Category: Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Date: Tuesday, May 15
Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

Considering autism as an expression of the diversity of the human gene pool rather than a life limiting disorder, let’s look at how people with this condition are able to build fulfilling and productive lives.  Drawing from the author’s own experiences as well as others on the autism spectrum, practical solutions in the areas of education, relationships, employment, self-advocacy, and disclosure shall be explored for maximizing the potential of people both on and off the autism spectrum.

Bio of Stephen Shore

Diagnosed with “Atypical Development and strong autistic tendencies” and “too sick” for outpatient treatment Dr. Shore was recommended for institutionalization. Nonverbal until four, and with much support from his parents, teachers, wife, and others, Stephenis now a professor at Adelphi University where his research focuses on matching best practice to the needs of people with autism.
In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Stephen presents and consults internationally on adult issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, advocacy, and disclosure as discussed in his books Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Ask and Tell: Self-advocacy and Disclosure for People on the Autism Spectrum, the critically acclaimed Understanding Autism for Dummies, and the newly released DVD Living along the Autism Spectrum: What it means to have Autism or Asperger Syndrome.
President emeritus of the Asperger’s Association of New England and former board member of the Autism Society, Dr. Shore serves in the Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee, Asperger Syndrome and High Functioning Autism Association, and other autism related organizations.

Date: Wednesday, February 8th

Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

Speaker: Dr. Robert Naseef

Description:

Parents often wonder how raising a child with autism affects their other children. In this presentation, parents will explore their own sibling relationships in order to understand the impact of their child’s special needs on his or her “typical” brothers and sisters. Participants will learn strategies for meeting family members’ needs while maintaining household unity and stability.

Bio:

Robert Naseef is a psychologist in independent practice. Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Parenting a Child with a Disability, his first book, has received international recognition. He has lectured internationally and appeared on radio and television. He is the co-editor of Voices from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People with Autism, and Professionals Share Their Wisdom (2006). Living Along the Autism Spectrum (2009) is a new DVD which features him along with Stephen Shore and Dan Gottlieb.
Dr. Naseef’s specialty is working with families of children with autism and other special needs. He has published many articles in scholarly journals and other publications. He has “a foot in each world” as the father of an adult child with autism. He has a special interest and expertise in the psychology of men and fatherhood. Through his experiences as a parent and as a professional, Robert is relates to both audiences and is a sought after speaker around the country.
Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, endorsed Special Children, Challenged Parents.   In Rabbi Kushner’s words, “Writing with the wisdom of a mental health professional and the compassion of a loving father, Dr. Naseef has given us a book that will instruct and inspire us all.”
In 2008, Robert Naseef was honored by Variety, the Children’s Charity for his outstanding contributions over the past 20 years to the autism community. You can visit him on the web at  www.alternativechoices.com

Date: January 19,2011

Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

Speaker: Dr. Jerry Kartzinel

Description:

Autism and its Profound Relationship to Gastro-Intestinal Function.

Bio

Dr Jerry Kartzinel is Board Certified pediatrician and a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics. He specializes in the recovery of neurodevelopmental, chronic neuro-inflammatory diseases, and hormonal dysfunctions.

After receiving his medical degree at St Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his residency in pediatric medicine in the Air Force. Following Desert Storm, Dr Kartzinel practiced general pediatrics in private practice for 10 years until his fourth boy was diagnosed with Autism.

A nationally recognized speaker and New York Times Best Selling Author, Dr. Kartzinel has presented medical interventions that work to improve the lives of his patients who suffer from many types of medical conditions that include: autism, allergies, inflammatory bowel disease, chronic constipation, chronic diarrhea, sleep cycle disruptions, and hormonal imbalances. He regularly teaches Continuing Medical Educations courses on children’s health issues to physicians and other health professionals.

His clinical approach is to treat the whole patient by carefully obtaining a full and complete history and based on this history, obtaining very detailed laboratory evaluations. Individualized plans are implemented integrating the very latest medical interventions that include both traditional and complimentary medicine approaches.

