Preconference Workshop Day

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9 am - 12:45 pm with break - click for the preconference day's schedule:

Maryellen Rooney Moreau, M.Ed., CCC-SLP

This evidence-based program dovetails beautifully with teaching core concepts related to the ILAUGH model of Social Thinking. Approx. 3.5 hour presentation.

Preconference Workshop Day

Presentation:

1:30 pm - 4 pm with break - click for the preconference day's schedule:

Michelle Garcia Winner, M.A., CCC-SLP, founder of Social Thinking, will present the latest strategies to facilitate Social Thinking and related social skills for our adults. 2.5 hour presentation.

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP, creator of the Social Thinking curriculum; Panel of Professional Advisers of the Autism Society of America

Presentation
Motivation worksheet:
2-minute strategy worksheet:

In addition to exploring the evolution of teaching methods and ideology related to Social Thinking, Michelle will examine the latest ideas related to teaching social emotional processing and responses as they vary across ages.

Presentation:

Maryellen Rooney Moreau, M.S., CCC-SLP, creator of Critical Thinking Triangle™ of the Story Grammar Marker®, which helps with comprehension, writing and problem-solving. The CTT™ is a unique approach for helping children go beyond the “actions” in a story or situation. Use of the CTT™ improves skills in comprehension and expression of feelings, plans & mental states.

The presenter will model how the Critical Thinking Triangle™ is used for:

• Problem solving
• Speaking and writing about one’s own as well as characters’ perspectives
• Writing the “persuasive essay”

Presentation:

Dr. Josh Feder, Assistant Clinical Professor, UC San Diego School of Medicine
When we respect a child’s ideas, intentions and actions, and build on those with warm engagement, the child's development naturally unfolds, with increased capacities to relate, communicate and think adaptively in a complex and ever-changing world... Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Gretchen Schmidt Mertes, M.Ed., Educational Specialist in Autism, Special Services for Bethel School District, WA
This session will explore ways that Social Thinking can easily be introduced school-wide, ways that Social Thinking instruction can and should be differentiated for all students, and will offer tools for universal screening, data collection, progress monitoring and more. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Elizabeth Delsandro, M.S., CCC-SLP, author We Can Make It Better! Stories
This presentation will show how sets of visual supports that include concepts of Social Thinking, Social Stories (Gray), the Incredible 5-Point Scale (Buron and Curtis), step-by-step social scripts (Jed Baker), First-Then Boards and We Can Make It Better! Stories may be created to provide a “package” of instructional materials to promote social understanding. One of three 60-minute sessions to choose from at this time slot. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Anita Werner, M.S., CCC-SLP and Laura Miller, M.S., CFY-SLP
This summer camp helps children learn to improve their ability to interact and communicate with their peers. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Amy Davenport, M.Ed., and Terry Weaver, M.Ed.
Presentation on Social Thinking Superflex Groups led by the school counselor and the Speech Therapist in a collaborative effort to address the 3 Tier Response to Intervention model currently required under the No Child Left Behind Act. Most of the students do not carry a Special Education label... Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Ellyn Arwood, Ed.D., Carole Kaulitz, M.Ed. and Mabel Brown
Behavior is a series of actions that others interpret and decide what meaning to assign which in turn helps an individual learn “how to behave”. The purpose of this workshop is to describe the relationship between thinking or conceptualizing and learning to behave. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Poster Session: Debra Arnold, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
This session will describe the steps the Greenfield Elementary School community, located in Virginia, took to embrace the Superflex program and expand it into a social town experience. Greenfield is a school that has a three-tiered autism program, a gifted education program for grades 3-5 and a small regular education population.

Presentation:

Poster Session: Janet Miller, M.A., Special Ed., and Karen Thomas, M.A., Special Ed.
As students leave the structure of the high school and home environment their social/emotional and executive demands increase exponentially. These challenges, if not addressed can lead to decreased self esteem, academic failures, job terminations, addictions, social isolation, and emotional breakdowns.

Presentation:

Poster Session: Dominique Baudry, M.S., ED
Games to help students with perspective taking, reading people’s plans, social problem solving, and experimenting with non-verbal communication. Games and drama activities allow students to engage with each other in a fun and playful manner. These games were designed to help students with perspective taking, reading people’s plans, social problem solving, and experimenting with non-verbal communication.

