On Monday, our nationally recognized speakers will be Dr. Ruth Aspy and Dr. Barry Grossman.  Dr. Aspy and Dr. Grossman are licensed psychologists, authors, and private providers specializing in the assessment and interventions for persons with autism spectrum disorders.  Their book, The Ziggurat Model was awarded the Autism Society of America's National Award for Literary Work of the Year in Education.
 
The Ziggurat model is a framework for designing comprehensive interventions for persons with high functioning autism and Asperger's Syndrome.  The training will include how to identify the associated features of autism by using assessment tools that address the underlying characteristics of autism.  The Ziggurat Model is used to design specific interventions to improve weaknesses.  Since these weaknesses are often the barrier to independence, we will also learn how to develop positive programs to encourage success. 

Dr. Aspy and Dr. Grossman use current TV videos to help the audience identify problems in teenagers that may not have been previously addressed and develop interventions that encourage success.  The format for learning is fun and entertaining and very informative. 

All individuals who register for this program are also invited back on Friday, June 26 at 1:00 PM, to hear James Williams, a 22-year old man attending Sam Houston University, who also has Asperger's Syndrome.   James has been a national public speaker on Asperger's Syndrome and Post-Secondary Transition for the past five years.  James will demonstrate that a young adult with Asperger's Syndrome, when provided with the appropriate social and educational interventions, can be independent and successful in their post-secondary/adult life.  James is honest, entertaining, and sincere in telling his story.  He will share his personal story of successes and struggles and you won't want to miss it.
  
We have 300 seats for these two sessions (Monday with Dr. Aspy and Dr. Grossman and Friday afternoon with James).  Registration is $25 and can be completed on our website.
 
We encourage parents, school personnel, psychologists, speech therapists, and service providers to sign up for this class!  This is a great way to access nationally recognized education locally in Oklahoma!  .

 

For those of you want to make a bigger commitment to understanding the needs of teens and young adults affected by autism, more training is available on Tuesday - Friday.  This training is designed for a small group.  Applications for participation Tuesday - Friday will be required due to the nature of the program.    We will accept applications for 20 professionals and 10 families who have a teen or young adult between the ages of 14-21.   Due to the limited number of participants, families and professionals must be able to attend all sessions all week to apply. (For families, at least one parent must attend Monday - Friday with teens/young adults attending Wednesday - Friday.)  Use the pre-conference link in the previous article to apply for the whole week!
 
On Tuesday, Dr. Aspy and Dr. Grossman will help us apply what we learned on Monday to complete some case study intervention plans.   Wednesday - Friday, we will have a track for the teens and young adults and a track for professionals and parents.  During some sessions, we will come together to work on assessment and intervention plans.  Some sessions will allow young people with autism to have access to persons who have jobs in their areas of interest.  Young people will also enjoy attending a party on Thursday night!   The goal of the week is to have fun while developing intervention plans for the young adults with autism.  We also want to our professionals to be trained and comfortable with the assessment, development of interventions, and positive reinforcement to allow young people to reach their potential. 
 
If your family is making application for Tuesday-Friday, encourage members of their school team and community to attend.  This is a great way for parents and others to reinforce the plan for success. 
 
This is the first of our "Be Ready For Life" programs for teens and young adults.