Dr. Carbone sponsored by the McGovern Family in Connecticut
“Who are you Frank?
I keep hearing that one. I am a Father of a 6 yr old boy with autism and a
3yr old boy that had a big speech delay but is almost up to speed
(I have a loving wife and 3rd grade son as well- can't leave that out)
My 3yr old responded amazingly to verbal behavior. My 6 yr old is improving
with it but at a slower rate.
I am convinced that the teaching methods put forth by Dr Carbone provide
kids with autism the best chance of success. There is no guarantee of
anything however.
A properly implemented Verbal Behavior program at the school which is
carried over in the home by the parents should be the goal.
The challenge for all of us is to get parents and teachers the TRAINING they
need.
This workshop is just the 1st step in that process.
I urge anyone what ideas on how we might join together to provide ongoing
training locally to contact me..
We can arrange for some of Dr. Carbone's follow up workshops (given by his
associates). The cost of these workshops are a factor. (maybe someone knows
someone else that might sponsor a workshop)
Enjoy the workshop. Try to concentrate on grasping the underlying
principle's of the teaching method.
If you attempt to just learn what to do with one child at this moment in
time, it will not stand to you later. Whereas, a good grasp of the
principle's will help you adjust to whatever curveball a child may throw you
later.
After the workshop please email me with your thoughts.
Frank McGovern"
~~~Hey guys! I was able to attend this workshop! Frank sponsored 270 people to attend Dr. Vincent Carbone's Verbal Behavior Workshop #1 in Connecticut earlier this week. Most attendees were from surrounding Connecticut school districts, preschools and Birth-3. WHAT AN AMAZING 3 DAY 21 hour CONFERENCE!
Dr. Carbone in detail explained the verbal operants as defined by B.F. Skinner and how to "teach Verbal Behavior to persons who do not acquire it typically". He explained through many video examples of how to apply proven (documented studies) effective teaching procedures=using competing positive reinforcers, errorless learning, interspersing easy and difficult targets, mixing and varying tasks, extinction of off-task responses, fading in the # of demands, using easy responses at first then increase difficulty, immediate delivery of reinforcers, teaching to fluency, short inter trial interval as possible (ITI) along with critical reinforcement variables= value of + rate of + immediacy of + magnitude of + making sure effort of response required is not to difficult) while utilizing and applying the Verbal Operants as defined by B.F. Skinner to your ABA program (in the natural environment as well as during intensive teaching).
What I've learned about my son Dustin is he is an Early Learner in the Natural Environment but at the intermediate level during intensive discrete trial teaching, and there are many crucial building blocks we have missed that need to be targeted before I can expect more success. I'm confident that the many ideas and techniques Dr. Carbone presented and thoroughly explained to us are going to help our son achieve functional skills at a quicker more effective rate at the same time ACTUALLY ENJOYING HIMSELF WHILE LEARINING TO LEARN!!!!!!!
Every once in a while I scanned the room during the presentation and the look on everyone's faces was just amazing. He had everyone fully attending, hanging on every word, and anxious to see the next video example of before and after effective teaching from all sorts of learners, verbal and nonverbal, at all different ages (even a 33 year old man who had been institutionalized 30 years of his life, thought to have no cognitive ability what so ever). Even more impressive was, as Dr. Carbone put it, how quickly THE TEACHERS WERE ABLE TO RECOVER from poor ineffective teaching!
Dr. Carbone answered EVERYONE'S questions during his presentation as well as during breaks, lunch, even on his way to the bathroom, he worked hard! I can't say enough about what an amazing presenter/clinician Dr. Carbone is and how thankful I am to the McGovern's for allowing me to come to Verbal Behavior Workshop #1. I'm signed up for the parent workshop #2 this summer and can't wait.
If you are concerned about your child and would really like to learn more about ABA and effective teaching to acquire functional skills for your child, these workshops will be your greatest tool ever! Again, thank you so much to the McGovern's, you provided us all with a wealth of knowledge (as well as awesome lunches, refreshments and goodies at a beautiful hotel) what an impact you must have made for all those whose lives are affected by Autism in Connecticut. Your families generosity is beyond comprehension and so inspiring!
Thank you!
Jennica (mom to Dustin 3.10 ASD)
An Afterthought:
I'm envious of the parents
with newly diagnosed children that were at the conference earlier this week,
that Dr. Carbone's work and his presentation on the work of other top
professionals in the field is their first exposure to ABA. I feel such a
responsibility to tell you guys who don't know about this information. It's
that same exact feeling that I got when I felt I needed to tell a good
friend I was worried about their child's development. You know you need to
tell them, because the sooner they know the better for the child And, the
guilt you would feel for not telling them because YOU know the URGENCY of
the situation, the importance of intervention ASAP to help the child and to
reduce regret for the parents. It is just that important. It's interesting
that, just like the friend I had given a head's up to, people get angry and
deny that there might be something terribly wrong (with their teaching
procedures) and then you become the bad guy. And I can understand that, I
like many whole heartedly believed in everything we did with my son and
followed through and made sure I followed exactly what I was told, and yes
it helped. Well, I can tell you for a fact there is quite a bit of a
grieving process you will go through. When you realize that all that energy,
all that effort, the hours and days that we all put into get the gains then
realize that those gains aren't anywhere near where they probably could be
if you would have known this information a long time ago. It's just that
important. I'm convinced this will be common knowledge in a couple of years,
and boy when people find out, they will be kicking themselves in the ---,
and all the clients who they came in contact with will flash through their
minds, and they will grieve knowing that these people could have had
opportunities you never would have thought possible.
Jennica
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