Workshops and Trainings
Treatment Options for Neurodiverse Adults: A Summer Series
Join us for a 4-part online summer series exploring treatment options for Neurodiverse adults. Select sessions are BACB & APA CEU eligible
*** Tickets sold on Eventbrite available for package of all 4 sessions. If you'd like to purchase individual session tickets, please email info@ccsnct.org for direct orders ***
Neurodiverse Adults: Preparing Teams to Support Individuals with ASD and ABI
Date: June 14, 2022 Time: 9am - 11am
Presented By: Nichole Collins, MS, BCBA, LBA
Session Summary:
Adult learners in the neurodiverse population require unique attention and consideration when helping them achieve independence with their current and future goals in the real-world. This training will guide the practitioner through the process of planning, using assessment and person-centered practices, setting meaningful goals, and maximizing benefits for the adult and their support team.
Target Audience: BCBAs, Clinical team members and agencies that support individuals with ASD.
BCBA CEU and attendance confirmation available.
Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy to Support Neurodiverse Adults
Date: July 19, 2022 Time: 1pm - 3pm
Presented By: Courtney M. Cotter, Ph.D., BCBA-D, LBA, and Elizabeth A. Fitter, M.S., M.Ed., BCBA, LABA/LBA
Session Summary:
ACT therapy is a third-wave behavior therapy. It is based on the theories of relational frame theory and some aspects of Skinner’s verbal behavior. It is a way to understand, from a behavior analytic world view, how thoughts and feelings can impact behavior and results in behavior patterns that work against individuals being the most effective versions of themselves. In this presentation, we will discuss the relationship between RFT and ACT therapy, how thoughts can lead to feelings and impact behavior, specific types of behavioral rigidity and their competing psychologically flexible behaviors, and how these theories and strategies apply to behavior analytic work.
Target Audience: Psychologist, BCBAs, Clinical team members and agencies that support individuals with ASD.
BCBA & APA CEU and attendance confirmation available.
Understanding Executive Function in Adults
Date: August 2, 2022 Time: 10am - 12pm
Presented By: Heather Flynn, Ph.D. & Nichole Collins, MS, BCBA, LBA
Session Summary:
We all rely on executive functions in order to navigate all activities of daily living. These skills are those that allow us to simultaneously work, talk, plan, and use strong judgement in decision making. Challenges in this area can be extremely frustrating and limit one’s long term success. This training will provide an analysis of executive function as a construct as well as strategies which can help ensure improvement for those who struggle in this are.
Target Audience: Psychologist, BCBAs, Clinical team members and agencies that support individuals with ASD.
BCBA & APA CEU and attendance confirmation available.
Aging in ASD: Planning and Preparing for the Future
Date: August 16, 2022 Time: 12pm - 2pm
Presented By: Nichole Collins, MS, BCBA, LBA
Session Summary:
Extensive resources exist for early intervention and education for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are growing in the area of transition to adulthood. However, supports for individuals with ASD in the aging population are limited. Studies are limited for various reasons, but one of the key reasons is that few people were diagnosed in the past limiting the availability of longitudinal data. A few studies suggest that those on the spectrum may have skill loss earlier than the neurotypical population and may have a highly heterogenous set of needs as they age. This raises the importance of good assessment, planning, and treatment flexibility at regular intervals in order to account for potential changes. Early conversations about aging and end of life stages may be difficult, but with planning and effective treatment, one may preserve independence and dignity into the golden years.
Target Audience: BCBAs, Clinical team members and agencies that support individuals with ASD.
BCBA CEU and attendance confirmation available.
Getting it right! Building success and independence in the community
Date: February 21, 2020 Time: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Description:
The Center for Independence at CCSN: The Center for Children with Special Needs will be hosting a half-day workshop for Transition Teams, Clinicians, Managers, Social Workers and BCBAs working with the Adults with autism and related neurodevelopmental disabilities.
Adult learners in the neurodiverse population require unique attention and consideration when helping them achieve independence with their current and future goals in the real-world. This training will guide the practitioner through the process of planning, using assessment and person-centered practices, setting meaningful goals, and maximizing benefits for the adult and their support team.
Participants will learn how to:
- Select and utilize assessment for community- based activities.
- Prioritize the target areas based on person-centered planning and assessment
- Set meaningful and measurable goals in collaboration with individual’s care system.
- Maximum benefit to the adult, their support team, and families.
Participants will have the opportunity to review assessments onsite, practice using materials, and connect with other colleagues working with this population.
This training will be appropriate for:
Clinicians, social workers, and managers working with Adults with ASD, IDD, and ABI. It will also be applicable to school administration and transition teams planning for students' futures.
Light refreshments will be provided
Type II CEUs will be available for BCBAs
Assessing and Addressing the Cognitive/Academic Needs of Complex Learners
Date: August 15, 2019 Time: 9:00 – 4:30
Description:
Students who have complex needs, including cognitive, academic, motor, social-emotional, and/or behavioral impairments, often present as puzzles to educators. Conducting assessments that are informative and will guide instruction, as well as delivering programming that appropriately meets the needs of these learners can present with challenges to even the most invested of educators.
This workshop is designed to develop greater competency in assessing and addressing the needs of students with complex needs in the cognitive and academic domains.
Participants will learn how to:
- Choose what is important to assess within the targeted domain
- Select appropriate evaluation instruments
- Modify assessment, as necessary, to capture the important information
- Use the information obtained to drive instruction and intervention
The day will consist of dynamic learning opportunities including discussion of research-based methodologies to choose and modify assessments to better understand learner’s areas of strength and weakness. Participants will have the opportunity to practice choosing and modifying assessments, using assessment results to drive instructional and intervention targets, and modifying instruction/intervention based on assessment.
Workshop for Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.
Date: August 20th 2018 Time: 9:00-4:30
Description:
Given the importance of reading to both academic success and successful functioning in the community, reading interventions that are specifically tailored to students with Autism Spectrum Disorders are critical. This workshop is designed to develop greater competency in addressing the learning profiles of students within this population who have mastered the techniques of decoding text, but struggle with comprehension.
This dynamic learning opportunity will include discussion of research-based methodologies to improve student learning within the broad curriculum domain of reading comprehension skills. More specifically, the essential building blocks of successful reading comprehension will be reviewed including vocabulary, background information, literal comprehension, inferencing, main idea, and the application of cognitive strategies to support reading comprehension. Lesson plans for component reading comprehension skills based on the principles of behavior analysis will be reviewed and participants will have the opportunity to implement plans targeting specific skills in this domain. Participants will have the opportunity to practice data collection and analysis to inform instruction and learn about potential accommodations and modifications for specific learning profiles.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will be able to identify the building blocks of reading comprehension.
- Participants will be able to read a lesson plan outlining steps for teaching reading comprehension skills.
- Participants will understand the sequential steps that lead to target skill acquisition.
- Participants will be able to implement steps within a lesson plan that addresses a component of reading comprehension (e.g., main idea).
- Participants will be able to implement prompting hierarchies for steps within their identified sequence.
- Participants will be able to utilize data collection protocols to inform decision making.
- Participants will identify potential accommodations and modifications to lesson plans.