Issues in Education for School-Age Students and Adults on the Autism Spectrum
Put on by the AHA, the purpose of this annual fall conference is to address the educational, social and behavioral issues pertaining to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Our nationally known speakers present current and effective strategies for higher-functioning students, and important voices from the spectrum offer insights from their personal experience.
With the demand for autism experts and autism therapists on the rise, it is more important than ever for teachers and health professionals to have some form of ASD training. At IBCCES, we are committed to providing professional development training through our Autism Certification.
We offer a variety of continuing education courses for clinicians and educators working with children and adults in the areas of learning, communication, therapeutic intervention, wellness, and brain performance.
The primary objective of all training is to provide innovative clinical tools and strategies that can be immediately applied upon course completion in clinics, hospitals, schools, and homes.
With the demand for autism experts and autism therapists on the rise, it is more important than ever for teachers and health professionals to have some form of ASD training. At IBCCES, we are committed to providing professional development training through our Autism Certification.
Price:
$425 (within 30 days of event)
$375 Early Bird (30 days in advance) & AOTA Member
$350 Group (3 or more)
$225 Provider (Retraining)
By Taveesha Guyton, Social Worker & soon-to-be CAS
I am a social work professional whose expertise is working with the intellectually-disabled and population of individuals with autism. I really love my job and who I work for. My sole purpose in my position is to provide resources, education and advocacy for this steady growing population, which affects 1 in 68 births in the United States.
1. Listen to you clients.What I want for my clients is very different from what they want for themselves. Many times in the field, professionals who work with clients look at the end result versus looking at the here and now. I have learned to listen what is being said and sometimes what is not being said.
2. Provide Choices.Providing choices. It is important to exercise the ability to choose. Providing options are the best way for people to find out what they like and do not like and it also helps create more conversation about many other things. Choice making is a skill I feel is not exercised enough with this population. (Check out great visual support ideas here.)
3. Ensure proper supports are in place.What is needed for this individual with autism to maintain a ” normal” life is usually the question asked and how do we as a professionally supportive community help create this world for this individual? Will the individual need vocational rehabilitation because their goal is to earn competitive wages? If the individual’s goal is to live alone, will this person need the assistance of a Supported Living Coach? Will this individual need guidance for activities of daily living such as medication management, making doctor’s appointments, meal preparation and grocery shopping? What about socialization and community-based outings? Will the individual need someone to help integrate them into the community?
In assisting in the coordination and maintenance of services for the individual with special needs or autism, social workers are able to make the lives of individuals with autism a little better.
By Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Safety/Preparedness Specialist, CAS
More than one mother recently confided that getting her children ready to enter school with its fees, clothes, and required items was a real financial burden—and those students weren’t even in high school yet. I recalled those same September concerns years ago, knowing taxes were also due in November, and Christmas was just around the corner. With four amazing daughters, including Heidi (our beautiful daughter with Down syndrome and late-onset autism) my husband Rod and I felt so blessed, but our budget and stress levels were very stretched. With Heidi’s special needs for good quality vitamins/food, calming craniosacral therapy appointments each week, and educational toys and more – my motto, “keep it up!” served us well. Today’s parents can live this way, too, with some of our common sense advice.
Imagine going the first fifty years of your life with an invisible disorder that you don’t know you have. It affects every move you make, every word you speak, and simply everything you do. You realize you are different than other people and never fit in, only you don’t understand why. As a child, other children run away from you. You try and make friends only no one wants to be your friend. You have all kinds of sensory issues that others don’t seem to have. Your sense of taste, smell, touch, hearing, and vision are amplified as if you live in IMAX 24/7, 365 days a year. Every social interaction seems to end up as a negative one. When you attempt to join in on conversations at work, everyone ignores you as if you are invisible. You are a target of bullying and harassment, not only throughout your school years, but at your workplace as well. You spend fifty years feeling like you are on the outside of life looking in. As if there’s a glass shield keeping you away from joining in with others. You see people together out in restaurants, in malls, everywhere you go, you see them laughing, talking, having fun. Yet there you are, alone. You try and get used to it, but deep inside you long for even just one friend. The feeling of loneliness at times totally consumes you. Holidays are the worst, as you are aware that others are gathering for big celebrations, as you are home alone yet again. Sadly, this is all common to individuals on the autism spectrum.
Featured CAS or ACAS Name: Dr. Ann Marie Leonard-Zabel, CAS, ACAS 1 and ACAS 2; Full Professor of Psychology; School Neuropsychologist; Clinical Instructor and Clinical Supervisor
State/Country: Massachusetts
School/ Organizations: Curry College Department of Psychology; NEALAC Clinic – private practice; KidsInc School Neuropsychology Post-Graduate Certificate Program
St. Andrew’s Autism Centre (SAAC) in collaboration with the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards is presenting a two-day conference in Singapore September 8-9 to bring a world class autism training and certification to professionals in Southeast Asia. The internationally-recognized program is regarded as the gold standard in certification that recognize individuals with advanced knowledge in autism.
During the two-day training conference, attendees will take part in hands-on activities and group sessions with other education and therapy professionals from around the world. Collaborative sessions will teach how to leverage autism traits and characteristics as potential springboards for success in education and health care. Attendees will also take part in engaging discussions on effective self-advocacy, meaningful engagement in the community and how to effectively model training for individuals with autism. Through a series of two-day conference sessions, they will provide attendees with expert knowledge centered around the IBCCES 10 Areas of Autism Competency.
We offer a variety of continuing education courses for clinicians and educators working with children and adults in the areas of learning, communication, therapeutic intervention, wellness, and brain performance.
The primary objective of all training is to provide innovative clinical tools and strategies that can be immediately applied upon course completion in clinics, hospitals, schools, and homes.
With the demand for autism experts and autism therapists on the rise, it is more important than ever for teachers and health professionals to have some form of ASD training. At IBCCES, we are committed to providing professional development training through our Autism Certification.
By Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Safety/Preparedness Specialist
Elayne’s daughter, Miss Heidi Pearson.
With temperatures over 100 degrees in much of the United States, most families are challenged simply keeping everyone comfortable, hydrated, and content. Then, if you add into a household the mix of individuals affected by autism, with their tendencies to be overly-sensitive to temperatures, frustration when routine is disrupted, and struggles with impulsivity—August can be a very tricky month for everyone. This was too true for our family when Heidi and her three older sister were growing up. With her dual-diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism, she was cute as a pixie, but often kept us on high-alert, (or “Heidi-alert”). I recall countless summer vacations, where it sure didn’t feel like a vacation.
Once again, we are at the time of year that brings about so many mixed emotions for professionals in the education field; The beginning of a new school year. The smell of fresh markers, the sight of a completely clean classroom, a desk without piles of paperwork are all soon to be fleeting things as the momentum of the school year kicks things into high gear. For some educators who are taking on new positions or responsibilities this year, there may we waves of apprehension wondering how everything will manage to get done on time. Others who have been in the field for a while may wonder how they can incorporate new ideas into their lesson plans to keep students interested. There are so many different situations going on and everyone is different.
By Taveesha Guyton, Social Worker & soon-to-be CAS
By Elayne Pearson, Special Needs Safety/Preparedness Specialist, CAS
By Anita Lesko, BSN, RN, MS, CRNA
