Autism Conference Oct. 29-30 for Family Members, Educators, Behavior Health Professionals
MELBOURNE, FLA.—Addressing the need to better understand autism spectrum disorders, the Florida Institute of Technology School of Psychology and Scott Center for Autism Treatment will host the fourth annual Autism Conference, “Stepping Stones to Excellence” on Oct. 29. A workshop will follow on Oct. 30.
The conference will present comprehensive, evidence-based information and feature noted autism experts speaking on a variety of related topics. Educators, providers and families will find support in developing effective educational and therapeutic programs for all individuals with autism spectrum disorders.
The conference starts Friday, Oct. 29, at 7:30 a.m. with registration in the Gleason Performing Arts Center on the Florida Tech campus. Featured speakers include Vince Carbone, Ed.D., BCBA; Mary Lynch Barbera, BCBA; Anita Miller Sostek, Ph.D.,; and Amiris Di Puglia, M.D., BCBA.
Carbone will give the keynote address, “The Effects of Pace Instruction on Problem Behavior and Skill of Children with Autism.” He is an adjunct faculty member at Pennsylvania State University and is a visiting professor in the doctoral program in Behavioral Education at Simmons College in Boston, Mass. He serves on the editorial review boards of three scientific journals and is the director of a center-based clinic for children with autism in Rockland County, N.Y.
Barbera’s topic is “The Verbal Behavior Approach: Home Programming for Children with Autism.” Author and parent of a child with autism, she has served as a behavior analyst with the Pennsylvania Verbal Behavior Project. An international speaker, she published The Verbal Approach: How to Teach Children with Autism and Related Disorders. She is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in leadership. A book signing will be held during lunch.
Sostek, vice president of Scientific Review and Operations at Autism Speaks, will present a research update on the recent prevalence of autism spectrum disorders. Named director of the Division of Clinical and Population-based Studies at the Center for Scientific Review at the National Institutes for Health in 2002, Sostek developed, implemented and monitored peer review policy while in that position.
Di Puglia will present “Large-scale Implementation of an ABA/Verbal Behavior Model within the Public Education System.” Parent of a child with autism, Di Puglia is currently an educational consultant for the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistant Network.
Conference pre-registration fees are $50 for parents and students and $150 for a professional; the fees for registration on-site are $75 for a parent or student and $175 for a professional. Lunch is included.
Saturday Workshops
On Saturday, Oct. 30, workshops will meet from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the College of Aeronautics’ Skurla Hall auditorium on campus. Registration begins at 7:30 a.m. The costs for pre-registration are $150, full day and $100, half day; the costs are $175, full day and $125, half day for on-site registration.
The workshops, with Vince Carbone, are “Increasing Vocal Productions of Children with Autism” and “The Role of the Conditioned Reflexive Motivating Operation (CMO-R) During Discrete Trial Instruction of Children with Autism.”
The conference and workshops qualify for professional education hours for teachers and continuing education credit for psychologists, mental health workers and behavior analysts. For more information or to register online, send e-mail to ttravis@fit.edu or call Theresa Travis at (321) 674-8106. Visit http://411.fit.edu/autismconference for more information.
