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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Sensory Integration Therapy

Description:

Sensory Integration Therapy with Chantal Sicile-Kira covers sensory –related problems in children and teenagers with autism, how to get help.

In this webinar, Ernest Priestly discusses sensory integration problems  which effect people on the autistic spectrum. The speaker, Chantal Sicile-Kira, offers advice and solutions for how to deal with a variety of sensory-related problems, as well as general tips on effectively dealing with autistic children and teenagers. Topics covered include sensory  therapies, legal issues and how to get more help.

Speaker : Chantal Sicile-Kira

Chantal Sicile-Kira

Chantal Sicile-Kira has been involved with Autism Spectrum Disorders for almost twenty years, both as a professional and as a parent. Her most recent book is Autism Life Skills: From Communication and Safety to Self Esteem and More: 10 Essential Abilities Every Child  Needs and Deserves to Learn. She is the award-wining author of  Autism Spectrum Disorders, and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum. Her son, Jeremy, was featured in the MTV documentary ‘True Life’ series, in “I Have Autism.” Chantal writes the Ask Chantal column for The Autism File Magazine, and hosts a radio show on Autism One Radio. Visit www.chantalsicile-kira.com for more information.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Your Child In the IEP Process

Description:

An overview of changes in the law and how they impact a child’s placement. Practice of parents waiving reading of their rights and how that has left them in the dark as to changes the district does not voluntarily give them, will be discussed.

Speaker:Ms. Patricia E. Cromer, Lawyer

Ms. Patricia E. Cromer, Lawyer

Ms. Cromer has been practicing law since 1995 exclusive in the area of special education.  She has been both a parent of two special needs eligible children as well as an attorney representing over 1,000 families.  She has worked with the juvenile court system to provide cost effective representation to foster children who the law left without protections as well as training Judges, attorneys, other connected agencies, parents and CASAs in the children’s special education rights and how to protect them.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Practical Suggestions for Challenging Behaviors

Description:

Individuals who engage in problematic behaviors present a significant challenge for families and professionals.  In this webinar, Dr. Pratt will provide practical suggestions for assessing behavior, teaching alternative behaviors, and creating behavior support plans.

Speaker: Dr. Cathy Pratt

Dr. Cathy Pratt

Dr. Cathy Pratt  is the  Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community located at Indiana University.  Dr. Pratt currently  serves as Chair of the Board for the National Autism Society of America.  Dr. Pratt is on faculty at Indiana University, presents internationally, and serves on numerous Advisory Boards, including the Advisory Boards of Maap Services, Inc., the College Internship Program, and the Autism Society of Indiana. For more information go to

http://www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca/Staff/DrCathyPratt.html

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Episodes: My Life as I see it

Description:

Ever wonder what it is like to be a teenager on the autism spectrum? Ever wonder what is going through their minds and how they see the world around them? Blaze Ginsberg, a young adult with High Functioning Autism, discusses his teenage years, his struggles and triumphs with school, his desire to “fit in,” and how he became the person he is today. His mother, Debra Ginsberg, will discuss what raising a teen like Blaze was like from her perspective.

Speaker: Blaze Ginsberg

Blaze Ginsberg
Blaze Ginsberg

Blaze Ginsberg is the author of Episodes: My Life as I see It. in 2002, Blaze Ginsberg was the subject of Raising Blaze, his mother’s account of her efforts to shepherd him through the public school system. The book covered eight years, from kindergarten through seventh grade during which Blaze was judged at various times to have learning disabilities, behavioral problems, ADHD, Asperger’s Syndrome, and an assortment of other conditions, without ever being definitively diagnosed. In 2007, at the age of nineteen, Blaze finally received a formal diagnosis of high-functioning autism.   Blaze has been writing short stories, poems, and songs since the age of nine. In 2006, he began writing his own book, a memoir which picks up where Raising Blaze left off, covering his years in high school and his first steps toward adulthood. Inspired by Internet episode guides such as imdb.com and TV.com, his memoir, EPISODES, describes his life as a series of TV shows in which he’s appeared. For more information visit:  http://www.blazeginsberg.com/.

Debra Ginsberg is the author of the memoirs, Waiting: The True Confessions of a Waitress(HarperCollins, 2000), Raising Blaze: A Mother and Son’s Long, Strange Journey Into Autism (HarperCollins, 2002), and About My Sisters(HarperCollins, 2004) and the novels Blind Submission (Shaye Areheart Books, 2006) and The Grift (Shaye Areheart Books, 2008). A graduate of Reed College, she has contributed to NPR’s All Things Considered, is a regular reviewer for Shelf Awareness, and works as a freelance editor. She lives in Southern California. For more Information, visit http://www.debraginsberg.com/.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

DIR/Floortime: It’s Use at Home and School

Description:

Speaker: Dr Joshua Feder

Dr Joshua Feder
Dr. Joshua Feder

Dr Joshua Feder specializes in neurobehavioral medicine, applying DIR®/Floortime with families and in schools. He does research, teaches, consults, and hosts support groups for professionals and families.  Dr Feder sits on the BRIDGE (Bond Regulate Interact Develop Guide Engage) Collaborative, a community-wide effort for early identification and intervention in San Diego County.

