic self-help skills are difficult to learn. For parents and teachers, they can be difficult to teach; whether it is potty training, washing hands, dressing or anything else. In this break out session, we will discuss how to systematically break down these skills, as well as how to teach and reinforce them.
Kyle Binghurst
Neurological Differences
Kyle will present on neurological differences with children affected with Autism and cover topics that include effective interventions used for children on the autism spectrum that can be used at home, school, and the community. Parents and students will learn how to help children develop skills to help them manage anxiety, depression, moods, and other co-occurring disorders.
Chad Fletcher
Apps and Sensory
Chad Fletcher will share IPad Apps and discuss Sensory Processing Disorders.
Handout
Sensory Modulation
Liz Banner
“Finding the Extra Special in Special Needs” Developing Family Skills
I remember the day. Sitting in a doctor’s office with my husband hearing the results. “Your son has Autism Spectrum Disorder.” I remember the feelings of relief, Yes relief. Something was obviously different about our fourth child, but until that day, all we had was fear. Now we had a name, and a starting point. We chose to accept this news as an opportunity and that has made all of the difference.”
If you have recently learned that your child has or might have a developmental disorder, or even if you have been living with this special situation for some time. You worry about what comes next. You may be unsure about how to best help your child, how to keep your family together.
A diagnosis of developmental disorder affects every member of the family in different ways. There are times when the demands of living with a special needs child can be great, and families frequently experience high levels of stress. Developing coping skills can make a monumental difference to all involved, including parents, siblings, grandparents, extended family, and friends. The proverbial “silver lining” is real; the quicker that you find it the quicker the opportunities present themselves.
Each child with autism is unique which makes the experience of living with autism different for each family. But there are some consistent themes or issues that most families will want to be aware of to be able to provide the best support to the individual and to their family members. While it is true that autism is not something a person simply “grows out of,” there are many skills that can help families learn to cope with a wide variety of challenges. With the right skills in place, and a lot of love and support, your child and family can learn, grow, and thrive.
These coping skills will help to equip families with some of the basic tools they may need to provide the best outcomes for their loved ones on the autism spectrum. Application of these coping skills moves a family out of “surviving” and into enjoying the rewarding challenges that lie ahead.
Jared Stewart
Functioning with Autism
Despite deficits in many areas of cognition, individuals on the autism-spectrum typically show marked strengths in systemization—the drive to analyze, construct, and institute systems. Jared will describe the importance of teaching individuals with autism to develop and utilize systems that will accommodate their areas of relative weakness in order to maximize their chances for successful integration into society as an adult. Participants will learn some of the strategies that he has used to become a successful adult with high-functioning autism himself, and how to apply and adapt similar strategies to their personal situation as a professional, parent, or person on the spectrum. Participants will also receive practice creating effective systems for ASD individuals for any area of need, including communication, socialization, anxiety management, executive function, and independent living.
