Comprehensive Programming for Students Across the Autism Spectrum Training

Introduction to Autism Spectrum Disorders (1 section; 1 hour)
Presenters: Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D and Betty Lou Rowe, M.Ed.
In this course, attendees will gain a better understanding of the range of characteristics associated with an autism spectrum disorder, including social skills, communication, behavioral and other characteristics. This topic is helpful for professional or paraprofessional staff working with those on the spectrum across a range of settings. Importance of family support will also be discussed.

Strategies for Understanding and Addressing Challenging Behaviors (3 sections; 3 hours, 2 minutes)
Presenters: Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D and Betty Lou Rowe, M.Ed.
This course will help attendees understand processes involved in responding to crises, understanding and assessing problematic behavior, and in developing behavior support plans.

Behavior Section 1: Handling a Crisis (55 minutes)
In this first section, attendees will learn how to operationally define problematic behaviors, to understand and respond to the escalation cycle, how to de-escalate crisis behaviors, and strategies including Zones of Regulation and the 5-point scale. Attendees will also learn the role trauma and stress play on behavior.

Behavior Section 2: Conducting a Functional Behavioral Assessment (69 minutes)
Attendees will learn processes involved in conducting a research-based functional behavioral assessment process, including the collection of data and gathering of information to better understand behavior in context of the whole child. A framework will be provided for summarizing information gathered.

Behavior Section 3: Developing Behavior Support Plan (58 minutes)
Once all behavior data is collected, now what? In this section, attendees will learn how to develop behavioral goals focused on skill building through teaching alternative skills and replacement behaviors. In addition, behavioral supports that maximize the chances for long-term change will be discussed. And finally, information will be presented about tier 1, tier 2 and tier 3 strategies.

Instructional Strategies: Students Across the Grade Level and Across the Autism Spectrum (2 sections; 2 hours, 7 minutes)
Presenters: Dr. Cathy Pratt, BCBA-D and Betty Lou Rowe, M.Ed.
These two sections address evidence-based practices for teaching students across the autism spectrum and across grade levels. Strategies associated with ABA are also mentioned.

Instructional Strategies: Students Across the Grade Level and Across the Autism Spectrum: Section 1 (65 minutes)
In this first section, attendees will learn more about the characteristics of students on the autism spectrum and the impact on learning. Evidence-based practices will be highlighted. In this section, attendees will learn strategies that are beneficial for students, including the role of universal design, use of paraprofessionals, how to handle homework, visual supports, and classroom structure.

Instructional Strategies: Students Across the Grade Level and Across the Autism Spectrum: Section 2 (62 minutes)
This section is a continuation and will begin to cover various evidence-based practices, including those associated with ABA, for students across the age span. Strategies include the role of reinforcement, task analysis, shaping, discrete trial teaching and many more. And finally, collaboration and support for and with families is discussed.

Communication for Students on the Autism Spectrum (4 sections; 4 hours, 30 minutes)
Presenter: Amy Moore Gaffney, M.A., CCC-SLP, TEACCH® Certified Advanced Consultant
Communication skills are essential for a person to effectively make their wants and needs known, along with understanding the world around them. This course focuses on a variety of topics included in communication, including how ASD may affect a person’s receptive, expressive, and pragmatic communication skills. Emphasis will be on practical strategies for both classroom settings and home teaching to support students across their day. Examples will be shared to address the needs of a variety of ages and ability levels, from students who are non-verbal who may use augmentative and assistive communication (AAC) to communicate, to those who are following a general education curriculum and need conversational language support. The course is designed to be viewed sequentially with each building on concepts from the previous section.

Communication Section 1: Communication Basics, Assessment, and Goals (80 minutes)
This section outlines basic communication development and how an autism spectrum disorder affects communication abilities. Types of language are discussed, including receptive, expressive, and pragmatic, along with important vocabulary to target. Also addressed in this section is how to assess functional communication and addressing communication goals.

Communication Section 2: Interventions – AAC and Receptive Language (80 minutes)
A variety of intervention strategies are shared that address the use of Augmented and Alternative Communication, and receptive language, including the use of visual supports.

Communication Section 3: Interventions – Expressive Language (80 minutes)
A variety of intervention strategies are shared that address expressive language and pragmatic language, which is the use of language in social situations and conversational skills.

Communication Section 4: Creating a Communication Plan (30 minutes)
This section explains the steps to creating a comprehensive communication plan for a person, including where support is needed, who will support, and what the support looks like.

