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Autism Awareness Day at Marlins Park
Marlins vs. Padres Friday, April 4, 2014 - 7:10 p.m.
Enjoy some Major League Baseball action while supporting a great cause!
Catch the Marlins at a discounted price through this online offer. A portion of the proceeds will be donated to Autism Speaks. In addition, there will be a pregame Resource Fair. Seating will be located in the Lexus Legends Level, which will provide your family a comfortable setting to enjoy the game. A quiet room will be available if needed.  |
Monday, March 31, 2014
Autism Awareness Day at Marlins Park w/Autism Speaks
Sunday, March 30, 2014
New England Journal of Medicine publishes a study about brain development in children with Autism
This study was published recently in the "New England Journal of Medicine" and shows that the brains of children with Autism have abnormalities before birth. This is consistent with a large amount of prior research but is important to continue studying in order to disprove the rumor that vaccines are to blame.
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1307491
http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa1307491
CDC study finds number of people diagnosed with Autism has risen from two years ago
CDC study states that one in every 68 children has Autism, up from one in 88 two years ago. Additionally, they are stating that the intelligence level among people with Autism has risen. The article asks some pertinent questions regarding whether the number has really gone up or has diagnosing improved. Additionally, the article asks whether this takes into consideration the possibility that people with Asperger Syndrome may well not have been diagnosed two years ago, just considered somewhat different.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/03/27/u-s-autism-rate-surges-cdc-reports/
http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2014/03/27/u-s-autism-rate-surges-cdc-reports/
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Great reference and free seminars
Cigna insurance provides an Autism Awareness Series of free phone seminars on its website. You do not have to be a Cigna consumer, these are open to everyone. There are currently only three new seminars scheduled but you can access the old ones via MP3. They are a phone seminar so you would just be listening to the presenter, no video, but some of the topics are really relevant.
Additionally, each seminar has a handout that can be downloaded and some of them, like the toilet training one, has a data tracking sheet, as well. I have listened to a few and feel that they do a nice job presenting the subject matter. Below is a list of the seminars. I would recommend taking a few minutes to look at the topics to determine if any of them are relevant to your family. The link to access the site is:
http://www.cigna.com/healthwellness/behavioral-awareness-series/all-about-autism
Additionally, each seminar has a handout that can be downloaded and some of them, like the toilet training one, has a data tracking sheet, as well. I have listened to a few and feel that they do a nice job presenting the subject matter. Below is a list of the seminars. I would recommend taking a few minutes to look at the topics to determine if any of them are relevant to your family. The link to access the site is:
http://www.cigna.com/healthwellness/behavioral-awareness-series/all-about-autism
CURRENT TOPICS
- COMMUNITY INCLUSION FOR YOUR CHILD WITH AUTISM
- TOILET TRAINING YOUR CHILD WITH AUTISM
- HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD WITH AUTISM SLEEP BETTER
- USING TECHNOLOGY TO ENHANCE TREATMENT AND INCREASE INDEPENDENCE
- MANAGING CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS
- INCREASING YOUR CHILD'S SOCIAL INTERACTIONS WITH PEERS: PRACTICAL APPROACHES FOR PARENTS
- SIMPLE STRATEGIES FOR CHANGING BEHAVIOR
- THE SOCIAL WEB FOR CAREGIVERS OF AUTISM
- ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY: STATE OF THE SCIENCE
- TALKING TO YOUR CHILD ABOUT AUTISM: WHEN, HOW OFTEN, AND HOW
- HELP! MY CHILD IS A PICKY EATER!!!
- TIPS & TRICKS FOR HOLIDAY SUCCESS
- BEHAVIORAL PARENT TRAINING
- PREVENTING AND RESPONDING TO CHALLENGING BEHAVIORS IN THE HOME
- HOW ANXIETY AFFECTS THE LIVES OF INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM AND TREATMENTS THAT HELP
- FOSTERING FRIENDSHIPS BETWEEN CHILDREN WITH AN AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER AND TYPICALLY DEVELOPING PEERS
- COMMUNITY SAFETY ISSUES FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS: COMMON CONCERNS AND STRATEGIES FOR BUILDING INDEPENDENCE
- FACILITATING INDEPENDENCE IN INDIVIDUALS ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM
- SOCIAL SKILLS
- MOMS, DADS, SIBLINGS AND GRANDPARENTS: AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDERS & HOW THEY IMPACT THE WHOLE FAMILY
- AUTISM AND OTHER MENTAL HEALTH CONDITIONS
Monday, March 24, 2014
Webinar for parents and professionals, CEUs available for BCBAs
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Eden II Diagnostic & Outreach Center
2285 Victory Blvd
Staten Island, New York 10314
600 Newbridge Road
East Meadow, NY 11554
Eden II Programs is an approved continuing education (ACE) provider of Type 2 continuing education hours for BCBA and BCaBA certificants
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2 Webinars for SLPs, ASHA CEUs available
Introduction to ABA for Speech Pathologists
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Presented by: Joanne Gerenser, Ph.D., SLP-CCC
Description:
This webinar will provide an introduction to applied behavior analysis. Specific topic areas will include reinforcement, decreasing behavior, use of various prompting strategies, shaping new behavior, chaining behavior and task analysis, developing individualized motivation systems and conducting preference assessments. Focus will be on application to speech, language and communication programs
Experience Level:
All levels (basic concepts will be explained in detail)
Target Audience:
SLPs. CE provided for SLPs
This course is being offered for 0.2 ASHA CEUs. (Introductory Level, Professional Area)
Non-Financial Disclosure: There are no relevant non-financial relationships to report
Financial Disclosure: Presenters are employed through Eden II/Genesis Programs and receive a salary.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER
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ESE school survey
Please consider filling out this online survey about the quality of education being provided to children with IEPs. The Florida Department of Education hosts this survey to collect data that drives the implementation of services. Hopefully, your feedback will help to improve the quality of the education being provided to children with special needs across the state.
