Last week I attended a two day conference on autism hosted
by Springbrook Behavioral
Health. This was their first annual conference and it was a big hit! There
was quality sessions by qualified speakers and the conference was well
attended! I was so glad I went and I look forward to attending this next year.
I hope after you read about the sessions that I attended and things that I
learned, you will think about attending this conference next year if you live
in the area. The facility where it took place was very comfortable easily
accessible.
The first keynote was by Dr. Killion on Autism and Applied
Behavior Analysis. Dr. Killion is the author of The Functional Independence
Skills Handbook (or FISH) Developmental Program.
1.
Autism was not clearly identified as a
developmental disability until 1943.
2.
A person with autism demonstrates the ABCs:
·
Asocial behavior - may not want cuddling, difficulty interacting
with others, may prefer to be alone, may avoid eye contact. Asocial is not
antisocial.
·
Behavior – burst of aggression, noncompliance,
stereotypic behavior (don’t try to stop it because they need it to feel normal)
·
Communication impairments
3.
Autism doesn’t occur randomly.
4.
Transition – give cues at least 5 min. before
and then 1 min. before.
5.
Literal – be careful about using idioms (shrimp
on the Barbie, cat out of the bag).
6.
Keep it visual.
7.
Keep a consistent schedule.
8.
Use Task analysis.
9.
When speaking:Keep
sentences short.
10. Don’t
repeat until after 30 seconds.
11. Use
concrete words.
12. Use
gestures with your speech.
13. Communicate
– point to a picture if necessary or use sign language.
14. Antecedent
Control – changing things that may lead to problems.
15. Affect
– your impact on the environment and the environments impact on you.
16. Learn
a lot from giving a touch on the shoulder. Some with autism may find it
offensive.
17. All
behavior has function!
18. 3
reasons for behavior: get something, avoid something, or sensory stability.
19. Postive
reinforcers – things the person likes
20. Negative
reinforcers – take away things the person likes; doesn’t last, temporary change
21. Punishment
– doesn’t work
22. Schedules
of reinforcement –
·
ratio (given per number of correct responses)
·
interval (given for periods of time where
something does or does not happen)
·
fixed (given for an identified number of
suceses)
·
variable (given in a random way for an average
number of times) – most powerful
23. Sometimes
the moment has to pass before we can address it.
24. Bribes
vs. operant conditioning – insuring the act and not the reward is the motivator
(reward after the appropriate behavior and not before)
25. Threats
– say what you mean and mean what you say.
26. Choice
vs. orders – most directives can have a negotiable part along with the
non-negotiable.
27. LEAF
– listen, empathize, act, follow up
The second Keynote was by Jeffery Cohn on Finding
Exceptional Abilities Not Disabilities.
1.
Many people on the Autism Spectrum have
difficulty managing sensory input.
2.
Auditory problems – may be due to improperly
functioning stapedius , which is the middle ear muscle that contracts in
response to loud noise. When it isn’t working, sounds may seem louder.
3.
How to help a child prior to being overloaded to
avoid shutdown
·
Modulate room sounds and voice tones.
·
Create sensory space for calming and organizing
thought.
·
Give time for response when asking questions.
·
Reduce white noise in room.
·
Use more visual prompts over verbal.
4.
Lights (blue and green on the walls to calm
people.
5.
Squeeze ball under chin to help stress
During lunch (which was provided), there was a panel
discussion and the audience was able to ask questions. I found this was very
informative and educational.
After lunch, there were 2 breakout sessions and I chose
Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (EAP): Both Behavioral and Mental Health Models
by Melanie Watt.
2.
Horses can sense a person’s heartbeat.
3.
Horses have fight or flight so if someone is
acting up, the horse will move away.
4.
They will be having an open house where you can
demos and take a tour.
The last session of the day was by Dr. Janice Young on “Do You
Know What I Know? An Insider’s Guide to Meeting the Needs of Students with
Special Needs.”
1.
13 disability categories under IDEA
3.
RTI
4.
IEPs
5.
Differentiated Instruction
6.
Instruction: Presentation (how is it being
taught), Process (how students will learn), Product (how students will
demonstrate what they learned).
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