Structuring for Success (4 sections; 4 hours, 13 minutes)
Presenter: Catherine Davies, M.Ed., M.Sc., TEACCH® Certified Advanced Consultant
This course will explain the evidence-based methodology of Structured Teaching. Emphasis will be on practical examples for both classroom settings and home teaching. Examples will be shared applicable to a variety of ages and ability levels from students who are non-verbal to those who are following a general education curriculum. The course is designed to be viewed sequentially with each building on concepts from the previous section.

Structure Section 1: Setting Up the Environment (85 minutes)
Outlines the advantages of using Structured Teaching Strategies and demonstrates how arranging the furniture and environment can increase attention span, understanding of expectations and independence.

Structure Section 2: Daily Visual Schedules (53 minutes)
Explains how implementing visual schedules can minimize resistance to change or instructions, decrease anxiety, and increase flexibility and independence. Examples will be shown of a variety of schedule types with the emphasis on how to individualize the schedule to meet a learner’s needs.

Structure Section 3: To Do Lists (54 minutes)
Demonstrates how to do lists are an essential requirement if students are expected to complete tasks independently and can be used to teach completion of more than one task during a session. Examples shown will include lists for both home and academic environments.

Structure Section 4: Structuring Tasks and Materials (61 minutes)
Explains how structuring materials can compensate for deficits in understanding verbal instructions, increase correct completion of tasks, and increase independent working and flexibility. A variety of academic, leisure, domestic and vocational tasks will be shown.

Teaching Social Skills to Individuals on the Autism Spectrum (4 sections; 3 hours, 54 minutes)
Presenter: Melissa Dubie, M.S., School Based Certified Provider of PEERS®, Certified Ziggurat Trainer
This course will highlight the social characteristics associated with an autism spectrum disorder across settings. Evidence-based strategies will be described, including how to implement with fidelity. Social skills lessons will be shared including how to develop, maintain, and understand friendship and dating skills.

Social Section 1: Characteristics of Social Communication and Social Interaction Deficits (49 minutes)
All individuals on the autism spectrum have deficits in social communication and social interactions across multiple contexts. This section will define and give examples of deficits in social emotional reciprocity, nonverbal communicative behaviors used for social interaction, and provide strategies for developing, maintaining and understanding relationships.

Social Section 2: Scaffolding Skills to Teach Social Communication and Interactions (69 minutes)
It takes time, but it is essential that social communication and interaction skills be taught in all settings. In this section, attendees will learn who can teach, when, and with what materials (informal assessments and curriculum). Potential individual education program (IEP) goals and state standards will be highlighted as the basis to demonstrate the use of scaffolding practices.

Social Section 3: Evidence-based Practices for Social Communication and Social Interaction Skills (80 minutes)
This section explains six evidence-based practices (EBPs) to teach social communication and interaction skills. Using step-by-step directions, this section will review all six EBPs: social skills training, structured play groups, peer-mediated instruction and intervention, social narratives, video modeling, and scripting with practical examples of implementation of each with fidelity.

Social Section 4: Friendships: Developing, Maintaining, and Understanding (36 minutes)
Students need to understand there are different types of relationships (strangers, casual acquaintances, and friends). There are specific characteristics to look for in a possible friend and certain behaviors involved in being a friend. Utilizing the EBPs from the other modules, strategies will be shared on how to teach students of all ages to develop friendships and advocate for one’s own needs within the relationships.

Autism and Sensory Processing (4 sections; 4 hours, 20 minutes)
Cheryl Boucher, MS, OTR/L, IRCA Consultant
This course explains each of the sensory systems, and typical and atypical responses. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how sensory differences impact individuals with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and learn the benefits of sensory strategies and evidenced-based practices to support student/individual success across settings. Material was developed into sections to better facilitate learning. The sections under this course are structured to be viewed sequentially.

Sensory Section 1: Introduction to Sensory Processing (50 minutes)
Introduction to identifying all the sensory systems, as well as what is sensory processing and what does it mean to experience challenges with sensory processing? Discussion will also be shared related to understanding sensory modulation (sensory under responsiveness, sensory over responsiveness and sensory seeking.)

Sensory Section 2: Sensory Processing Challenges and Strategies That Provide Support for the Tactile System (90 minutes)
The tactile system will be explored with examples of behaviors that may be observed that may be due to challenges with sensory processing. Successful strategies to support students with these challenges will be shared and discussed.

Sensory Section 3: Sensory Processing Challenges and Strategies That Provide Support for the Vestibular and Proprioceptive System (90 minutes)
The vestibular and proprioceptive system will be explored by identifying behaviors that may be related to challenges with sensory processing related to these sensory systems. Strategies will be shared and discussed to support students with these challenges.

Sensory Section 4: Sensory Processing Challenges and Strategies That Provide Support for the Visual, Auditory, Gustatory, Olfactory, and Interoception Systems (120 minutes)