Conference Speaker Line UP

Here is the line up of speakers that are in the conference audio and transcripts.

We have over 15 hours of audio and 270 pages of transcripts in our conference materials.

Read below for all the speaker bios and topics that are covered in the conference or to place

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Teaching Through Specific Examples by Dr. Temple GrandinIn this keynote, Temple will discuss teaching through specific examples, as well as Sensory Processing Disorder and it’s place in the DSM V, currently being updated. Dr. Grandin presently works as a Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University, and has developed her talents into a successful career as a livestock-handling equipment designer, one of very few in the world. She also speaks around the world on both autism and cattle handling. Her fascinating life, with all its challenges and successes, has been brought to the screen in the HBO full-length film Temple Grandin, starring Clare Danes. Dr. Grandin’s current bestselling book on autism is The Way I See It: A Personal Look at Autism and Asperger’s. She also authored Unwritten Rules of Social Relationships, Animals Make us Human, Animals in Translation, Thinking in Pictures, Emergence: Labeled Autistic and produced several DVDs.

DIR/Floortime by Dr. Joshua FederDIR/Floortime is a way of relating to a child and adults in which we recognize and respect the emotional experience and expressions of the person, shown in his or her actions, ideas, and intentions, and interact in a way that helps that person use his or her natural emotions with an even greater sense of purpose, building the capacity to engage and communicate, and at increasingly complex levels of functional development. Dr Feder specializes in neurobehavioral medicine, including evaluation, case management, psycho pharmacology, and therapy, often applying DIR®/Floortime principles with families and in schools. He conducts pharmacogenetic research, teaches regional and online courses, hosts support groups for professionals and families, and edits Circlestretch.com, a website dedicated to supporting families and professionals in helping persons with developmental and learning disorders.

Special Education / Advocating for your Child / IEP by Mark WoodsmallThe IEP (Individualized Education Program) is a meeting held to design a unique and tailored education plan for your child. This workshop provides helpful tips and suggestions for a successful IEP meeting. This workshop is suitable for new and experienced parents and professionals. Mark Woodsmall is the founder of Woodsmall Law Group, PC, a law firm based in the San Gabriel Valley area. The firm practices exclusively in the areas of Special Education and representation before the Regional Center. In 2006 Mr. Woodsmall joined the faculty of the USC Gould School of Law as a Professor Adjunct, teaching in the area of special education law. He has also served as a teaching attorney in the Special Education Advocacy Training Project – Los Angeles. The SEAT Project, an innovative nationwide advocacy training project, is funded under grant from the US Department of Education and administered through COPAA, The Council of Parent Attorneys & Advocates and the USC Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (Children’s Hospital Los Angeles). Mr. Woodsmall sits on the UCLA Center for Autism Research & Treatment (CART) Community Advisory Committee. He has been an active volunteer with Autism Speaks, serving as the Chair of the Board of Directors on the Los Angeles Chapter. He is also active in the Walk Planning Committee and the State and Federal Government Relations Committees. Mr. Woodsmall is a national lecturer on parent’s rights under the IDEA, Section 504 and the Lanterman Act. Mark & Eva Woodsmall are parents of a child with autism.

Proactive Tools to Manage Challenging Behaviors of Children with Autism by Andrea Macken, M.A., B.C.B.A.Based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis, the presentation will provide parents, caregivers, and professionals proactive tools to manage their child’s challenging behaviors before they occur. In addition, attendees will learn to identify the patterns of their child’s challenging behaviors including the triggers and functions of these behaviors. Andrea Macken, MA, BCBA, a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, has been working in the field of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) for over 18 years. Andrea has traveled extensively throughout the United States and internationally designing programs and providing trainings in various countries including United Arab Emirates, England, and Australia. She is the President/Executive Director at Comprehensive Autism Center (CAC) which specializes in designing highly individualized, researched based treatments for children with autism in Riverside and San Diego counties in California. CAC is certified by the California Department of Education as a Non-Public Agency and contracts with California school districts, California Regional Centers, and Tricare Insurance to provide behavioral services. www.comprehensiveautismcenter.com

