Early bird and group savings still available for parents and professionals alike!

Join us for two days on the latest strategies for teaching and treating students with high-fuctioning autism, Asperger's, ADHD, NLD and similar challenges.

Michelle Garcia Winner Returns to Baltimore to Present:

March 26, 2012
Implementing Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A Day to Develop Team Creativity

March 27, 2012
Informal Dynamic Social Thinking® Assessment and Core Treatment Strategies for Use at Home and School

Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley - click to map:

245 Shawan Road
Hunt Valley, Maryland 21031
410-785-3901
www.marriotthuntvalley.com

Fax Purchase Orders to 408.557.8594 Paper Form:

March 26, 2012

Parents and educators have praised this workshop for the practical nature of the information presented, with lessons that are relevant for all school age students. Those working with preschoolers and young adults have also said they have benefited from key aspects of this engaging course. The workshop helps to make the benefits of teaching Social Thinking achievable across a variety of environments, with a focus on how to teach students to carry the concepts out of the treatment room and into the rest of thier lives.

We will define many Social Thinking® Concepts and how to apply the Social Thinking Vocabulary across the school and home day. How we work as part of a group, the three parts of play, abstracting and inferencing information, sharing an imagination -- we will explore how to combine all these concepts to give students the tools for participating in a conversation.

As with all of our workshops, clinical examples will demonstrate how to teach these abstract concepts to help make the information more concrete. The Social Thinking Vocabulary (STV) has become the backbone of the Social Thinking teaching program. Research published in 2008 (Crooke, et al) in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders demonstrated how students benefited from learning these specific concepts; specificallly, that they were able to generalize the  information once taught how to think about it.

Conference participants will also work as part of a group to expand upon this information by creating one or two of their own lesson plans. The lessons will be taught in the order they are introduced in Michelle’s curriculum, Think Social! A Social Thinking Curriculum for School Aged Students that has been adopted by school districts around the USA, in Canada, Hong Kong and other regions.

All workshop participants should leave the course fully prepared to infuse more Social Thinking concepts into their school and home day! This workshop is intensive, one that should be particularly beneficial for those who attended Michelle's workshops in Baltimore last year (or any of Michelle's workshops or have read her books).

Course Objectives | Participants will be able to:

• Describe how teaching Social Thinking and related skills can be done in the classroom during academic and social tasks
• Define 5 different Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts
• Describe how Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts facilitate generalization across settings
• Create a lesson plan to teach students they are part of a group
• Describe the difference between sharing an imagination and a singular imagination as these relate to conversations and reading comprehension
• Describe how visual teaching strategies (e.g. comic strip conversations/graphic organizers) reinforce teaching Social Thinking and related skills

March 27, 2012

Informal Dynamic Social Thinking® Assessment and Core Treatment Strategies for Use at Home and School

Informal Dynamic Social Thinking assessments are not only to be done as part of the initial or every 3 year testing process; instead this type of assessment can be done on an ongoing basis to determine students’ abilities and needs across the time we work and live with them at home, in school or in specially designed treatment sessions.

This workshop provides parents and professionals alike more specific knowledge about their students by the Dynamic Informal Social Thinking Assessment, as described in Michelle’s book, Thinking About YOU Thinking About ME, 2nd Edition. Video clips of the informal assessment will demonstrate how all of us (diagnosticians, parents, paraprofessionals, treatment clinicians, etc.) can learn more about the inner minds of the individuals we are working with and why they need specific treatment strategies. This is very practical information.

In the afternoon, participants will learn about Social Behavior Mapping, which explains how doing what is “expected” or “unexpected” in specific social situations impacts how those around us feel about our behaviors and how that also impacts how they treat us, which ultimately impacts how we feel about ourselves. This technique is now widely embraced as a core Social Thinking concept used for all students.

We will also discuss basic concepts for running Social Thinking groups and explore specific teaching strategies that help to make the abstractions of the social world more concrete!

We will explore how we make friends, distinguishing among: 1) “being friendly,” 2) developing a friendship and 3) having a “bonded friend.” Furthermore, we will discuss how conversational skills are only one component to keeping friends; “hanging out” actually means we share space without necessarily talking! Parents and professionals give high praise for the practical nature of this workshop

Course Objectives | Participants Will Be Able To:

• Describe how to assess “thinking with your eyes” and how this is different from telling what some one is looking at.
  
  
• Describe the core components of the “Double Interview” and explain how that helps to assess perspective taking.
  
  
• Describe how to fill out each of the 4 columns on Social Behavior Maps.
  
  
• Describe the Four Steps of Communication as a primary component to treatment for social skill deficits.
  
  
• Define at least 3 different stages of making friends and how to teach students to advance from one stage to the next.
  
  
• Discuss how to teach nonverbal aspects of maintaining a friend used when peers “hang out.”

Intended audience: teachers; parents; speech-language pathologists; social workers; marriage-family therapists; occupational therapists; autism specialists; psychologists; clinical and educational administrators; physicians; nurses; nurse practitioners; physical therapists; paraprofessionals; learning specialists; advocates; family members and caregivers of students with social thinking challenges.

Populations to be discussed: School-age students  and adults who have social and communication difficulties, including but not limited to those related to high-functioning autism, PDD-NOS, Asperger Syndrome, NLD, ADHD and undiagnosed challenges. Information presented concentrates on students with near normal to far above normal verbal intelligence (verbal IQs above 70). Most strategies focus on school-age children and adults, although the information is helpful for those living and working with younger children.

