Florida Tech Spring Autism-Related Workshop April 27; “Understanding and Managing Challenging Behaviors”

 MELBOURNE, FLA.—Florida Institute of Technology’s School of Psychology offers free monthly workshops of particular interest to parents, educators and professionals who deal with issues of autism. They are scheduled from 6:30 to 8 p.m. in the Scott Center for Autism Treatment seminar room.

The April 27 workshop is “Understanding and Managing Challenging Behaviors.” Presenter Meagan Gregory, assistant professor in applied behavior analysis at Florida Tech, will discuss the different challenging behaviors that individuals with developmental disabilities may exhibit. She will share different behavioral approaches to deal with such behaviors. The approaches typically involve a functional assessment followed by interventions that modify the triggers for challenging behavior and the consequences for those behaviors.

After receiving her bachelor’s degree from the University of Florida in 2001, Gregory worked on the Neurobehavioral Unit (NBU) at the Kennedy Krieger Institute (KKI) in Baltimore, MD. The NBU is an inpatient hospital unit for the assessment and treatment of severe behavior disorders. While at KKI, she received a master’s degree from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. In 2006, she returned to the University of Florida for her doctorate, earned in 2010.

The remaining scheduled spring autism-related workshops are:
•May 18 Research at the Scott Center by Florida Tech Graduate Students •June 22 Science and Nonsense in Autism Treatment: How to Tell if What They’re Selling is What You’re Buying, Josh Pritchard, BCBA.

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 or e-mail the center at thescottcenter@fit.edu.