How To Start Biomedical Intervention by Rebecca Estepp This presentation will provide an overview of biomedical interventions for children with autism from a parent’s point of view. Get information on how to select a Defeat Autism Now (DAN) doctor. Learn the common medical issues found in autism and which medical tests address these issues. Learn more about diets, supplements and other treatments that parents have been using to successfully manage some the medical problems their children exhibit. Rebecca Estepp is the mother of two wonderful boys, Eric and J.P. Eric was diagnosed with autism in 2000 at age two. Rebecca and her husband Jack were fortunate to learn of biomedical interventions soon after they received Eric’s diagnosis. While skeptical at first, Rebecca and Jack quickly noticed that Eric was achieving great gains from the biomedical treatments he was receiving. Today, Eric is doing well. Rebecca and Jack are extremely grateful for all of his improvements. Since 2003, Rebecca has led the San Diego Chapter meetings of Talk About Curing Autism (“TACA”). For years she was TACA’s Parent Support Liaison and Parent Mentor Program Coordinator. Recently, Rebecca has become the National Policy Manager for TACA and has appeared on several news programs including, “Good Morning America.” Rebecca feels honored to assist families dealing with autism, and is gratified to give back to the community that has helped her son and family. http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/index.htm

Finding Quality One-to-One Providers for a Child or Young Adult with ASD: Important Ingredients for Success in Hiring by Lisa LiebermanHiring one-to-one support for a child or young adult with ASD can seem overwhelming, but when done well, everyone wins. It requires time, and diligent care to ensure a child is safe and well nurtured. With 23 years of hiring providers for her husband with multiple sclerosis, and son with ASD, Lisa will share suggestions about how to advertise, screen, interview, and train providers, examining pitfalls and ideas for success, based on her book entitled A Stranger Among Us. (Specific treatment approaches will not be addressed.) Lisa Lieberman (www.disabilityinthefamily.com) is a counselor in private practice since 1977. Married in 1979 to a man with M.S., together they parent Jordan, a 21 year old man with ASD, Lisa speaks nationally, sensitively addressing issues related to ASD and living with disability in the family. She strives to assist families in navigating the emotional journey parenting children with autism. Along with various articles, Lisa wrote A Stranger Among Us: Hiring In-Home Support…, a comprehensive guide to hiring one-to-one providers for children and young adults with disabilities. With humor and heart, her presentations offer valuable insights to parents and professionals.

Meaning Deafness, Meaning Blindness, Body Disconnectedness; Agnosias in the Context of Autism by Donna Williams, Dip Ed, BA Hons‘Autism’ is one word but underlying autistic development and behavior can be a ‘fruit salad’ of conditions. One of those is commonly Agnosias. Gnosia means ‘to know’. Agnosias are where the brain struggles to put meaning to incoming sensory information Understanding agnosias may demonstrate the wide diversity of autistic realities and challenge old and new stereotypes of autism and provide low cost and cost-free, easy to employ strategies for learning, bonding and behavior management, among other benefits. Donna Williams is an Australian adult diagnosed with autism who acquired functional speech in late childhood and went on to become the published author of 9 books including two international bestsellers. Donna became a qualified teacher, public speaker and autism consultant, artist, screenwriter and singer-songwriter with Donna and The Aspinauts. More information about her and her life’s work can be found on her website at http://www.donnawilliams.net.

Learning With Autism: A Personal Viewpoint by Chantal and Jeremy Sicile-KiraJeremy has experienced home schooling, special education, general education and many different types of therapies in California, France and the UK, and has clear opinions about what has been helpful – and what has not – to someone like him. Jeremy gives his perspective and advice to those on the giving end of the therapy (parents) and those on the receiving end (children and teens). Chantal will provide the parent perspective. Jeremy Sicile-Kira “Inspiring….touching… articulate……sensitive…,” these are the words many now use to describe Jeremy Sicile-Kira, who was born in 1989 and diagnosed severely autistic as well as mentally retarded. His mother was told to find a good institution for him. Many years later, Jeremy passed the California High School Exit Exam on his first try, and is graduating from high school in June 2010 with a full academic diploma and currently has a GPA of 3.5. He is heading to a good institution – it’s called “college.” Passionate about creating more understanding about people who are differently-abled, Jeremy writes a column in the Torrey Pines High School newspaper, The Falconer, entitled “Life As I See It.” Jeremy’s articles have been published in The Autism File and the Autism-Asperger Digest.

