Florida Tech Autism-Related Workshop Teaches Life Skills to Individuals with Limited Language March 21

MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s School of Psychology offers free workshops of particular interest to parents, educators and professionals who deal with issues of autism. The workshops are scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Scott Center for Autism Treatment Seminar Room. The March 21 workshop is “Learn How to Teach Life Skills to Individuals with Limited Language.”

Psychologists and educators consider life skills to be adaptive behaviors because they allow an individual to adapt to his or her environment, to function independently and to occupy his or her own time. When an individual can perform even simple tasks independently, it gives them a sense of dignity and changes the way the world views that person. However, it can often be a challenge to teach life skills to people who have language deficits.

Children and youth with autism are often taught new skills through the use of prompts. This workshop will teach how to systematically withdraw or fade these prompts so that the individual can perform skills independently. The workshop will also provide an introduction to how parents, teachers, staff and other caregivers can teach individuals non-verbal life skills such as grooming oneself, getting dressed, tying shoes, playing with toys and riding a bike.

Attendees will learn how to break a complex skill into small components, how to teach components and “chain” the components together, how to track performance over time and how to problem-solve when stuck.

The other free scheduled spring autism-related workshops are:

April 18—What’s Hot and What’s Not in the World of Benefits to Protect Your
Children and Your Family

May 16—What is Applied Behavior Analysis?

July 27­—Boundaries Bootcamp for Teachers, Parents and Caregivers (This is not a free workshop and requires online registration starting in April)

The Seminar Room is located on the second floor of the Scott Center for Autism Treatment at the south end of the Florida Tech campus. Parking is available off Psychology Place, near University Boulevard. For more information, contact the School of Psychology at (321) 674-8106, extension 1, or email the center at thescottcenter@fit.edu.