He serves as medical education director for the Rady Children’s Hospital Autism Research Workgroup, and has served on the Autism Committee and on the Medications and Autism panel of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.  Dr Feder reviews grants for the Organization for Autism Research and the National Foundation for Autism Research and is a commentator on ValeriesList, a web-based information service for autism and related disorders.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Communication and Behavior : How to Help Children, Teens, and Adults Who Have Little Verbal Communication Skills

Description:

Darlene will discuss the connection between behavior and communication; how to help someone develop appropriate communication skills; how to encourage verbal skills, assistive technology and augmentative communication : what they are and how they can help.

Speaker:Darlene Hanson, MA, CCC

Darlene Hanson, MA, CCC
Darlene Hanson, MA, CCC

Darlene Hanson, MA, CCC   has been a Speech and Language Pathologist for 20 years, working with individuals with severe communication impairments. Her expertise in working with individuals who are “non verbal” and use alternate modes of communication, as well as in the area of speech development for persons with severe motor apraxia as it relates to autism. She worked in the public school setting as a school based clinician and program specialist, taught university level courses at Chapman University. She currently provides training on autism, full inclusion, creating a communicative environment and Facilitated Communication.  Her mission is to provide quality training and support to individuals with severe communication impairments so that their lives are enhanced by communication and they have a means of communication to actively participate in their lives, and community.  http://www.darlenehanson.com

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Aspergers Syndrome

Description:

Asperger’s Syndrome with Brian King covers sensory sensitivity, advocating in school, managing behavioral issues, difficulty focusing, positive aspects.

In this webinar, Chantal Sicile-Kira discusses the issues surrounding  Asperger’s Syndrome with speaker, Brian R. King. Topics such as sensory sensitivity, advocating for children at school, and managing behavioral issues are discussed in detail. Dealing with bullying, difficulty focusing, how to help manage different challenges, the positive aspects of having Asperger’s are also touched upon.

Speaker: Brian King

Brian King
Brian King

Brian King is a licensed clinical social worker in private practice in Naperville, Illinois, and he  brings a unique three-fold perspective to the world of Asperger’s. Not only does he have two sons on the autism spectrum and a practice focused exclusively on working with Asperger’s  clients and their families, but Brian himself is also blessed with Asperger’s. Brian has become  known worldwide for his positive approach to living the Asperger’s experience, and he is  dedicating his time to serving as an ambassador between the Asperger’s and neurotypical communities. His goal is to help both communities learn to better communicate, appreciate,  and cooperate with each other in a spirit of mutual respect. Brian is also the author of a few  books, including I’m an Aspie.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

From Disability to Possibility: The Power of Inclusion

Time: 6PM

Topic: From Disability to Possibility: The Power of Inclusion

Speaker: Patrick Schwarz, Ph.D.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Verbal Behavior Approach: Teaching Kids with Autism

Description:

Drawing on her experience as both a parent of a son with autism as well as a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), Mary Lynch Barbera will provide listeners with information to help children with autism learn language and other important skills.Mary will highlight strategies from her book:  The Verbal Behavior Approach:  How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders, and provide guidance using the scientifically proven strategies of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) specifically utilizing B.F. Skinner’s Analysis of Verbal Behavior.  Parents and professionals will be empowered with information regarding ABA/VB programming for children with autism and other developmental disorders.  For more information about Mary and/or her book, please go to www.vbapproach.com

Speaker: Mary Lynch Barbera

Mary Lynch Barbera
Mary Lynch Barbera

RN, MSN, BCBA offers a unique perspective as both a parent of a child with autism as well as a professional.  Since her sons’ diagnosis one day before his third birthday, Mary has focused her attention and research on autism and related disorders. In 2000, she was the Founding President of the Autism Society of Berks County. She became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2003 and has since been working as the Lead Behavior Analyst for the Pennsylvania Verbal Behavior Project. Mary has had the privilege of working with hundreds of children on the autism spectrum and has assisted in providing training to thousands of professionals and parents. Mary is a frequent speaker at workshops and conferences at the local, state and national levels and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Leadership.

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Free Autism Webinars Each Month

Inclusion and Socialization in School and Community

Description:

Inclusion and Socialization in School and Community with Rick Clemens covers inclusion of children with autism, social development, recreation.

This webinar, discusses the technique of inclusion, where children with autism are included in normal educational and social environments instead of being segregated into special education classrooms. Rick Clemens, discusses various techniques for including children, specifically how to optimize your child’s social and academic development in a balanced, effective way. Issues such as extending knowledge of disabilities to schools, clubs, teachers and community figures are also covered.

Speaker: Rick Clemens

Rick Clemens
Rick Clemens

Rick Clemens is the director of the Inclusive Education and Community Parternship (IECP), an agency primarily  based in California. ICEP  supports children with autism in inclusive settings. ICEP’s mission is to support schools, families, and community agencies in providing full access to life’s experiences for individuals with disabilities. This includes making friends, playing, accessing school and community, learning, loving, being loved, and living life to the fullest. Rick has worked in various settings including schools, after school and summer programs, homes, work programs and social programs which support individuals with disabilities. Throughout his

Career, he has been committed and active in the integration, inclusion and socialization of the individuals  he has worked with.