New! The Illinois State Board of Education has approved Social Thinking to provide Illinois Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDU)

Early Bird and Group Discounts Now Active for Parents and Professionals


Michelle Garcia Winner Brings Her Latest Strategies to Chicago - Join Us for Two Inspiring and Practical Days!

Michelle's workshops are for parents and professionals alike -- for anyone working with students experiencing social and communication problems (high-functioning autism, Asperger's, ADHD... or no diagnosis).

April 18, 2012
Social Thinking Across The Home and School Day: The ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition

April 19, 2012
Informal Dynamic Social Thinking® Assessment and Core Treatment Strategies for Use at Home and School

Abbington Distinctive Banquets
3 S IL Route 53
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Continental Breakfast and Lunch Provided

CEUs also for SLPs, Social Workers, Counselors, MFTs, Psychologists and Nurses!

Fax Purchase Orders to 408.557.8594 Paper Form:

April 18, 2012
Social Thinking Across The Home and School Day: The ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition

This workshop is designed for parents and professionals to understand the inner mind of persons with Asperger syndrome, PDD-NOS, high-functioning autism, ADHD, nonverbal learning disability or have no working diagnosis but they fit the clinical picture! Participants will learn not only functional treatment strategies they can use both at school and at home, but they will also better understand why these students react and respond the way they do. On this day we will introduce the ILAUGH model of Social Cognition which helps to demonstrate how social processing difficulties impact not only social skills but also the ability to work as part of a group and focus on specific academic tasks such as written expression, reading comprehension and organizational skills for many of our students. We will also address how best to approach writing IEP goals that lead to real, albeit slow change in how students understand the world around them. This workshop is noted for its depth in explaining WHY students with social skills difficulties have related academic challenges that affect them across their school and home day.

Course Objectives | Participants Will Be Able To:

• Explain how teaching "think with your eyes" is different from simply teaching good eye contact.

• Explain why a person with social skill deficits may have reading comprehension problems in the classroom.

• Distinguish and describe the difference between a useful IEP goal and one that is of little benefit towards developing their program.

• Describe how use of strategy cards can facilitate teaching of initiation of communication.

• Explain how "thinking with your eyes" relates to auditory processing.

• Explain how gestalt processing relates to written expression and organizational skills.

April 19, 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!

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

The Illinois State Board of Education has approved Social Thinking to provide Illinois Continuing Professional Development Units (CPDU). Each workshop day provides 6 CPDU. ISBE Provider #12011212651939.

Social Thinking Across The Home and School Day: The ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition
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
Website: 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 April 4, 2012

Professional/Paraprofessional

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

Parent or Nonprofessional College Student

Continental Breakfast and Lunch included!

Social Thinking Hotel Group Rate - Limited Space

Hotel name: Embassy Suites Chicago- Lombard/ Oak Brook

Address, Phone number: 707 East Butterfield Road, Lombard - (630) 969-7500

Click for Website

Room Block -  from $126  per night (plus tax or other fees)

Type of Room: Kings, Doubles

If you make reservations by phone, mention the room blocks reserved for: The Social Thinking Conference

Click for Booking Link

Room discount expiration date: March 28, 2012

Purchase Orders

Fax your own purchase order forms now to: 408-557-8594
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Make/Mail Checks to:
Social Thinking
3031 Tisch Way, Suite 800
San Jose, CA  95128
408.557.8595 ext. 309
408.557.8594 (FAX)

Workshops Time and Location

7:45 am - 8:30 am Sign In - Continental Breakfast
8:30 am - 3:30 pm Workshops with Lunch

Abbington Distinctive Banquets
3S002 IL Route 53
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137

Questions?

Call 408.557.8595 ext. 309
Fax: 408-557-8594 (Fax in purchase orders now please - space is filled first come/first served)
E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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.

Get 10% off Books and Materials at the Workshop!

Learn more about these books by going to "Books & Products" above or by clicking on the titles below. Purchase now or get discount at workshops. Some titles at the workshop bookstore may sell out or not be available. Purchase orders accepted using the discount at workshops. Please call Ben Mika at 408.557.8595 ext. 303 to get details.