Date: Wednesday, December 7th

Time: 6PM Pacific (9PM Eastern)

Speaker: Paul Nidich Attorney at Law

This month’s webinar will focus on financial planning for children with autism. Our speaker will be attorney Paul Nidich who is married and the father of two children, one of whom, Alex, is 27 years old and has autism, cerebral palsy, and significant developmental delays.

Paul has given many seminars on special needs trusts and taxation relating to disabilities both to families and other attorneys.

BIO:

Paul has been an attorney in Cincinnati, Ohio, since 1974. He received his law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law and his Master of Laws in Taxation from Capital University Law School.

Since 2002, Paul’s law practice has focused primarily in three areas of the law, Taxation, Estate Planning and Probate, and Elder Law. In the area of Taxation, Paul prepares tax returns, tries cases before the United States Tax Court, and represents taxpayers in tax controversy matters, such as liens, levies, offers in compromise, sales tax, and employment tax issues.

In the area of Estate Planning and Probate, Paul drafts simple and complex wills, living trusts, special needs trusts, Irrevocable Grantor Trusts, and other wealth preservation documents. Paul also handles Probate matters, from simple estate administration to probate litigation. In the area of Elder Law, Paul advises seniors about Medicaid trusts, wealth transfer devices, and end-of-life matters.

Paul Nidich is married and the father of two children, one of whom, Alex, is 27 years old and has autism, cerebral palsy, and significant developmental delays. His daughter, Rachel, is married and has two children.

Date: Wednesday, Nov 2nd

Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

Speaker: Dr. James Ball

This presentation will discuss 7 systematic techniques for working with children with an autism spectrum disorder. It will focus on teaching specific skills, enhancing motivation, and generalization training. A step by step demonstration will be presented using real life examples. Modifications will be explored that allow this particular program to be effective with students significantly challenged with autism, as well as those students with Aspergers Syndrome. Because of the nature of this presentation, a question and answer period will be provided.

Bio:

President/Chief Executive Officer – JB Autism ConsultingDirector of Clinical Services New York Families of Autistic Children, Inc. (NYFAC) Chair, Autism Society, National Board of DirectorsMember, Autism Society, Panel of Professional AdvisorsMember, Autism New Jersey, Professional Advisory BoardFoundation Board Member, Healing Hands of Christ, Autism Consultant Featured Author, Autism Asperger’s DigestMember, Eden Services, Outreach Services Committee

Author: Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers.

Winner of:

-2008, NAPPA Gold Award Winner

-2008 Finalist For Word Book of the Year

-2009 Gold Award in the Independent Publisher Awards

Dr. James Ball, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, is the President/Chief Executive Officer of JB Autism Consulting. He has been in the field of autism for over twenty-five years providing educational, residential, and employment services to children and adults affected byautism. He is also the Director of Clinical Services for New York Families of Autistic Children (NYFAC), a private not-for-profit organization providing support and training for children and families in New York City.

He provides private consultation to organizations, schools, and families regarding staff training, parent training, home support services, classroom design/support, and behavior management/assessment.

Dr. Ball is a past member of the Autism New Jersey, formally known as the New Jersey Center for Outreach and Services for the Autism Community (COSAC) Board of Trustees, and a member of the Autism New Jersey, Professional Advisory Board. A member of the AutismSociety’s (AS) National Board of Directors, he is currently the Board Chair and has also servedin the past as the co-chairperson of the AS’s Panel of Professional Advisors. He sits on theadvisory board for the Autism Asperger’s Digest magazine and has been a Featured Author for the magazine for the past 5 years. Dr. Ball has lectured nationally and internationally on various topics related to autism, such as early intervention, inclusion services, functional behaviorassessment, social skills training, behavior management, direct instruction, sensory issues, and accountability. He has published in many of the above areas and authored the award winning breakthrough book Early Intervention and Autism: Real-life Questions, Real-life Answers, winning the 2008 NAPPA Gold Award Winner, Finalist for the 2008 ForeWord Book of the Year & Gold Award Winner in the 2009 Independent Publisher Book Awards.
Dr. Ball has won numerous awards including: NYFAC’s Autism Inspiration Award, AS’s Publication Award for his manual on Social Security and Employment for individuals withautism spectrum disorders, Autism New Jersey, formally known as COSAC highest honor, their Distinguished Service Award, and most recently was honored at the Phoenix Center in Nutley, New Jersey during their 20th Anniversary Gala as Professional of the Year

Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

Date: October 19, 2011

Speaker: Marla Root

Description:

With the increasing rates of autism it is so important to have accessible information for families and professionals that will direct families to organizations, schools, agencies, and advocates that will help them move forward in treatment as soon as possible.

