Expert: James Michael Roan - 5/30/2005

Question
I am a special education teacher on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Southwest S.Dakota.  I have two kindergartners just diagnosed autistic and there is an older child in the school who is autistic.  I would really like to find some kind of training, workshop, conference, etc., that I could attend and get more information for setting up programs for the fall.  I have had some training quite a few years ago.  All three children, while being at different ability levels are also high functioning.

Thank you for any information that you can give me.

Answer
5-30-05:
Hi Carol;

I found the following conference held in your area:
Autism & Asperger's Syndrome 2005 - Rapid City, SD
Rapid City, South Dakota
July 29, 2005

Featuring best-selling author Dr. Temple Grandin on live interactive video presentation with a Q & A session, along with Sean Barron, Dr. Lori Ernsperger and Tania Stegen-Hanson on location.

For more information, call Future Horizons at 1-800-489-0727 or click here.
-------------------------------------
The Center for Disabilities is presenting its Summer Autism Workshops, Structured Teaching and Classroom Strategies for Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

June 14-17, 2005 in Rapid City, South Dakota
   This workshop will focus on young or developmentally young individuals with Autism.

July 19-22, 2005 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota
   This workshop will focus on individuals with High Functioning Autism or Asperger
   Syndrome.

Important Information
Each Summer Workshop is limited to 25 participants.  Early registration is advised.
Cost: $100 per person per workshop.
Registration is on a first-received basis and by mail only.
Enrollment is limited to South Dakota schools/agencies/parents.
The Center for Disabilities reserves the right to limit registrations to 3 staff members from each district/coop/agency and to those who work directly with an individual with an Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The Center for Disabilities will apply for graduate credit through Black Hills State University and for Department of Education Certificate Renewal Credits.  Participants will be able to register for these credits at the workshop.
Click here to download the Summer Workshops 2005 registration brochure for more detailed information or to register.
Center for Disabilities
Autism and Related Disorders Program
605-357-1423
1-800-658-3080 (V/TTY)
www.usd.edu/cd

I hope this helps Carol. It's good to meet people who serve others. There is no better way to spend one's life. Take care,
James




Hi Carol;

I'm not sure what resources your state has. Let me do some checking around. Meanwhile, you should examine some of the different approaches to working with students with autism such as applied behavior analysis (ABA), TEACCH, and different developmental approaches such as Greenspan's Floortime model. There is current research suggesting that developmental approaches work better than ABA because skills learned at school using a naturalistic approach are more likely to be transferable to other settings, unlike ABA, which tends to build context-dependent skills that don't transfer well to other settings. I'll be back in touch in a few days.

Kind Regards,
James