Too Many Choices! How to Design a Multi-Treatment Approach to Educating and Supporting Children with Autism by Jonathan AldersonMost agree that no single treatment works for all children and that most children on the spectrum benefit from more than one approach. With so many treatments to choose from, parents are left to piece together multi-disciplinary programming including biological, social, and cognitive strategies. Jonathan Alderson is an autism treatment specialist working in private practice in Toronto. He is the founder and director of Intensive Multi-Treatment Intervention (IMTI) an integrated model specializing in merging educational, social, physical, and biomedical treatments. Alderson holds a Masters degree in Education from Harvard University and completed an Honors BA in developmental and educational psychology at the University of Western Ontario. He is currently writing a book for publication with Harper Collins. Please find more information at www.IMTI.ca

Neurologic Music Therapy: Rhythmic Applications for Autism by Peggy SchaeferThis presentation will explore autism as a movement and perceptual motor disorder, define neurologic music therapy (NMT) and discuss the science and impact of rhythm on the sensorimotor system. Standardized NMT techniques and their applications will also be presented. Peggy Schaefer MM, MT-BC, NMT Fellow completed her graduate studies in music therapy at Colorado State University. Upon completion of her internship and Board Certification in 2006, Peggy started her private practice Metric Music Therapy in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties. Metric Music Therapy currently provides services for a variety of populations including autism, Parkinson’s disease, brain injury, and stroke.

Absolutely Your Child Can Be Toilet Trained! A Revolutionary Approach for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Special Needs by Debbie BialerParents often become very frustrated and don’t understand why they would have their child sit on the toilet for hours or take him to the bathroom every half hour with no success. So, why is it that your current and this seemingly common sense approach fails? Because it is the change to the location of the bathroom that challenges your child, not the purposeful resistance to toileting. In my approach, the developmental level of the child is not relevant. Whether he/she is non-verbal or has any interest in toileting is also not a factor. Learn how to “Teach Toileting” one step/change at a time. This webinar will share the knowledge and skill sets needed to help struggling and frustrated parents overcome the challenges of toilet training their child. Debbie Bialer is certified with the Ohio Department of Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MR/DD) as an Early Intervention Specialist. She attended Ohio State University where she majored in Home Training, and she worked for the Cuyahoga County Board of MR/DD as a specialist for 35 years. For years, Debbie has taken a special interest in toilet training children with special needs. Parents began to call her privately to help with this skill. Each individual situation gave her the opportunity to learn and build upon her knowledge for the next child. She gradually developed her own technique based upon years of personal experience and published a highly successful book on effective toilet training. Her book is entitled, Teach Toileting: A Revolutionary Approach for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and Other Special Needs. To learn more and order books visit www.teachtoileting.com

Augmenting Communication… Expanding Communication by Darlene HansonThis session will discuss current ideas and practices on augmenting communication for those with limited to no functional use of speech. We see how augmenting communication is building social and communicative skills, and for some supporting the development of speech. The process of assessment and selection of the “right system” can be overwhelming. I will outline how to identify your needs and purpose so that the best system for you today can be pursued. We will go on to discuss what to do once you have a system so that communication is developed and increased. Finally I will touch on how we are seeing augmentative communication support the development of speech. Darlene Hanson, MA, CCC, is a speech and language specialist with an expertise in working with individuals with severe communication impairments. She is the Director of Communication Services with WAPADH, in the Los Angeles area. Her work focuses on bringing alternate modes of communication to those who do not use speech to communicate effectively. Darlene has published research on authorship and Facilitated Communication. Her most current research is on “Sorting out Speech” which discusses the development and use of speech for those who use AAC as their first mode of communication.