Presentation:

Poster Session: Janet Lawson, MFT, Exec. Dir. Autistry Studios; Dan Swearingen, M.S.; Nate Yates, Special Ed Teacher; Amarjit Kaur, MFT Intern

The founders and staff of Autistry Studios in Marin County will present experiences developing and teaching prevocational workshops for teens and young adults with high functioning autism and Asperger’s Syndrome. 

Presentation:

Poster Session: Leah Kuypers, OT and autism specialist; Elizabeth Sautter, M.A., CCC-SLP; Liz Lang, M.A., CCC-SLP

The Zones of Regulation™ is a curriculum that was developed to foster skills in self-regulation and is being published by Think Social  Publishing this fall.The curriculum was created by Leah Kuypers, an occupational therapist and autism specialist. The Zones concept and learning activities help children and adults manage their emotions and sensory needs while also addressing executive functioning skills and social thinking concepts.

No presentation materials but please read abstract and objectives below

Poster Session: G. Elaine Beussink, M.A., CCC-SLP, and Connie L. Hebert, M.Ed.
This session addresses the dilemma that many public school educators need to defend the existence and impact of the ‘hidden curriculum’. The authors will relate the ‘social-thinking movement’ as a treatment consideration for individuals falling on the autism spectrum (ASD) by addressing the dilemma that many public school educators, especially public school speech-language pathologists, need to defend the existence and impact of the ‘hidden curriculum’.

Presentation:

Dr. Josh Feder, assistant clinical professor, University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine
Medications never make up for an inadequate program, but they might help a good enough program succeed. We will review the rationale for using medication within the context of a good program and review common medications, using a variety of case examples and leaving time for your questions. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

We apologize but due to unforseen circumstances this session is canceled.

Presentation:

Mary Keiger, M.A., recipient of the 2003 Autism Society of North Carolina Professional Award, director of the Social Thinking program at Forsyth Country Day School in North Carolina

Highly interactive session in which participants will learn and explore ways to enhance Social Thinking through the incorporation of music, films, books, drama, games and more! This session is designed for those that are ready to think outside the box and stretch their imagination as they take away ideas to make Superflex their own. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

The latest addition to the Perspective Taking Rating Scale will be introduced with related discussion and video clips to represent different levels of the scale. Dr. Pam Crooke will give an update on research projects related to Social Thinking. Stephanie Madrigal will provide a review of Superflex and the direction of the program within the context of its broad, grass-roots adoption and growth.

Presentation:

Ronald Mah, LMFT, therapist and author of numerous books on childhood behavior, including Getting Beyond Bullying and Exclusion, PreK-5
Children with challenges can encounter difficulties in navigating their journeys within mainstream classrooms. This training focuses on the vulnerabilities of youngsters to be bullied, especially those with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactive disorder, Asperger syndrome, and gifted abilities, and also discusses the tendencies for these children to become bullies. This will aid understanding of common challenges and look at how children with special needs can become easy targets for bullies.

Presentation:

Janet Dudley, M.Ed., CCC-SLP and Juli P. Vazquez, M.S., CCC-SLP, co-directors of Social Communication Specialists Speech Therapy Clinic 

With speech and language skills as the primary focus in typical therapeutic interventions, the importance of play is often underrated, leading us to wonder how much we really understand about the nature of play. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Presentation:

Chris Abildgaard, NCSP, Ruby Hsu, M.A., and Stephanie Capasso, M.S., SLP
This presentation will highlight the use of Social Detective (Winner and Crooke, 2008) and Superflex (Madrigal and Winner, 2008) within two general education classrooms and their impact on student’s behavioral regulation and developing awareness of their social behaviors. Please go to the Conference Session Selection menu if you'd like to attend.

Outline:
Dr. Korb's game chart:
Dr. Korb's handout:

Keynote by Damon Korb, MD, certified behavioral and developmental pediatrician, founder, Center for Developing Minds, Los Gatos, CA

The “organized child” encompasses much more than a child’s ability to clean up after themselves and to get ready on time.  It refers to the child’s ability to think in a logical and planful manner. It describes the ability to take perspective, be flexible, and consider multiple possibilities. As such, the organized child manages his materials, understands order, plans his behavior, and succeeds socially. This talk provides an overview of early brain development, as it relates to organization, and provides appropriate age-based milestones for organizational skills.