| 2010 Annual Conference |
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2010 Annual Conference The 2010 Autism Society of North Carolina Annual Conference was held April 23-24 at the Sheraton Chapel Hill. There was an optional pre-conference workshop on Friday, as well as a full day of events at the Saturday conference. Friday Pre- Conference
The seminar provided an overview of a social skill instructional model developed by Dr. Bellini. The workshop integrated research on social-emotional functioning with effective strategies for teaching social skills to children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). The five-step model provides a systematic and comprehensive framework to guide parents and practitioners in the development and implementation of social skills programming. Dr. Bellini is the Assistant Director of the Indiana Resource Center for Autism (IRCA) and an Assistant Professor of School Psychology at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is also the Director of the newly formed Social Skills Research Center (SSRC), a university based center specializing in developing and empirically examining the outcomes of social skill interventions for youth with ASD. He has published numerous research manuscripts and has provided consultation and training to families and professionals in over 25 states on the topic of social skills programming for students with ASD. He is the author of Building Social Relationships, which was named the 2007 Literary Work of the Year by the Autism Society of America.
On Saturday, the event opened with the Autism Society of North Carolina's annual awards presentation and President and Chair's addresses. Following those opening remarks, attendees split between two keynote presentations.
Recent increases in the number of children diagnosed with autism, along with studies suggesting substantial gains when treatment begins at early ages, has led to an increased emphasis on early intervention and an increased burden on public service sectors to provide quality care. However, little is known about translating evidence-based practices into usual care for young children with autism. This presentation discussed the translation of evidence-based practice into community programming for children with autism and their families. The process of developing quality community programming was illustrated with examples of community programs providing services in an inclusion setting, a home-based setting and through parent-implemented programming. Adaptation of services for community, child and family needs and program outcomes were discussed. Dr. Aubyn Stahmer is on the faculty of the University of California, San Diego, as well as the Child and Adolescent Services Research Center (CASRC) at Rady Children's Hospital-San Diego. Having done graduate work with Dr. Laura Schreibman, Dr. Stahmer has focused on the areas of applied behavior analysis and autism. A primary area of research is early intervention in autism. With training in behavioral research as well as services research, she has extensive experience with parent education, early intervention public services system, translation of evidence-based practice to community settings, diagnosis and evaluation and social and play interventions.
Mrs. Sicile-Kira shared wisdom and practical tips on how parents and professionals can prepare their students - and themselves - for adulthood. The life skills needed as an adult working and living with autism (and how to teach them) were addressed. Preparing for employment and long-term living options based on a teenager's abilities and interests, as well as networking for resources, were also discussed. Mrs. Sicile-Kira has combined her passion for empowering others, love of writing, and personal interest in autism to become an award-winning author and speaker known for her practical advice on raising children and teens with autism. She has authored Autism Life Skills; Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum and Autism Spectrum Disorders. Her latest book, 41 Things to Know About Autism, was written to help with community awareness about autism. Currently, Chantal's most important task is transitioning both her teenagers (one severely impacted by autism) out of high school and into adulthood. Chantal has been appointed to co-chair the San Diego Inland & Imperial Autism Regional Taskforce. She moderates webinars and blogs on the Huffington Post, and she writes a column for Spectrum Magazine. Her son, Jeremy, has been featured in the MTV documentary "True Life" series, in ‘I Have Autism,' which was the recipient of a 2008 Voice Award. Following the morning keynotes, attendees broke for lunch and then chose between two afternoon concurrent panels: Concurrent Panel 1 - Early Intervention in North Carolina: Where Do We Go From Here? This panel examined the issues facing our state in addressing the needs of families with young children either at risk for or having a diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder. The group looked at the strengths and needs of our state in addressing early screening and diagnosis, parent training and support, and the continuum of early intervention services presently provided. The panel looked at key steps needed to advance our quality of intervention and support, improve the knowledge base of professionals and parents in North Carolina, and make services more readily available to families. Concurrent Panel 2 - Quality in Service to Adolescents and Adults with ASD: Where Do We Go From Here? What do we do well in North Carolina with regard to transition to adulthood? What do we need to do better? What are the quality issues in residential, employment, community and continuing education services? How do we address the expected increase in need over the next twenty years for adults dealing with autism? This panel discussed our state's strengths and needs, promising directions and gaps in service, issues that we face and ways to address the challenges that are before us.
Dave Spicer has been writing and speaking about autism for the past fifteen years, after he was diagnosed by TEACCH at age 46. He was the first person with autism to serve on our Board, and did so for five years. He is also the parent of a child on the autism spectrum. |
Building Social Relationships: A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interaction Skills to Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum, by Scott Bellini, Ph.D.
Concurrent Keynote 1 - Effective Community-Based Early Intervention for Young Children with Autism, by Aubyn C. Stahmer, PhD, BCBA-D
Concurrent Keynote 2 - Autism Life Skills: Transitioning Teenagers to Adulthood, by Chantal Sicile-Kira
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