When:
May 21, 2021 all-day
2021-05-21T00:00:00-04:00
2021-05-22T00:00:00-04:00

Doing What Matters: Fierce Compassion & Committed Action in ABA workshop in MassachusettsWebinar, May 21, 2021, 9:00 a.m., with Autism Connections of Holyoke MA. Target Audience: Parents of young children who have a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder, BCBAs, RBTs and other ABA providers, early childhood special education team members and early intervention providers who work with young children with ASD.
* Parents of children with a diagnosis of ASD are told ABA is “the” evidence-based intervention with the greatest support for teaching language and social skills. Many behaviorally trained clinicians working with young children primarily use discrete trial training approaches, and reserve natural environments and Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) for generalization and reinforcer pauses. Potential pitfalls associated with this approach include prompt dependency, and absence of spontaneous initiations.
* This webinar will highlight more natural, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based ABA interventions that honor child development, fit within natural preschool and home routines, and can be implemented by parents, siblings and early intervention professionals as well as RBTs, BCBAs and other ABA providers.
About the speakers:

  • Michael J. Morrier, PhD, BCBA-D.  Dr. Morrier is an associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Emory University, and the Director of Child Behavioral Interventions, where he directs the Early Emory Center for Child Development and Enrichment. Dr. Morrier has consulted to the CDC’s autism surveillance project, co-authored several peer-reviewed journal articles and book chapters on autism treatment, teacher training, early intervention, and best educational practices for young children. He is also the President of the Georgia Division for Early Childhood. He has taught ABA-related courses at Georgia State University and currently coordinates Emory’s applied behavior analysis training, fieldwork and supervision program.
  • Teresa Daly, Ph.D., BCBA-D. Dr. Daly received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology with specialization in developmental disabilities from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She is currently the Executive Director of the University of Central Florida’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities. Her 25+ years of experience serving individuals with autism spectrum disorders began as a classroom assistant in the Walden Learning Center, an inclusive ABA-based preschool program for children with autism in Amherst, MA. She continued in leadership roles in early intervention in roles that included Director of Training at Emory University’s Autism Center, where she was also Program Director of the nationally recognized Walden Toddler Program, an inclusive model demonstration program for the treatment of toddlers with autism. She is a licensed psychologist and board certified Behavior Analyst, and has served as consultant to NEC-TAC on best practices for ASD.
  • Cheryl Hollocher is the parent of a son with autism who attended the Walden Learning Center preschool in Amherst, MA and was fully included in his local schools through grade 8. Cheryl earned an undergraduate degree in linguistics and anthropology, then a graduate degree in intensive special education. She worked as a teacher and administrator in several school districts and is now working as a special education consultant for parents and the Federation for Children with Special Needs in Massachusetts.
  • Jean and Daniel Denton-Thompson -Daniel attended the Walden Learning Center preschool in Amherst after being diagnosed with pervasive developmental disorder. After preschool, Daniel attended his local schools and graduated from high school. Daniel earned an associate degree from Springfield Technical Community College, a certificate of videography from Holyoke Community College, and has completed an accelerated program in IT. Jean is Daniel’s mother, an LPN who then worked for several years for the State of Massachusetts as a job coach for the agency now called the Department of Developmental Services, (DDS). Jean was an active member of the civil rights movement and is one of the founding board members of Community Resources for People with Autism, the agency that is now known as Autism Connections.

To register or for more information visit http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ehyxleazb3cf0d53&llr=mxkgftcab  or contact autismconnections@pathlightgroup.org

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