Autism in Our Community Event

	WHEN: Saturday, October 25 TIME:  8:45 a.m. to 4:10 p.m. WHERE:  Penn State Erie The Behrend College THE BURKE CENTER
EVENT SCHEDULE:	COST:
8:45am - Registration	$10 pre-registration per person includes conference and boxed lunch
9:30am - Welcome to A.C.E.	$10 on-site conference fee, no lunch included
10:00am - Keynote Address	CREDITS AVAILABLE:
12:00 noon - Lunch   12:45-4:10pm - Breakout Sessions	Certificates will beprovided (at no charge) for the attendee to provide to their school district to receive continuing education credits for ACT 48 or DPW hours.

PRE-REGISTRATION IS CLOSED.  ON-SITE registration opens at 845 am Saturday, October 25th.  

IMPORTANT INFORMATION: 

• Boxed Lunch (Wegmans) includes sub, chips ,cookie, apple, and water.  Choices: ham, turkey or roasted veggie
• FREE On-site child care is available with pre-registration
• Parents are responsible for purchasing or packing a lunch for their children.  We have a new optional Kid's Sub Meal.  The kid's meal may be ordered with your registration.

NEW AT A.C.E. for 2014—we will be offering an opportunity to our child care and teen groups to experience the UPLAY GAMING TRAILER!  The gaming trailer offers stadium seating to play Xbox 360, Wii, Wii U, and PlayStation.  Climate controlled and all the latest games. Games will be age appropriate.  Special Teen and Young Adult Opportunity—all teens and young adults that participate in the Peer to Peer group will receive a TICKET to enjoy 1 hour in the UPLAY Gaming Trailer on-site.   Visit:  http://www.uplaygamingtrailer.com for more information about the UPlay Gaming Trailer.

Keynote Speaker____________________________________________________

Scott Bellini, PhD
Keynote Address:  10:00 a.m.

Scott Bellini, PhD is the Director of the Social Skills Research Clinic (SSRC), a university based center specializing in developing and empirically examining the outcomes of social skill interventions for youth with ASD. He is also a faculty member in the School Psychology program at Indiana University, Bloomington. He is a licensed psychologist in the state of Indiana and an endorsed Health Services Provider in Psychology. He is currently conducting research on professional development outcomes for educators, anxiety disorders, and social skill interventions, including video modeling for youth with ASD. He has published numerous research manuscripts and has provided consultation and training to families and professionals in over 35 states on the topic of social skills programming for students with ASD. He is the author of the book, Building Social Relationships, which was named the 2007 Literary Work of the Year by the Autism Society of America.

The Delivery of Effective Social Skills Programming to Individuals on the Autism Spectrum:  
Notes and Observations from the Classrooms, Clinic, Laboratory…and Dinner Table

The keynote address will discuss ingredients to both effective and ineffective social skills programming.  I will provide a frank critique and analysis for why social skills programming is often ineffectual. This discussion will challenge the faulty assumptions and practices often presented under the guise of social skills programming. I will challenge participants to think of their own social behavior in an effort to better understand what it takes to be socially successful. I will also synthesize and share my experiences as a researcher, clinician, and school consultant (and social creature!) to demonstrate how social skills programming has the potential to be highly effective for youth on the autism spectrum. The session will provide a brief overview of my “Building Social Relationships” model to provide an example of systematic social skills programming. Now more than ever, our field and, more importantly, our children are in desperate need of effective social skill programming. Not just EASY social skills programming, but EFFECTIVE social skills programming. I firmly believe that we have long undervalued social skill instruction in our schools and clinics, and that we have significantly underestimated the social potential of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Learning Objectives

· Increase knowledge of social and emotional functioning

· Increase awareness for the need to teach social skills

· Increase knowledge to identify effective ingredients of social skills programming

· Increase knowledge of the three integrated components of social skills programming

· Develop skills necessary to assess social functioning

· Increase awareness of skill acquisition versus performance deficits

Breakout Sessions________________________________________________

Session 1:  12:45 - 1:45 p.m.

- A -

An Introduction to the Building Social Relationships Model:  A Systematic Approach to Teaching Social Interactions to Children and Adolescents on the Autism Spectrum
   Presenter:  Scott Bellini, PhD

The workshop will provide an overview of the Building Social Relationships (BSR) model developed by Dr. Bellini. The five-step model is systematic and comprehensive framework to help guide parents and practitioners in the development and implementation of social skills programming. The session will provide the conceptual foundation for the model and cover specific information on how to assess social functioning and empirically evaluate outcomes. Dr. Bellini will share recent data on the efficacy of BSR model and provide examples of session structure plans used as part of the new “semi-manualized” BSR program implemented at his clinic, Social Skills Research Center.

Preparing for Employment  
   Presenters:  Courtney Steding, Jack Hewitt, Allen Gregory, Lisa Watkins

This session will offer parents and professionals guidance in preparing a young adult on the autism spectrum to apply and interview for a job and ultimately employment.  We have experts in the field of preparing a resume, interview prep, and support for adults with ASD in vocational and transition areas.  Parents and professionals will be provided with an opportunity to ask questions.

- B -

Understanding the Differences Between Medical & School Evaluations
   Presenters:  Bob Gulick, Ed Nientimp, & Dr. Albaugh

This session will discuss the important distinctions between a medical evaluation or diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder verses a school evaluation and/or diagnosis of autism.  Parents, school staff, agency staff, and medical professionals sometimes use these evaluations/diagnoses interchangeably which may lead to confusion.  The differences between IDEA/504 and DSM-5 criteria will be identified and discussed.

Session 3:  3:10 to 4:10 p.m.

- A -

Parent Empowerment  
   Presenter:  Bob Gulick

A discussion of how the emotional and psychological stressors of parenting a child diagnosed with ASD can have a negative impact on the progress that the child may experience with behavioral interventions.  Recent case study data will be presented describing some new directions in supporting parents and improving their ability to implement behavioral interventions. 

- B -

Promising Practices—Educators sharing evidence-based practices
   Facilitator:  Kate Sceiford

This breakout session will showcase examples of evidence-based practices being used in our local autism support classrooms.  Several educators will briefly present their most successful strategies as part of a community of practice sharing ideas.