The session structure will involve a power point presentation that will first focus on an overview of the different state departments and services and funding each provide. The session will then move into discussions about specific funding options such as waivers, Medicaid, education, private insurance and local funding.

Marla Root Bio:

Marla Root is the Director of Community Affairs and Advocacy with Step By Step Academy in Worthington, Ohio. She has worked with hundreds of individuals and families throughout state. She is the 2010 advocate of the year recipient awarded by The Governor’s Council for People with Disabilities. She has provided presentations for many organizations such as The Ohio Coalition for the Education of Children with Disabilities, Franklin County Children Services, Autism Society Chapters, OCALI, Milestones, State Support Teams and the Ohio Center for the Deafblind Education. Marla has been advocating for funding and services since 1998 when her son was diagnosed with autism. Marla is currently a board member for the Autism Society of Ohio, Ohio Association of Behavior Analysis and Food For Good Thought. She is a member of the Ohio Association of Behavior Analysis. Marla has a Bachelor of Science Finance degree from Franklin University.

Date: Wednesday, September 28th

Time: 6pm Pacific (9pm Eastern)

What is the difference between teaching social skills and social thinking? This webinar will explore the answer to this question and why it is not enough to simply teach “social skills” to our students with near normal to way above normal verbal intelligence. Michelle Garcia Winner’s work in Social Thinking ® (www.socialthinking.com) will be used as a framework for learning.

Bio:

Kari Palmer, M.A., CCC-SLP, has worked for and trained directly with Michelle Garcia
Winner in San Jose, CA. At the clinic, her diverse caseload included preschool aged
children to young adults, all with varying levels of social cognitive challenges. Before
working with Michelle, Kari was a speech language pathologist in the public schools.
Kari now lives in Minnesota where she owns a private practice and works as a Social
Thinking ® consultant in local school districts. She is a peer reviewer for the American
Speech Language Hearing Association’s (ASHA) continuing education programs. As a
part of the Social Thinking ® Training Collaborative, Kari presents workshops on topics
related to Social Thinking ® to audiences year round.

Date: July 13, 2011

Time: 06:00pm Pacific Time

Topic: Autism Fitness: Making Physical Activity Fun for Anybody

Speaker: Eric Chessen, M.S., YCS

Description: This webinar presentation by Autism Fitness Founder Eric Chessen will focus on developing physical education and exercise programs for ASD and special needs populations. Through the unique lens of best practices approaches in both Exercise Science and education/behavior therapy, Eric will discuss the common myths and mistakes in providing fitness for individuals with autism, and how educators, professionals, and parents can develop ideal, individualized programs in the home, classroom, or fitness center. Eric will discuss the Autism Fitness PAC Profile approach to assessing ability, goal-planning, and making physical activity fun for anybody.

Date: June 27, 2011

Time: 6:00pm Pacific Time

Topic: Hidden Curriculum: Practical Solutions for Understanding Rules in Social Situations

Speaker: Brenda Smith-Myles, Ph.D.

Description:  The Hidden Curriculum refers to the set of rules or guidelines that are often not directly taught but are assumed to be known (Garrett, 1984; Hemmings, 2000; Jackson, 1968; Kanpol, 1989). This curriculum contains items that impact social interactions, school performance, and sometimes health and well-being. The curriculum also includes unspoken rules, slang, metaphors, body language etc. While this information may be intuitive for neurotypical individuals, but it is not those with autism or other special needs. This session includes practical tips for teaching these hidden social needs to children and to adults and stresses the importance of making these a part of everyday life. Objectives: At the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• define the hidden curriculum
• explain the hidden curriculum’s applicability to school, community, and home
• identify hidden curriculum areas and items across preschool, middle school, high school, and adulthood