Center for Autism and Related Disabilities 17 th Annual Autism Conference

Center for Autism and Related Disabilities 17 th Annual Autism Conference Keynote: Differential Reinforcement as Treatment for Severe Behavior Presenter: Timothy R. Vollmer, Ph.D. BCBA-D Description: The presenter will review the scientific evidence that severe problem behavior is primarily learned, operant behavior. Then he will propose and provide evidence for a model of intervention based on differential reinforcement. The general theme is that we need to search for ways to make desired behavior pay off more, and dangerous behavior pay off less. Objectives/Outcomes: 1. provide examples of problem behavior that is inadvertently reinforced via socially mediated contingencies 2. define differential reinforcement of alternative behavior in cases when extinction cannot be included as a component of the intervention 3. describe methods to treat escape-maintained behavior via use of positive reinforcement Target Audience: Parents, General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, Paraprofessionals, and Behavior Analysts Timothy R. Vollmer Financial Dr. Vollmer receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities for presenting at the 17 th Annual Autism Conference. Nonfinancial He has no relevant Timothy R. Vollmer received his Ph.D. from the University of Florida in 1992. From 1992 until 1996 he was on the psychology faculty at Louisiana State University. From 1996 to 1998 he was on the faculty at the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. He returned to the University of Florida in 1998 and is now a Professor of Psychology. His primary area of research is applied behavior analysis, with emphases in autism, developmental disabilities, reinforcement schedules, and parenting. He has published over 150 articles and book chapters related to behavior analysis. He was the recipient of the 1996 B.F. Skinner New Researcher award from the American Psychological Association (APA). He received another APA award in August, 2004, for significant contributions to applied behavior analysis. He served as the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis from 2014-2016. Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 1A: Current Trends in Behavior Analytic Services for Children diagnosed with ASD Presenter: Ivy M. Chong, Ph.D., BCBA-D Description: Despite earlier diagnosis and tremendous advances in behavior analytic interventions, there remains a relatively large gap in access to appropriate behavioral services. Highlighting the critical role of early assessment and intervention in ameliorating the symptoms of ASD, this presentation will focus on the power of behavior analysis by describing a range of evidence-based procedures and programs to increase necessary skills. Skilled behavior analytic practice requires expertise in the basic science of operant behavior, methods of measuring and evaluating change, technology of ABA, and its conceptual framework. Objectives/Outcomes: 1. describe best practice assessment for differential diagnosis and ASD

2. describe the core symptoms of ASD 3. describe evidence based practice procedures for ASD Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, Paraprofessionals, and Graduate Students Ivy Chong Financial Dr. Chong receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related Dr. Chong manages the operations of May Institute s Home-based, School, and Center-based programs, and ensures that services are delivered in an efficient, cost-effective manner. Dr. Chong has specialized in the assessment and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder and developmental disabilities for over 20 years. She holds a doctorate in Psychology from Western Michigan University specializing in behavior analysis, is a licensed psychologist (MI, FL) and is a doctoral-level Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D). She earned an M.B.A. in Healthcare Management in 2016. Her professional interests include early detection, diagnosis and evaluation of autism, linking assessment to treatment, and development of training systems. Dr. Chong is on the editorial board for Behavior Analysis: Research and Practice, an APA online journal. She has served as guest reviewer for: Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis; Behavior Interventions; Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders; Journal of Organizational Behavior Management; and Behavior Analysis in Practice. In addition, she has presented at numerous conferences nationally and internationally disseminating ABA to Canada, China and the Middle East. She has maintained leadership roles on local and national boards, including the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (term 2017 2020). Dr. Chong serves as an adjunct professor at Brock University (St. Catherine s, Canada) and Simmons College (MA, USA). 1B: Executive Dysfunction in Autism Spectrum Disorders Presenter: Yael Granader, Ph.D. Description: Executive functions are higher order cognitive processes that assist in managing oneself to achieve a goal. The presenter will provide a brief overview of executive functioning skills and review difficulties with executive functioning that impact people with ASD. The presenter will also provide tools to assist in the development of these skills. 1. better understand executive functioning skills 2. learn about how people with ASD struggle with executive functioning 3. learn tools to help improve executive functioning in ASD Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, and Paraprofessionals Yael Granader: Financial Dr. Granader receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related

