Giving that special Valentines gift doesn’t always mean a big box of chocolates, expensive jewelery and heart embroidered ties.  Perhaps this year, give a gift of love through learning;  at a conference offered by Future Horizons, with top experts and CEU credits!  Input this code MHO and receive a 15% discount!
 

February 3 – Des Moines – Temple Grandin, Jennifer McIlwee Myers, and Beth Aune (Autism/Asperger’s Conference)

February 17 – Sacramento – Temple Grandin, Eustacia Cuter, and Beth Aune (Autism/Asperger’s Conference)

February 17 – Jackson, Miss. – Carol Kranowitz and Britt Collins (Sensory Conference)

Register Now!

In the fourth episode of the Autism: Diagnosis video series, Autism Chapter Eastern Shore Executive Director Crystal Holman speaks with music therapist Nike Runge.

Autism research fascinates me, regardless of the angle of the research or who funded the study. I love to read about what is going on out there in the world of autism and so it is no surprise that this article in the BBC caught my attention. Evidently the results of a new study reveal that there are detectable differences in the brainwaves of children with autism, when compared to their typically developing peers, as early as six months of age.

Here is an excerpt from the story:

“His team looked for the earliest signs of autism in 104 children aged between six and 10 months. Half were known to be at risk of the disorder because they had on older sibling who had been diagnosed with autism. The rest were low risk.”

Read the entire article: Autism: Brainwaves ‘show risk from age of six months’

The Autism Education Site now has a Facebook page, please show us some love with a Like. Thanks!

After several years of managing The Autism Education Site I’ve decided to start a Facebook page to complement the blog. I’d love to invite you all to Like The Autism Education Site’s Facebook Page if you have an account.

The page’s wall is open for questions, comments, photos and more. I’m not an autism expert, just a mom that is traveling the same journey that many of you are and I wanted to create a space where we can all share our expertise and support one another. Thank you all for your support over the years.

Thank you,

~ Melissa ~

The following event has been added to The Autism Education Site’s 2012 Autism Conferences list.

Conference Name: Bilinguals Inc and ASAT Autism Conference in NYC
Conference Date: April 3, 2012
Conference Venue: Baruch College in New York City

Conference Speakers:

Bridget Taylor Psy.D., BCBA-D, ASAT Board Member – Dr. Bridget A. Taylor is co-founder and Executive Director of Alpine Learning Group. She has specialized in the education and treatment of children with autism for the past twenty-five years. She holds a Doctorate of Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University. She is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Psychologist. Dr. Taylor is active in the autism research community and has published numerous articles on effective interventions for autism. She serves on several editorial boards including the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, Behavioral Interventions, and Behavior Analysis in Practice. She is also a member of the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies, is a board member of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment, and serves on the professional advisory board for the Association of Professional Behavior Analysts. Dr. Taylor is also Senior Clinical Advisor for Rethink Autism – an innovative web-based curriculum for children with autism. She is a national and international speaker and has been influential in the development of autism treatment centers both locally and in Italy, India, Canada, France, Australia and Kosovo.

Dr. Mary McDonald, BACB-D, ASAT Vice President – Dr. McDonald is an Assistant Professor in the CRSR Department (Counseling, Research, Special Education and Rehabilitation) where she teaches in the Special Education Program and Directs the Advanced Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis (an approved BACB course sequence) and in Educating students with Severe and Multiple Disabilities. In addition to her role at the University, she also Directs The Eden II/Genesis Outreach Autism Center in which she supervises outreach, consultation and research programs. She has nearly 20 years experience directing programs for students with autism from early intervention through adulthood. She completed her Ph.D. in Learning Theory at the CUNY Graduate Center and is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst at the Doctoral level. Dr. McDonald currently serves on the Board of Council on Autism Services (CAS) and as Vice President of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment (ASAT). Dr. McDonald has published articles in the areas such as: self-management, social reciprocity, inclusion and the use of technology in educating students with ASD.

Daniel W. Mruzek, Ph.D., BCBA-D, ASAT Board Member – Daniel W. Mruzek, Ph.D., BCBA-D is an Assistant Professor at the University of Rochester Medical Center (URMC), Division of Neurodevelopmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. He received his doctoral training in Psychology at the Ohio State University and is a former Program Director at the Groden Center in Providence, RI. Currently, he serves as a clinician and consultant, training school teams and supporting families of children with autism in western New York. Dr. Mruzek is Director of the University of Rochester Human Behavior Assessment Unit, researcher on three NIH-funded autism intervention research projects and coordinator of his division’s Psychology Postdoctoral Fellowship Program in Developmental Disabilities. He has authored and co-authored several peer-reviewed articles and book chapters on autism and other developmental disabilities and is on the editorial board for the journal Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Dr. Mruzek is on the Board of Directors of the Association for Science in Autism Treatment.

Conference Topics:

Improving Observational Learning Skills in Children with Autism – It is commonly recognized that children with autism present with significant deficits in imitation and observational learning. Most contemporary curricula for children with autism incorporate instruction in a variety of imitative response topographies. Less common in applied research and practice, however, are procedures to ensure that children with autism learn to acquire novel responses through observational learning. This presentation will outline instructional programs that move beyond direct imitation to the skills essential for observational learning. Specific procedures to increase observational learning in children with autism across a variety of responses will be reviewed.