More on Michelle

Michelle Garcia Winner specializes in working with students with social-cognitive deficits. She runs a clinic, has authored numerous books and speaks internationally. She coined the term Social Thinking and pioneered the related treatment approach. She was awarded a Congressional Certificate of Special Recognition in 2008.

Comments from Participants at Michelle's Workshops

• "One word: Awesome. Michelle gets it!" - school psychologist

• "The most intelligent, humane understanding of socially challenged people I've ever had occasion to hear" - parent

• "Every general education teacher who is privileged to include students on the spectrum in their classroom would benefit from this workshop" - Kindergarten teacher

• "Simply great parenting strategies to use with all kids!"

• "Chomping at the bit to take it back to the school district"  - OTD, OTR

• "Great source of valuable, practical information" - MFT

• "I can take everything I've learned here and put to use in therapy" - SLP

Continuing Education Units

This course is offered for 0.6 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area)

Implementing Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A Day to Develop Team Creativity
This course is offered for 0.6 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area)

Informal Dynamic Social Thinking Assessment and Core Treatment Strategies for Use at Home and School
This course is offered for 0.6 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level; Professional area)

Continuing education credit for the following is provided by Commonwealth Educational Seminars, http://www.CommonwealthSeminars.com/

Social Workers: Commonwealth Educational Seminars (CES) #1117, is approved as a Provider for Social Work Continuing Education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB, 400 South Ridge Parkway, Ste B, Culpepper, VA 22701) www.aswb.org. ASWB Approval Period: 10/6/09-10/5/12. Social workers should contact their regulatory board to determine course approval. Social workers participating in this course receive 6 continuing education clock hours for each workshop day.

Psychologists: CES is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Psychologists completing this program receive 6 continuing education hours credit per workshop day. CES maintains responsibility for this program.

Licensed Mental Health Counselors/Certified Counselors /Licensed Professional Counselors: Members of these professions receive 6 continuing education hours for each workshop day. CES is recognized by the National Board for Certified Counselors (number 5596) to offer continuing education for these professions. CES adheres to NBCC continuing education guidelines.

Nurses: As an APA approved provider, CES programs are accepted by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Every state board of nursing accepts ANCC approved programs except California and Iowa. CES is also an approved continuing education provider by the California Board of Registered Nursing (provider number CEP15567), which is also accepted by the Iowa Board of Nursing. Nurses completing program receive 6 CE hours of credit per workshop day.

Marriage and Family Therapists: The following marriage and family therapy boards accept programs offered by NBCC, ASWB or APA approved providers (of which CES is approved): AL, AR, AZ, CT, DE, FL, GA, ID, IN, IA, KS, LA, MD, ME, MN, MS, MT, NE, NH, NJ, NM, OK, OR, PA, RI, SD, TN, VA, VT, WA AND WI. In addition, CES is approved for CA MFTs. Marriage and family therapists receive 6 CE hours credit for each workshop day.

CEU fee is $10 charged by Social Thinking to administer CEU program - Please include the fee during checkout if applicable.
Certificate of attendance provided.

this form:

Early Bird and Group Savings

Professional/Paraprofessional

Parent or Nonprofessional College Student

2 Day Attendance: $280 Individual/$252 Group*
1 Day Attendance: $150 Individual/$135 Group*

REGULAR REGISTRATION
All registrations received after March 12, 2012

Professional/Paraprofessional

2 Day Attendance: $350 Individual
1 Day Attendance: $190 Individual

Parent or Nonprofessional College Student

2 Day Attendance: $315 Individual
1 Day Attendance: $170 Individual

Social Thinking Hotel Block - Limited Availability!

Click for Website:  Room Block from $ 109  per night plus taxes and any fees

If you make reservations by phone, call 1-800-228-9290 and ask for the Think Social Publishing rate

Limited Availability!
Room discount expiration date: March 12th, 2012

Public Transportation: The light rail stops at the Hunt Valley Light Rail Station, a 10 min walk from the Baltimore Marriott Hunt Valley.

Purchase Orders

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Questions?

Call 408.557.8595 ext. 309
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No refunds for cancellations made seven (7) days or less prior to the event. A $25 handling fee will be charged for cancellations made before that time.

We Look Forward to Seeing You!

Get 10% off Books and Materials at the Workshop!

Learn more about these books by going to "Books & Products" or by clicking on the titles below. Purchase now or get discount at workshops. Some titles at the workshop bookstore may sell out. Purchase orders accepted using the discount at workshops. Please call Ben Mika at 408.557.8595 ext. 200 to get details.

You Are a Social Detective - Comic Book	A Politically Incorrect Look at Evidence-Based Practices and Teaching Social Skills	SUPERFLEX Comic Book, Curriculum and CD
Thinking About YOU Thinking About ME, 2nd Edition	STICKER STRATEGIES: Practical Strategies to Encourage Social Thinking & Organization	SOCIAL BEHAVIOR MAPPING
THINK SOCIAL! A Social Thinking Curriculum for School-Age Students	WORKSHEETS! for Teaching Social Thinking and Related Skills	DVDs/VIDEOs - produced by Carol Gray's The Gray Center