Dr. Yael Granader is a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Stixrud Group, a private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. She specializes in comprehensive evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with developmental, medical, learning, or social-emotional issues. Prior to joining the Stixrud Group, Dr. Granader spent six years at Children s National Health System, two as a postdoctoral fellow, and four as a pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Granader completed her graduate training at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. She knew that she wanted to focus her studies on pediatric neuropsychologist from the start of her graduate training and was fortunate to have exceptional training experiences, including the NYU Child Study Center, NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She then went on to complete her predoctoral internship at Children s Hospital Colorado. In addition to her clinical training, Dr. Granader also has experience with clinical research, with publication and presentations at national and international conferences. Her research has focused on executive functioning in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and epilepsy, and more recently she helped to assess a sexual education curriculum for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. 1C: Self-Monitoring, Self-Management, Self-Assessment and Beyond: The Who, What, When, and Why of effective self-management interventions for individuals with ASD Presenters: Jamie Salter, Ed.S, BCBA and Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D Description: The National Autism Centers National Standards Project has identified 14 established treatments; one of which is self-monitoring. This session will explore peer-reviewed research that supports the implementation of self-monitoring systems for individuals with autism of various ages and developmental levels. A discussion of self-monitoring procedures incorporating a "match" component will be presented as well. (While not required, you are encouraged to enroll in Session 1 and 2 to optimize your knowledge of selfmonitoring interventions.) 1. identify the research-based benefits of self-monitoring for students 2. identify the research-based benefits of self-monitoring for staff implementing the intervention 3. identify target behaviors that will likely benefit from self-monitoring interventions 4. understand how a self-monitoring system with a match component can increase appropriate school behaviors in students with ASD Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Education Teachers, School Psychologists, Related Service Providers, Behavior Specialists Biographies: Jamie Salter, Ed.S., BCBA Jamie S. Salter, Ed.S., BCBA, is a Senior Program Specialist with the San Diego County Office of Education. In her role, she trains educators on writing effective and legally-defensible Behavior Interventions Plans, provides leadership and guidance to special educators, and supports students, families, and IEP teams in determining appropriate programs for students in their least restrictive environment. Previously, Jamie worked as a Behavior Analyst and School Psychologist in California and Pennsylvania. Jamie operated a school-based clinic that provided an emphasis on Intensive Behavioral Interventions for children on the autism spectrum. Jamie received her Masters of Education, Educational Specialist degree, Nationally Certified School Psychologist status, and BCBA certification through Lehigh University. Jamie has been actively involved in supporting children with autism for over 18 years. These experiences include serving as Supervisor of an U.S. Department of Education Training Grant through Lehigh University (focused on inclusion of students with low incidence disabilities) and presenter at multiple International Conferences. Jamie has led social skills groups, sibling support groups, and provided in-home behavioral intervention to children with autism and their families

Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D Dr. Katie Croce received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph s University. Additionally, she holds a BCBA, MS. Ed., in Applied Behavior Analysis, a BA in psychology, and an Autism Certificate. Katie has worked as a behavior analyst in public/private school and home settings for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Katie s expertise includes behavior management, conducting functional behavioral assessments, graphing and analyzing data, developing individualized behavior intervention plans, staff training, providing parent education, and program development and management. Katie has also worked in a clinic setting developing programs for individuals with ASD including social skills programs, an inclusive summer camp, a respite program, a sports program, a collegebound retreat for students with ASD interested in attending college, a support program for college students with ASD, and training undergraduate and graduate education and psychology majors who wanted to work in the field of ASD. Additionally, Katie has also worked in higher education developing and teaching undergraduate course work in autism spectrum disorders and applied behavior analysis and has served as Special Education Coordinator involves oversight of educational programming available to students placed in an in-patient crisis hospital. In her current role, Dr. Croce is the Director of the ASERT Collaborative Eastern Region at Drexel University. Katie & Jamie co-developed the Self & Match System; an evidence-based self-monitoring intervention that is firmly grounded in principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This system has been implemented internationally in special education, general education, home, camp, clinic, public schools, private schools, & sports program settings. Since the development of Self & Match in 2004, Katie & Jamie have presented at numerous International conventions and have led workshops at a variety of organizations including, but not limited to: universities, public school districts, charter schools, autism agencies, and ABA chapters 1D: Preparing for Adolescence and Adulthood: How to Embed Functionality, Choice, and Quality of Life into Programming for Learners with ASD Presenter: Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D Description: The move into adolescence and adulthood programming poses many challenges on multiple levels. It is essential that the lens be widened for adolescent and adult programs, and that the focus of instruction be on goals that are socially significant. In this presentation, strategies for ensuring effective care for adolescents and adults with autism will be reviewed. Special attention will be paid to the concept of functional skills and on concrete suggestions for enhancing intervention that leads to a higher quality of life. 1. describe how functionality can inform and inspire treatment in goal selection, instructional methods, data collection, and assessment of progress and mastery 2. discuss how choice can be embedded into programming and how this can be balanced with effective treatment needs 3. describe how quality of life can be embedded into programming including in the selection of goals and in the assessment of outcomes Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, and Paraprofessionals Mary Jane Weiss Financial Dr. Weiss receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related

