Programming for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools (Series Begins Oct. 10, 2023) (Registration Closed) – The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth, Inc.

This course closed on July 16, 2024.

For this webinar series, participants will automatically be enrolled in all 5 sessions.

Speaker

Celine A. Saulnier, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Founder, Neurodevelopmental Assessment & Consulting Services

Description

This webinar series will cover how to detect, evaluate, diagnose, and provide intervention for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Given the continued increase in prevalence rates along with the broadening of the diagnostic criteria, topics will include how to identify and program for the vast range of symptom expression in cognition, language, adaptive functioning, and autism symptomatology from preschool through young adulthood.

The prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder is currently 1 in 36 school-age children in the United States. Yet, the breadth of the spectrum is so broad and heterogeneous that it becomes perplexing as to how students who are profoundly affected can carry the same diagnostic label as students with more subtle symptom expression. This workshop will help school providers better understand the variability across the spectrum of autism symptoms, cognition, language, gender, and emotional/behavioral regulation, and how to identify and differentiate the common co-occurring conditions.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Following the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session.

Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is, first and foremost, a social disability. Despite the vast heterogeneity across the spectrum, the common thread are the challenges with social communication, interaction, and play skills. This webinar will present evidence-based strategies for fostering social skills within the school system, including social skills groups, peer-mediated interventions, conversation training, video modeling, self-advocacy, among others.

Delays and deficits in adaptive behavior and executive functioning skills are common in students with ASD. Research has shown an increasing association between these delays and poor adult outcome. This presentation will outline profiles of adaptive behavior in ASD and common executive functioning deficits and discuss the importance of assessing for and teaching these critical skills within educational programming.

Currently, the average age of ASD diagnosis in the United States is over the age of 4 years. Yet, ASD can be reliably diagnosed before 2 years old. This webinar will identify the earliest markers of ASD in infancy and toddlerhood, how to detect and diagnose ASD effectively, and how to use evaluation results to inform educational programming in the preschool years.

Adaptive behavior is generally defined as the independent performance of daily activities that are required for personal and social self-sufficiency. Research has shown an increasing association between adaptive behavior delays and poor adult outcome. This presentation will discuss the importance of assessing for adaptive behavior delays using the gold standard Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition (Vineland-3), and how to use test results to inform intervention programming in schools.

About the Speaker

Dr. Saulnier obtained her doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Connecticut. She trained and worked at the Yale Child Study Center’s Autism Program for nearly a decade before relocating to Emory University School of Medicine and the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, GA, where she directed a large-scale clinical research program. In 2018, she opened her own company, Neurodevelopmental Assessment & Consulting Services, where she specializes in diagnostic assessment, as well as teaching and training for autism spectrum and related disorders. Dr. Saulnier has published numerous articles, written two books, and she is an author on the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition.

Participants must attend all 5 sessions, either live or recorded, to receive PDPs and/or CEUs. If you are not eligible for PDPs and/or CEUs, you may apply for a Certificate of Attendance.

Membership Information

Most MPY webinars are available ONLY to current staff from member districts and organizations. Public school memberships include police and fire personnel. Former and retired employees and members of committees, including but not limited to, PTO/PTA, PAC, School Improvement Councils, Health Councils, Drug/Alcohol Councils, and school volunteers, are not considered MPY members.

PDPs and CEUs

MPY is an approved Professional Development Provider through the Massachusetts Department of Elementary & Secondary Education (Provider No. F20180079). Professional Development Points (PDPs) are offered for most MPY professional development webinars. PDPs are issued in 10 hour increments, per DESE requirements.

Continuing Education Units (CEUs) are available for clinical staff through the National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the Massachusetts Mental Health Counselors Association, Inc. (MaMHCA). The NASW and the MaMHCA approve each event individually. CEUs may be given in hourly increments.

To receive PDPs and CEUs, participants must attend all 5 sessions and successfully pass a quiz following Session 5. Following the live webinar, registrants will be emailed a link to view the recorded webinar. The recording will be made available for 7 days after each session.

Event Cancellation Policy

If you are unable to attend a MPY webinar you must cancel, through Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org, one business day before the webinar.

For MPY hybrid conferences, the date in-person registration closes will be posted on MPY’s website. Virtual conference registration will close one business day before the hybrid conference. You cannot cancel or switch your registration from in-person to virtual after in-person registration closes. Please email Bonnie Mullen at bonnie@mpyinc.org with any questions regarding registration.

Enrollment in this course closed on October 9, 2023.

If you are seeking to receive CEUs and/or PDPs, please click Register Now. Once you complete the webinar series, you will be able to take quizzes for CEUs and/or PDPs. Upon completion of each quiz, you will receive a certificate.

All sessions are 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm.