Establishing Early Verbal and Functional Skills for Students with Autism

Session Dates

Wednesday April 12, 2023 8:30 AM - 4:30 PM - PaTTAN - EAST

Closed

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This training addresses the needs of students with autism who present with very limited skill sets, including but not limited or absent the following: mand (requesting), tact (labeling), and/or imitation repertoires. Participants will review and learn important considerations for assessment, programming, materials organization, instructional procedures and systems for monitoring progress when establishing initial skill sets. Methods to teach the value of the earliest social interactions will be reviewed. Content includes specific teaching strategies relevant to an initial mand repertoire, initial imitation skills, basic listener responding skills, and early tact responses.

Objectives

Participants will:

1. Identify and acquire methods of interaction that lead to students with limited skills approaching and responding to adults.
2. List and review the assessment procedures that allow identification of basic cooperative responses, selecting early instructional targets, and promoting response variability.
3. Identify and utilize procedures for establishing initial mand skills.
4. Practice skill sets involved in the use of an object sort approach to intensive teaching/discrete trial instruction that allows for fast-paced instruction.
5. Describe issues in the design of a balanced instructional program related to establishing a basic skill set for critical social-communicative behaviors.

Target Audience

Educational team members serving students with Autism in sites supported by PATTAN Autism Initiative ABA Supports including teachers, paraprofessionals, Speech and Language Professionals, School Psychologists, Behavior Specialists, Occupational Therapists, Administrators, Internal Coaches and others. Reasonable efforts will be made to accommodate individuals who have special needs as addressed by the Americans with Disabilities Act and who need assistance at this event. Contact: Marci Davis, at 717-901-2251, or mdavis@pattan.net.