Technology and Learning: Developing Innovative Teaching Methods for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders – The workshop will provide information on a variety of technology-based instructional methods that can be used to teach skills to individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Specific areas as they pertain to skill development will include use of iTouch, iPad, video technology and tactile prompts. A variety of other technology-based tools will be discussed and depicted through video. Specific areas of learning will focus on promoting independence, vocational skills, effective communication and social skills. The future applications of technology for those with ASD will be explored as well.

Using the Principles of Science in Everyday Educational Practices with Young Children with Autism – In a field filled with countless intervention options, how do we know if any one intervention is helpful for a particular child? This presentation will use “real-life” case examples to describe how educators and parents can use key principles of science to inform decisions regarding intervention in young children with autism. Emphasis will be placed on consideration of interventions typically applied in the school and therapy settings (e.g., instructional supports, responses to behavioral challenges, therapies) and how deliberate use of the scientific method can be used as part of a team approach to promoting best practices in intervention with young children with autism.

Contact Email Address: sacostabilingualsinccom
Contact Phone Number: 212-684-0099 ext.166
Conference Website: http://www.bilingualsinc.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=396&Itemid=232

Dr. Doreen Granpeesheh of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD) shares her thoughts on the new autism diagnosis guidelines scheduled for publication in the DSM-5 (May 2013). Instead of having three separate autism diagnoses, there will now be an overarching autism spectrum diagnosis with levels of severity.

This controversial change may leave some more mildly-affected individuals without an official diagnosis will providing access to services for others that were limited by a PDD-NOS or Asperger’s Syndrome diagnosis.

Learn more about the history of autism diagnostic criteria: History of Autism in the DSM: DSM-I to DSM-IV.

The Seaver Autism Center Annual “Advances in Autism” Conference will be held on October 14, 2012 at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, New York. Conferences speakers have yet to be announced but the following summary providing more information about the conference was submitted to me:

“Our conference is a one-day event that includes a series of lectures and workshops given by accomplished professionals in the field of autism. The purpose of the conference is to advance knowledge of the practicing psychiatrist, neurologist, psychologist, geneticist, other health care professionals, educators, family members and social workers as to the accurate recognition, diagnosis, and treatment of autism spectrum disorders.”

More information about the Seaver Autism Center 2012 conference is available by calling (212) 241-0349 or visiting the Seaver Autism Center website.

For more information about other conferences this year, visit the 2012 Autism Conferences listing.

Yesterday I received an alert from Wrightslaw about the Keeping All Students Safe Act (S.2020). This was an action alert calling on everyone to contact our Senators asking for their support for the act. Here is an excerpt from the call to action:

Please email your Senators and ask them to cosponsor the Keeping All Students Safe Act (S.2020).

This bill will protect children nationwide from restraint and seclusion in schools.

The need for this legislation is exemplified yet again in a horrific situation in Middletown, CT regarding the use of school seclusion rooms.

The situation described by parents and students in this report is horrific and abusive. Aptly termed “scream rooms” in this media report, such seclusion rooms are exactly what the Federal bill, S. 2020, pending in the Senate seeks to eliminate.

Senator Tom Harkin (Chair, Health Education Labor and Pension Committee) introduced S. 2020 in December. The bill would ban physical restraint except in emergency situations when there is an immediate threat of serious bodily injury.

The bill bans seclusion (confinement) of children in locked rooms or rooms from which they cannot exit. It bans life-threatening restraint that interferes with breathing or the ability to communicate, and mechanical and chemical restraints. It requires schools to notify parents within 24 hours of restraint.

For more information, read the entire Wrightslaw Keeping All Students Safe Act (S.2020) Action Alert.

Pardon me while I step away from my usual topic – autism – and share with you a new hobby of mine. In September I purchased a new camera, my first dSLR, before we took a family vacation to Disneyland. I didn’t realize it at the time but photography would quickly become my new hobby. I not only enjoy learning about cameras, photography and post-camera processing I also find that I enjoy the peacefulness that comes with doing something that I love.

Other parents of children with special needs can relate. It has been more than five years since my daughter’s diagnosis and my journey as the mother of one child with autism morphed into the mother of two with autism. Then there’s my son’s epilepsy diagnosis. Needless to say life can get a bit chaotic and I know that those of you reading this blog can understand that chaos. So I am happy to know that I can find a little calm in all that chaos. It brings me a bit of peace and I hope that others in my shoes find that little bit of something that brings them peace as well.

Thank you for letting me stray off topic for a minute. I promise to get back to my regular posting schedule now that I’ve had some calm time in my life to rejuvenate. In closing, here’s a picture I snapped this weekend. I lucked into it, really, and managed to get five pictures before the bee flew away.

If you’re new to the special education world then you may be wondering what an IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is. Thankfully Kim Yamamoto, founder of Arizona Advocates, took some time to record this short four-minute video to introduce you to IEPs. Kim is local to me and is one of the most well-respected and recommended educational advocates I’ve seen mentioned in autism circles. Thankfully I’ve never ran into a situation where I needed an advocate but I certainly know who I will be calling if that day ever comes.