Facilitating Social Thinking Across the Day by Stephanie MadrigalThis talk is designed for parents and professionals alike to understand the inner mind of persons high on the Autism Spectrum (Asperger Syndrome, PDD-NOS or high-functioning autism), ADHD, nonverbal learning disability (NLD or NVLD) or have no working diagnosis but they fit the clinical picture! Participants will learn not only functional treatment strategies they can use both at school and at home, but they will also better understand why these students react and respond the way they do.The ILAUGH model of Social Cognition will be introduced which helps to demonstrate how social processing difficulties impact not only social skills but also the ability to work as part of a group and focus on specific academic tasks such as written expression, reading comprehension and organizational skills for many of our students. Stephanie Madrigal is a speech-language pathologist who has worked alongside Michelle Garcia Winner for over 10 years at the Social Thinking Clinic in San Jose, CA. She conducts social thinking groups with clients of all ages and she conducts local and national trainings and workshops to parents and educators on the areas related to social thinking. She is also creator and author of, Superflex, A Superhero, Social Thinking Curriculum, which has provide a motivating and fun backdrop for students explore their social thinking skills and their behavior. (www.socialthinking.com)

The role of Occupational Therapy in improving learning and behavior by Shannon SchlotmanShannon Schlotman will explain how occupational therapy, sensory processing, and sensory motor skills can help build a foundation for developing learning and behavior regulation. She will also review some guidelines for creating an environment where children can experience success and reach their potential. Shannon Schlotman, MS, OTR/L is a licensed Occupational Therapist with over 14 years of experience working in pediatrics. She is currently the clinical supervisor at School Options, a private clinic in San Diego, California (www.schooloptionssandiego.com/). Shannon specializes in working with children with sensory processing and sensory motor challenges and with various degrees of learning difficulties and behavioral challenges. In providing comprehensive evaluations, fun and effective treatment, and collaborative consultation to parents, caregivers, and school personnel, Shannon has been able to positively impact the lives of hundreds of children and their families.

Starting the Gluten Free Casein Free Diet by Moira GiammatteoWondering about how to do the Gluten Free Casein Free diet? Want to know if it could be helpful for your child? This overview will help you understand why you might want to consider doing the diet and how to get started. The talk will cover hidden sources of gluten, studies on the effectiveness of the diet, and will direct you to valuable resources for more information, recipes and support. Moira Giammatteo is the proud parent of two, Vico 13 (ASD) and Culzean 9. When Vico was diagnosed with Autism back in 1999, and a TACA mentor. Moira threw herself into reading everything she could about this disorder. What soon became clear was that there was a lot to learn and that there was no “one” answer to how to help her son. Moira discovered biomedical intervention. After ten years of implementing Gluten Free/Casein Free diet and adding in supplements, enzymes and even chelation Moira considers herself a knowledgeable amateur Moira is happily married to another TACA parent mentor, Michael Giammatteo. Moira also hosts the San Fernando Valley Chapter of TACA with the help of her husband Michael and co-facilitator Cathy Beier.

1) Order The Deluxe Version (Best Value)

• Complete Word For Word Transcripts of all 15 Speakers

You receive a perfect bound (207 page) book that you can underline, mark up and take notes. You can follow along with the audio. Reading the transcripts helps you absorb more information discovering more tips and hints to help your family.

• 15 Digitally Mastered Audio CDs

Hear all 15 speakers presentation as if you were there. Get all 15 audio CDs you can play in your CD player. Re-listen to certain presentations, just in case you missed them.  Follow along while you’re in your car or at home.

• Bonus! 1 MP3 Audio and PDF Transcript Files CD

If you own an iPod or just want to listen to your presentations on your computer, you get the digital mp3 audio files so you can copy them to your computer or iPod. Saves hours of CD rip time. Also you get copies of the PDF transcript files you can search and read on your computer.

Your Price $99
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2) Order The Standard Version

• MP3 audio and PDF Transcript Files CD

If you own an iPod or just want to listen to your presentations on your computer, you get the digital mp3 audio files so you can copy them to your computer or iPod. Saves hours of download time. Also get all 15 transcripts  in PDF format so you can share, print and read on your computer.

Your Price $49
plus $5.00 shipping and handling 

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Small Print
** No slides are included in the proceedings because of contract restrictions.
*Valerie Paradiz, presentation not included