Crystal Lake, IL Conference

ASDs and the House of Human Development, with Teresa Bolick, Ph.D.
Individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) show a vast array of strengths and challenges. All too often, their challenges lead to behavior that interferes with success in everyday life at home, at school, and in the community. Because their developmental profiles are so complex, intervention is complicated and potentially overwhelming to families, schools, and other treatment teams. The House of Human Development is a user-friendly model of human development that suggests that communication, learning, and social competence rest upon the foundation of efficient sensorimotor processing and self-regulation. It emphasizes the interaction between an individual’s developmental strengths and challenges and the situation at hand. Finally, it allows us to identify efficient modifications, accommodations, and interventions that support learning and social competence. Participants will learn: 1) Developmental challenges that can interfere with everyday life 2) Environmental modifications and accommodations that enhance availability for learning 3) Strategies for teaching adaptive and efficient skills for self-regulation, communication, learning, and social/emotional/behavioral competence.

Wednesday, November 19, 2008

Achieving Reading Comprehension for Autism and Other Disabilities, with Marion Blank, Ph.D.
Effective reading comprehension has proven to be one of the most elusive skills for children with language problems. Even when decoding is not an issue, difficulties in understanding what has been read persist, affecting the child’s chances for both academic and life success. Using insights from linguistics and cognitive psychology, the workshop will demonstrate innovative programs that use new materials and techniques to steadily guide children to significant levels of comprehension. The approach also provides a comprehensive framework that parents and practitioners can use for more effective communication in a variety of settings. Learning objectives for participants: 1) Increase knowledge of the underpinnings of effective comprehension 2) Increase awareness of the problems raised by many commonly used materials 3) Implement instruments to assess children's functioning 4) Implement programs to enhance their functioning 5) Increase awareness of ways to interpret language issues in a variety of settings 6) Develop ways to apply the concepts to a variety of communicative situations.