http://www.esesurvey.com/Login.php
http://www.esesurvey.com/Login.php
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Communication and AAC programs
I had the opportunity, a few years ago, to teach a class of 6 non-verbal high school students how to use an AAC device to communicate. We used ProLoQuo on iPads as it seemed to be the best system out there. I watched as the students came alive with the ability to get their needs and desires met and have had a passion for enabling communication ever since!
To that effect, I wanted to share an AAC (Augmentive & Alternative Communication) system that I am excited about. As I mentioned, I initially used ProLoQuo and feel that it is a good program with a lot of benefits, least of which are it's virtually unlimited vocabulary and the ability to customize for the user. But, that can make it an overwhelming program for both learners and teachers. Additionally, I feel that it is more suited to people who have some, or a lot of, language skills but need the verbal output piece.
Touch Chat, on the other hand, is a program that seems very well suited to children who have both a language disorder and verbal output problems. I am currently using the program with one of my clients and I feel that it is a very intuitive program and quite user friendly. It has more options for customizing and offers more features than ProLoQuo. Additionally, they have a great website for support and a blog that offers ideas for teaching the initial use of the device and how to expand/teach language skills using the device.
The software is available as a app for iDevices or can be purchased as a dedicated device with a tablet, the software and a case/speaker system. With documentation from an SLP, medicaid here in Florida will cover the dedicated device package as will some private insurance companies. The links to both options are below if you are interested in exploring Touch Chat further.
Be wary, there is a Lite version of Touch Chat offered for sale in the iTunes store but it doesn't speak. We learned this the hard way by making the $10 purchase to find that it has most of the features, including the ability to customize, but does not have speech output. Not a very well spent $10. This is disappointing as it doesn't provide a very accurate trial of the program.
http://touchchatapp.com/apps/touchchat-aac-with-wordpower
http://saltillo.com/products
To that effect, I wanted to share an AAC (Augmentive & Alternative Communication) system that I am excited about. As I mentioned, I initially used ProLoQuo and feel that it is a good program with a lot of benefits, least of which are it's virtually unlimited vocabulary and the ability to customize for the user. But, that can make it an overwhelming program for both learners and teachers. Additionally, I feel that it is more suited to people who have some, or a lot of, language skills but need the verbal output piece.
Touch Chat, on the other hand, is a program that seems very well suited to children who have both a language disorder and verbal output problems. I am currently using the program with one of my clients and I feel that it is a very intuitive program and quite user friendly. It has more options for customizing and offers more features than ProLoQuo. Additionally, they have a great website for support and a blog that offers ideas for teaching the initial use of the device and how to expand/teach language skills using the device.
The software is available as a app for iDevices or can be purchased as a dedicated device with a tablet, the software and a case/speaker system. With documentation from an SLP, medicaid here in Florida will cover the dedicated device package as will some private insurance companies. The links to both options are below if you are interested in exploring Touch Chat further.
Be wary, there is a Lite version of Touch Chat offered for sale in the iTunes store but it doesn't speak. We learned this the hard way by making the $10 purchase to find that it has most of the features, including the ability to customize, but does not have speech output. Not a very well spent $10. This is disappointing as it doesn't provide a very accurate trial of the program.
http://touchchatapp.com/apps/touchchat-aac-with-wordpower
http://saltillo.com/products
Friday, March 21, 2014
Webinar on "Building appropriate sexuality skills for individuals w/significant ASD"
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Dr. Cicero is the Director of Psychological Services
for the Eden II Programs, an Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) program in New
York State serving children and adults on the autism spectrum. He is a New
York State Licensed Psychologist with over 18 years of experience providing
ABA programs for children and adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).
Dr. Cicero received his Master's degree in school psychology from St.
John's University and his Doctorate in Educational Psychology from the City
University of New York Graduate Center. He is a Board Certified Behavior
Analyst, a Certified School Psychologist and the President-Elect of the New
York State Association for Behavior Analysis (NYSABA). Dr. Cicero serves as
an adjunct instructor in applied behavior analysis at the master's and
doctoral level. He frequently conducts workshops, consultations, and
research presentations at the national level and has been published in the
areas of toilet training and developmental disabilities. Dr. Cicero is
renowned for his straightforward approach to addressing the difficult and
uncomfortable topic of sexuality in the autism population.
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