Mary Jane Weiss, Ph.D., BCBA-D is a Professor at Endicott College, where she directs the Master s Program in ABA and Autism and is a mentoring faculty member in the Doctoral program. She also conducts research with the team at Melmark. Weiss has worked in the field of ABA and Autism for over 30 years. She received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Rutgers University in 1990 and she became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2000. She previously worked for 16 years at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University, where she served as Director of Research and Training and as Clinical Director. Her clinical and research interests center on defining best practice ABA techniques, exploring ways to enhance the ethical conduct of practitioners, evaluating the impact of ABA in learners with autism, teaching social skills to learners with autism, training staff to be optimally effective at instruction, and maximizing family members expertise and adaptation. She serves on the Scientific Council of the Organization for Autism Research, is on the Professional Advisory Board of Autism New Jersey, is a regular reviewer for a variety of professional journals, and is a frequent member of service committees for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board. She is also a Past President of the Autism Special Interest Group of the Association for Behavior Analysis International, a former member of the Board of the Association for Professional Behavior Analysts, and a former Vice President of the Board of Trustees for Autism New Jersey. 2A: Literacy Skill Development: Creating a Balanced Literacy Program that Supports Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder Presenter: Susan Whittaker, Ed.D. Description: Effective literacy skills enhances the quality of life for all individuals, including those with autism spectrum disorder. Literacy skills are necessary for reading and writing. They include awareness of the sounds of language and the relationship between letters and sounds. Other literacy skills include vocabulary, spelling, and comprehension. This presentation will emphasize key strategies to support a comprehensive literacy program. Objectives/Outcomes: 1. differentiate between an analytic and synthetic phonics reading program that enhances Active Student Response 2. develop a guided reading program that promotes the use of sight words, new vocabulary and comprehension strategies 3. identify additional support and strategies to generalize learned skills Target Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals, School Psychologists, School Administrators and Speech Language Pathologists Susan Whittaker: Financial Dr. Whittaker receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related 2B: Sexual Education Curriculum for Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders Presenter: Yael Granader, Ph.D. Description: Youth with ASD mature sexually on a typical trajectory, but social cognition delays impact their understanding of sexually appropriate behavior. Social-communication challenges in ASD extend to sexuality, dating, and relationships. The presenter will review what we know about ASD and sexuality and discuss Charting the Course, a curriculum to help teach youth with ASD about puberty, sexual-health, and relationships.

1. better understand ASD and sexuality 2. learn about a tool to help teach important skills Target Audience: General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals, School Psychologists, School Administrators and Speech Language Pathologists Yael Granader: Financial Dr. Granader receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related Dr. Yael Granader is a pediatric neuropsychologist at the Stixrud Group, a private practice in Silver Spring, Maryland. She specializes in comprehensive evaluations for children, adolescents, and young adults with developmental, medical, learning, or social-emotional issues. Prior to joining the Stixrud Group, Dr. Granader spent six years at Children s National Health System, two as a postdoctoral fellow, and four as a pediatric neuropsychologist and assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center. Dr. Granader completed her graduate training at the Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology, Yeshiva University. She knew that she wanted to focus her studies on pediatric neuropsychologist from the start of her graduate training and was fortunate to have exceptional training experiences, including the NYU Child Study Center, NYU Comprehensive Epilepsy Center, and Mount Sinai School of Medicine: Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. She then went on to complete her predoctoral internship at Children s Hospital Colorado. In addition to her clinical training, Dr. Granader also has experience with clinical research, with publication and presentations at national and international conferences. Her research has focused on executive functioning in youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders and epilepsy, and more recently she helped to assess a sexual education curriculum for youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders. 2C: Self-Monitoring, Self-Management, Self-Assessment and Beyond: How to Set Up Systematic Self- Management Interventions for Individuals with ASD. Presenters: Jamie Salter, Ed.S, BCBA and Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D Description: By systematically teaching children how to engage in more pro-social behaviors they are able to better access their learning and develop stronger relationships with others -- Ultimately, leading to a better quality of life. This interactive and hand-on workshop will provide an opportunity to learn how to develop well-defined, systematic self-monitoring interventions and motivational systems. Participants will strengthen their knowledge of necessary considerations prior to implementing self-monitoring interventions and participants will leave this workshop with a comprehensive tool in hand to implement immediately. Great workshop for individuals and/or teams! (While not required, you are encouraged to enroll in Session 1 and 2 to optimize your knowledge of selfmonitoring interventions.) 1. identify the importance of pre-treatment planning on the effectiveness of intervention 2. learn how to work collaboratively with a team in developing, implementing, and progress-monitoring a systematic behavioral intervention 3. demonstrate an understanding of function-based reinforcement 4. learn tools to effectively apply, individualize, and monitor progress of a self-monitoring system

Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Paraprofessionals, Special Education Teachers, School Psychologists, Related Service Providers, Behavior Specialists Biographies: Jamie Salter, Ed.S., BCBA Jamie S. Salter, Ed.S., BCBA, is a Senior Program Specialist with the San Diego County Office of Education. In her role, she trains educators on writing effective and legally-defensible Behavior Interventions Plans, provides leadership and guidance to special educators, and supports students, families, and IEP teams in determining appropriate programs for students in their least restrictive environment. Previously, Jamie worked as a Behavior Analyst and School Psychologist in California and Pennsylvania. Jamie operated a school-based clinic that provided an emphasis on Intensive Behavioral Interventions for children on the autism spectrum. Jamie received her Masters of Education, Educational Specialist degree, Nationally Certified School Psychologist status, and BCBA certification through Lehigh University. Jamie has been actively involved in supporting children with autism for over 18 years. These experiences include serving as Supervisor of an U.S. Department of Education Training Grant through Lehigh University (focused on inclusion of students with low incidence disabilities) and presenter at multiple International Conferences. Jamie has led social skills groups, sibling support groups, and provided in-home behavioral intervention to children with autism and their families Katharine Croce, Ed.D., BCBA-D Dr. Katie Croce received her Doctorate in Educational Leadership at Saint Joseph s University. Additionally, she holds a BCBA, MS. Ed., in Applied Behavior Analysis, a BA in psychology, and an Autism Certificate. Katie has worked as a behavior analyst in public/private school and home settings for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and other developmental disabilities. Katie s expertise includes behavior management, conducting functional behavioral assessments, graphing and analyzing data, developing individualized behavior intervention plans, staff training, providing parent education, and program development and management. Katie has also worked in a clinic setting developing programs for individuals with ASD including social skills programs, an inclusive summer camp, a respite program, a sports program, a collegebound retreat for students with ASD interested in attending college, a support program for college students with ASD, and training undergraduate and graduate education and psychology majors who wanted to work in the field of ASD. Additionally, Katie has also worked in higher education developing and teaching undergraduate course work in autism spectrum disorders and applied behavior analysis and has served as Special Education Coordinator involves oversight of educational programming available to students placed in an in-patient crisis hospital. In her current role, Dr. Croce is the Director of the ASERT Collaborative Eastern Region at Drexel University. Katie & Jamie co-developed the Self & Match System; an evidence-based self-monitoring intervention that is firmly grounded in principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA). This system has been implemented internationally in special education, general education, home, camp, clinic, public schools, private schools, & sports program settings. Since the development of Self & Match in 2004, Katie & Jamie have presented at numerous International conventions and have led workshops at a variety of organizations including, but not limited to: universities, public school districts, charter schools, autism agencies, and ABA chapters. 2D: Using Effective ABA Instructional Strategies to Build Social and Language Skills Presenter: Susan Whittaker, Ed.D. Description: ABA has many effective strategies for building complex skills, and is relevant for social and language acquisition. Many individuals with autism are taught social skills through a combination of evidence-based and non-evidence based interventions. In this presentation, effective methods for teaching complex skills in socialization and communication will be highlighted, along with suggestions for assessing mastery and generalization. The use of naturalistic teaching contexts and meaningful data collection will be emphasized.

1. describe the ways in which ABA interventions can be used to target specific social and language skill deficits in learners of all ages. 2. describe the effective elements of ABA programming for social and language skills and provide several examples. 3. describe how outcomes can include generalization and other indices of social significant mastery. Target Audience: Parents, School Administrators, General Education Teachers, Special Education Teachers, Related Service Providers, and Paraprofessionals Susan Whittaker: Financial Dr. Whittaker receives an honoraria from the Center for Autism and Related Disabilities for presenting at the 12 th Annual Statewide Autism Conference. Nonfinancial She has no relevant Susan Whittaker, Ed.D has worked in education, at all levels for the past 23 years. Dr. Whittaker earned her BA in English from Brock University, Masters in Teaching from National Louis University, and Doctorate of Education in Curriculum & Instruction with an emphasis in early literacy from Aurora University. She began her career in the Illinois Public School system, working as an early childhood specialist and as a kindergarten teacher in an inclusion setting. During this time, she worked with children ranging from mild speech and language delays to significant physical impairments. She is the founder of Jolly Reading, a consulting agency in Niagara Falls, NY, which provides training in literacy to elementary school teachers in the United States, United Kingdom and Canada. Dr. Whittaker has worked in the United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates, where she has designed literacy programs which have allowed students in special education programs to fully integrate into a balanced literacy program. Dr. Whittaker is currently a Principal at the Summit Academy, in Amherst New York where she supports as an Administrative leader and continues to support the literacy curriculum as an instructional lead. Summit Academy supports the learning of 325 students, ranging from early intervention to age 21, with a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder.