Conferences
January 2009
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JANUARY 10, 2009!
7 PM Cocktail Party * 8 PM Showtime!
BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND! TICKETS STARTING AT ONLY $30
February 2009
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Date: Saturday, February 21, 2009
Presented By: Thiverge & Rothberg
Title: Parent Advocacy Training
Time: Registration 8:30- 9 am Workshop 9 am to 4 pm
Cost: $50 Members, $75 Non-Members, $100 Late/Walk-in (after February 13, 2009)
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
Workshop description: Spring is on it's way, and so is CSE season. Educational Advocacy is all about getting the services you are entitled to. The parent, professional and legal opinions discussed at this seminar will help you navigate the system
About the Presenters:
Christina Thivierge, Esq is a co-founding partner and principal in the law firm of Thivierge & Rothberg, P.C., a private law firm in New York City that concentrates on special education cases. Formerly, Christina was the Senior Associate at a prominent New York City law firm, where she handled special education matters (primarily for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders and related disabilities). Christina received her Juris Doctorate from the City University of New York School of Law and her Bachelors degree from Central Connecticut State University. Christina is admitted to practice law in the state and federal courts of New York and New Jersey, as well as a number of federal Courts of Appeal. In addition to litigating due process matters in New York, New Jersey, Indiana and Alaska, Christina has extensive federal court experience and has argued and presented dispositive motions and matters of first impression.
Christina Thivierge is an award-winning member of the New York State Association for Behavior Analysis, Inc. She also belongs to the Council of Parent Attorneys and Advocates and the New York County Lawyers Association. Additionally, she has presented on IDEA/IDEIA and other special education law topics for a number of organizations in the Tri-State area. Prior to attending law school, Christina spent nine years working with adults diagnosed with autism and other disabilities through the Central Connecticut ARC. Christina also served in the Peace Corps in Guatemala.
Randi Rothberg, Esq is a co-founding partner and principal in the law firm of Thivierge & Rothberg, P.C. Randi previously served as the Associate attorney at a prominent New York law firm that concentrates on special education cases, as well as an Associate attorney at a general practice/defense litigation firm. Randi received her law degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law, Yeshiva University, and her Bachelors degree, cum laude, from the University of Pennsylvania. During law school, Randi was a published member of the CARDOZO WOMEN’S LAW JOURNAL Executive Board ("Not As Simple As Learning the ABC’s: A Comment on Owasso Independent School District No. I-011 v. Falvo and the State of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act," 9 CARDOZO WOMEN’S LAW JOURNAL 27 (2002)).
A recipient of the David Berg and Charles H. Revson Fellowships, Randi previously interned at the renowned Innocence Project and a small private law firm (where she concentrated on civil rights litigation). She also participated in the Cardozo Advocates for Battered Women’s "uncontested divorce" program, through which she assisted an attorney at Sanctuary for Families. Also during law school, Randi was competitively selected for the Brechner Fellowship, through which she worked at the Anti-Defamation League.
Debora Harris BCaBA received her BA in Sociology from Hofstra University. and is a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst. She completed her coursework and received her certificate in Professional Development in Autism through Penn State University. She serves as the Co Executive Director of The Elija School ,a school for children with Autism, as well as the Co Director of Effective Interventions Clinic, a behavioral clinic/agency serving the needs of individuals with autism. Mrs. Harris is actively involved in the Association for Behavior Analysis at the State and National capacity. She provides advocacy and workshops for families and educators who have been touched by Autism. She has a 10 year old son, on the Autism Spectrum and a 9 year old daughter, and resides on of Long Island.
or call 516 433 4321
March 2009
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Date: Friday, March 20, 2009
Presented By: Randy Horowitz, M.S.Ed., S.A.S.
Title:Inclusion throughout the life span: Strategies for effectively supporting individuals with autism in school and community activities
Plainview, New York 11803
Time: Registration 9:30am Workshop 10am to 4pm
Cost: $50 Members, $75 Non-Members, $100 Late/Walk-in (after March 13, 2009)
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
Workshop description:
Students with autism demonstrate significant deficits in the area of socialization and interaction. They may not know how to share, make friends, or interpret the facial expressions and emotions of others. Conversational skills may be weak or lacking. Many students with autism have difficulty generalizing skills from one setting to another and are not able to grasp information through subtle environmental cues. When students first enter intensive behavioral intervention, they are systematically taught these and other skills in various curriculum areas, including academics, self care, social, and language and communication. Because of these unique learning characteristics, students with autism who are identified as candidates for inclusion in academic, recreational and other community activities with their typically developing age matched peers need a systematic and data based transition plan. A planful transition will lead not only to generalization and maintenance of appropriate skills and behavior but also serve as the basis for further skill acquisition. This structure typically includes not only preparing students, but providing support and fading support contingent upon student performance.
This workshop is geared towards teachers, school administrators and paraprofessionals as well as parents and other professionals working with children on the autism spectrum. Topics will include preparing and supporting students with autism in a variety of educational, recreational, vocational and community activities. Managing challenging behavior in the classroom, effective shadowing skills, and facilitating social interaction will also be described. The strategies outlined in this workshop may be applicable to students with disabilities, other than autism, attending regular education classes and participating in various community activities. .
Workshop participants will be able to:
1. Describe an effective model for supporting individuals with autism in school and community activities
2. Design strategies for preventing the occurrence of (and reducing) problem behavior
3. Identify ways to facilitate appropriate peer interaction in a variety of contexts
About the presenter :
Randy Horowitz is the Associate Executive Director of Educational Services at The Eden II Programs in Staten Island, N.Y. Randy has a Master of Science in Education from Queens College and Certificate of School Administration from the College of New Rochelle. Randy is an adjunct lecturer at Queens College, CUNY and has presented at local, national and international conferences on topics relating to educating students with autism. Her particular areas of interest include preparing and supporting students with autism for integration into school and community activities.
April 2009
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Date: Friday, April 24, 2009
Presented By: Carol Gray, President of The Gray Center for Social Learning and Understanding
Title: Solving the Social Equation in Autism Spectrum Disorders: From Social Stories to Real Life Strategies for Home and School
Plainview, New York 11803
Time: Registration 8:30 - Workshop 9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Cost: 125.00 ELIJA Members | 150.00 on Members | 175.00 Late or Walk In April 17 2009
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
Target Audience: Parents and Professionals working on behalf of children with autism spectrum disorders of all ages with applicability to adolescents and adults with ASD.
Description: It is well documented that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): 1) Struggle to make accurate guesses about what the people around them are thinking and or feeling; 2) have difficulty retrieving and sequencing information; 30 often miss the underlying meaning in social communication, and may , 4) use logic and deduction to process the social information that others arrive at "intuitively". Unable to quickly "get the gist" of what is happening, a day at school may be a frustrating series of events, filled with directions that are misunderstood and failed interactions with peers. Understandably, a child with ASD may be attracted to pursuits in line with his/her strengths, i.e. topics and activities that are logical, meaningful, and thus , hold greater promise for success.
This fun and practical workshop uses lecture,demonstrations, plenty of case examples, and activities to explore instructional strategies that directly address the core deficits in ASD through utilization of everyone's strengths. This includes: 1)a research based rationale, including discussion of the role that stories play in the lives of ALL People; 2) a very new FAST TRACK to quickly learn/review Social Stories 10.1, the newly revised and updated defining criteria and guidelines (Gray, 2008, in press) for writing and implementing a Social Story, with demonstration of Social Stories in practice, 3) a modified version of Solution Circles (a strategy developed by Pearpoint & Forrest), and 4) social learning strategies that systematically model and teach friendships concepts and skills and discourage bullying.
Objectives
Participants will learn:
1) about the cognitive theories that are relevant to teaching social concepts and skills (for example, Theory of Mind, Central coherence and Executive Function);
2) the research related o the role that stories play in the learning of social concepts and skills for all people, throughout life;
3) how to write and implement a Social Story, with practice developing and writing a Story with a team;
4) how to work with other parents/professionals to promote friendly behavior and friendship opportunities within any classroom; and
5) basic strategies to address socially challenging behaviors, including those demonstrated by children with ASD and bullying by their peers
May 2009
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Date: Thursday ,May 7 2009
Presented By: Tamara S. Kasper, MS,CCC- SLP, BCBA
Title:Motivating Children with Autism to Speak - Incorporating ABA Principles to build Functional Communication
Plainview, New York 11803
Time: 8:30 am registration, Workshop 9 am- 4 pm
Continental Breakfast & Lunch Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
FREE CEU 's for BCBA's and SLP's (ASHA approved)
Description: Many children with autism and other developmental disabilities live with little or no verbal skills. The inability to communicate even basic requests creates a high level of frustration and can lead to many challenging behaviors, including self-stimulatory and self-injurious behavior. Traditional intervention approaches are often ineffective for this population.
Presented by a practicing Speech-Language Pathologist who has also become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, this seminar draws from multiple treatment frameworks to gain insight into the reasons that some children make minimal progress and provides specific methods for enhancing the effectiveness of your treatment. The seminar shines a light on the challenges in working with children with autism and other developmental disabilities and provides outside-the box teaching strategies to reduce problem behavior during teaching, to promote functional communication, and to increase early vocal skills in this population. Building on current treatment methods from the field of Speech Pathology as viewed through the eyes of a behavior analyst, this workshop provides real world examples of practical and easily implemented interventions that can be applied across contexts. emphasis will be placed on the use of Skinner's behavioral classification of language, which refocuses
and refines the teaching of functional communication. Methods for effective transfer of skills from imitative to spontaneous requesting will be presented. Procedures to systematically shape functional verbal and or manual communication will be addressed, including utilization of the K & K Sign and Say teaching tool and Kaufman's system of a hierarchy of vocalizations (word shells)
Focused on practical strategies, dozens of video clips illustrating treatment methods are integrated throughout the day. Past participants have described this dynamic seminar as "inspirational" and "empowering"
Course Objectives:
1. List 2 skills required for the development of verbal language
2. List 3 motivators that can increase the use of verbal language
3. Explain the rationale of using reinforcement in the teaching of verbal skills
4. Describe the process of using phonemic approximations in the teaching of verbal language
5. Explain the rationale of using manual communication in conjunction with teaching verbal language.
About the presenter:
Tamara S. Kasper, MS, SLP-CCC, BCBA has practiced as a pediatric speech/language pathologist with emphasis on treatment of children with challenging behavior for over 17 years. She has specialized in treatment of children within the autism spectrum for the last 10 years. Her commitment to the children she serves led her to pursue treatment methods outside the field of speech-language pathology. Under the mentorship of Dr. Vincent Carbone and his protégé, Ms. Kasper became a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst. Ms. Kasper has also completed advanced training in application of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior, Greenspan’s DIR approach, and Kaufman’s strategies for apraxia of speech. She has developed procedures to assist children with autism in developing verbal vocal language and is co-author of the K&K Sign and Say Materials. Currently, Ms. Kasper directs The Center for Autism Treatment and provides consulting services, training, and workshops to treatment teams who serve children with autism in the United States, Canada, and Europe.
June 2009
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Date: Friday, June 12, 2009
Presented By: Dr. Bridget Taylor, BCBA AND Dr. Joanne Gerenser SLP-CCC
Title: 2 Part Workshop! DON'T MISS THIS ONE!
AM: With Dr. Taylor The Prevention & Treatment of Challenging Behaviors / PM With Dr. Gerenser: Utilizing Augmentative Communication Devices
Plainview, New York 11803
Time: Registration 8:30 am : AM with Taylor Workshop 9:00 am- 12:00 pm PM with Gerenser 1:00pm to 4:00pm
Cost: 75.00 ELIJA Members | 100.00 Non Members | 125.00 Late or Walk In June 5 2009
Continental Breakfast Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
AM Session: Presented by Dr. Bridget Taylor
Description: It is well documented that children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD): 1) Struggle to make accurate guesses about what the people around them are thinking and or feeling; 2) have difficulty retrieving and sequencing information; 30 often miss the underlying meaning in social communication, and may , 4) use logic and deduction to process the social information that others arrive at "intuitively". Unable to quickly "get the gist" of what is happening, a day at school may be a frustrating series of events, filled with directions that are misunderstood and failed interactions with peers. Understandably, a child with ASD may be attracted to pursuits in line with his/her strengths, i.e. topics and activities that are logical, meaningful, and thus , hold greater promise for success.
Children with autism can present with challenging behavior. For example, it is not uncommon for an individual with autism to engage in high rates of repetitive non-purposeful behavior, tantrum in the presence of demands, or engage in aggression or self injury when denied access to preferred activities. The presentation of problem behavior can significantly interfere with and limit educational and social opportunities, negatively impact family functioning, and if not addressed can limit overall community integration experiences. This talk will provide an overview of the potential reasons why problem behavior exists, innovative interventions that match treatment to function, and practical strategies parents and teachers can implement to prevent the development of problem behavior. Case examples will be presented through lecture and videotapes to illustrate assessment, intervention and data-base outcomes.
Learning Objectives
Identify the potential functions of problem behavior
Identify environmental contexts that may occasion problem behavior
Identify skill deficits that may occasion problem behavior
Identify assessment procedures to match treatment to the function of problem behavior
Identify ways to prevent the development of behavior problems
PM Session: Presented by Dr. Joanne Gerenser
Autism is a disorder of communication. It is estimated that 30 % of children with autism may not develop functional speech. Alternative/augmentative communication (AAC) systems are critical for these individuals to promote language and communication. This workshop will provide a brief overview of the unique language and learning characteristics of individuals on the autism spectrum. Knowledge of these unique aspects in critical when considering an AAC system. Unaided systems such as manual signs along with aided systems such as PECS and Voice Output Systems will be described. In addition, the strengths and limitations of each will be reviewed. Strategies for effective applications of AAC systems to enhance speech and language as well as promote communication will be discussed.
Learner Objectives:
Following this presentation, the participant will be able to:
1. Describe unique language characteristics of individuals with ASD
2. Discuss learning characteristics of individuals with ASD and how these impact on the use of AAC
3. List various different AAC systems as well as strengths and limitations of each
July 2009
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Date: Friday, July 24, 2009
Presented By: Peter Gerhardt, Ed.D, The Organization for Autism Research
Title: Bridges to Adulthood
Plainview, New York 11803
Time: Registration 8:30 - Workshop 9:00 am- 4:00 pm
Cost: 50.00 ELIJA Members | 60.00 Non Members | 70.00 Late or Walk In July 17, 2009
Continental Breakfast Included (those with dietary restrictions are kindly asked to bring their own food)
Description:
TBD
Learning Objectives
TBD
August 2009
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September 2009
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