Autism is defined as a lifelong developmental disability that affects communication, social skills, and behavior, yet the image of autism that we see both in the medical community and popular culture tends to be almost entirely of children. By painting autism as something that only happens in childhood, we overlook and ignore a simple yet incredibly important truth: that autistic children grow up and become autistic adults. This presentation interweaves the limited knowledge that we have of autism in adulthood with one young woman’s personal story, and the journey her parents and she embarked on after she received the diagnosis of autism at age 11. Strategies for fostering interdependence in individuals on the spectrum will be discussed, as well as ideas for talking about and planning the future with, rather than for, your autistic children and clients.

The presentation will showcase a variety of ways to bring ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy) into K-12 classrooms. Dr. Dixon will showcase a variety of implementation techniques, from single-student interventions to school-wide cultural change processes. Get ready for an interactive presentation where you too will learn about the six behavior change processes of ACT, how to use them yourself, on yourself, and the students you work with.

Objectives: Objective 1: Attendees will be able to describe the six core behavior change processes of ACT therapy.
Objective 2: Attendees will be able to summarize current research

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

This session will briefly recap current knowledge, clinical experience, and first-person accounts of autism that are often not identified until later in life because of multiple barriers to identification. Delayed identification is likely to have significant impact on social and emotional development and well-being as well as long-term life-course effects. Areas of concern, interpretation of assessment results, and supports will be discussed.

In this two-part session, attendees will be provided an overview of the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation’s (USOR) vocational rehabilitation program. An emphasis will be placed on Pre-Employment Transition Services (Pre-ETS) that are available to students with disabilities aged 14-21 throughout the state of Utah. Pre-ETS are offered through the Utah State Office of Rehabilitation in a variety of formats and include job exploration counseling, work-based learning experiences, counseling on post-secondary opportunities, workplace readiness training, and self-advocacy instruction. Pre-ETS are designed to be "stackable" and can be a valuable step in the transition to employment, adulthood, independence, and the navigation of Vocational Rehabilitation Services.

In the second part of this session, a group of leaders from USOR will be answering questions on how to navigate services and individualize those services for a successful employment outcome. This panel will include district directors, transition coordinators, and support services coordinators.

Simplify the process of developing compliant and purposeful transition IEPs. The Transition Gap Analysis Planning (TGAP) tool walks you through the creation of annual goals that authentically relate to the skills, knowledge, and behaviors needed to close performance gaps to address the demands of the post-school environment.

Suicide rates in individuals with autism are alarmingly high, and reasons for suicidal ideation are as vast as the spectrum itself. What are some of the reasons for this? How do we, as clinicians, friends, and family support the person struggling? Are traditional approaches successful or do we need to change how we think about suicide and autism?

Teaching play skills to individuals with autism is valuable when establishing social skills and decreasing challenging behaviors. While these skills can be taught in a one-on-one setting, they do not always successfully transfer to the natural environment. Thus, there is value in establishing social skills through naturalistic teaching. This workshop will provide an overview of successful naturalistic teaching strategies and highlight components of effective instruction.

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

This session will focus on case studies demonstrating the benefits of using the Prevent-Teach-Reinforce (PTR) model of behavior supports in community settings. The PTR method is a team-based approach that cultivates functional behavior competency for behavior novices and enthusiasts alike. Benefits of using the program include standardized, easy-to-follow steps to behavior support, high adaptability and feasibility, increased engagement and ownership of supports, and quality training and coaching throughout.

Objectives:

• Attendees will be able to identify three ways to adapt the evidence-based practices contained in the PTR program to their specific needs.
• Attendees will be able to utilize the data-based decision flow-chart outlined in PTR to ensure data-based decisions in practice.
• Attendees will be able to use the PTR process to create socially valid plans that are feasible for staff, parents, and individuals to implement.

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

Becoming an adult is fraught with complicated learning experiences, and success depends on developing critical life skills that may take years to master. Young adults with autism spectrum disorder often experience a delay during their transition age, as compared to typically developing peers. Skills and competencies can be fostered from an early age to increase possibilities for independence and successful adult navigation. This session will focus on practical tips that can be incorporated into a targeted approach of skill development from early childhood to young adult years.

Objective 1: Attendees will be able to describe the definition of self-determination.

Objective 2: Attendees will learn three reasons why self-determination skills set up someone for success in their adult years.

Objective 3: Attendees will be provided with tools and techniques they can implement as they teach and/or raise individuals with autism spectrum disorder starting in their early childhood.

Do you ever wonder what the future holds for a child with autism? Do you ever feel worried or overwhelmed when you contemplate the complicated path ahead? Come and join our panel of autistic adults as they discuss how they were able to achieve their unique stories of successful independence, and what services and supports were most helpful on their journey. The panel will be live this year, so bring your questions and cultivate your competencies when it comes to adult transition.

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted children with neurodevelopmental disabilities. While remote delivery platforms such as Zoom have been used, they lack options to promote active engagement. Live animation offers a solution. Our research team has analyzed the effectiveness of live animation using Animoji, a communication tool available on iOS devices. We will share the results of these studies on engagement, social skills, emotional expressivity, and empathy.

Objective 1: Attendees will identify behavioral indicators of engagement during social and emotional learning.

Objective 2: Attendees will learn how to use iOS tools including Animoji to create engaging live and static models.

Objective 3: Attendees will examine research results from multiple empirical studies to determine the effectiveness of live animation.

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

Too often, parents are using floatation devices as a safety measure around bodies of water. Unfortunately, floatation devices are only as good as they are when they are on and appropriately fastened. When interviewed, parents often assume that it is not possible to teach children with autism water safety skills for the following reasons: their child has too severe behaviors or cannot follow instructions; they are unable to find anyone who can teach swim safety to children with autism; and/or they have attempted several different swim lessons and have not had success. Consequently, parents resort to flotation devices as their only means of protection. It only takes a few seconds for a child to fall into a body of water and drown. According to the National Autism Association in 2001, a California research team found elevated deaths in autism attributed to suffocation and drowning. In 2009, 2010, and 2011, accidental drowning accounted for 91% total U.S. deaths reported in children with ASD ages 14 and younger (Interactive Autism Network Research Report: Elopement and Wandering, 2011). The purpose of this research is to bring awareness to the importance of teaching children with ASD water safety skills, the specific skills that must be taught, the methods used to teach such safety skills, and evidence-based successful outcomes of teaching water safety in children with autism. For the purpose of this presentation, water safety is defined as a child walking into and around bodies of water, following parental safety directives with independence and accuracy, and when being thrown into a swimming pool, a child is able to independently swim to the side of the pool and exit the pool independently and safely.

Two participants diagnosed with autism, ages three and seven, were enrolled in special day class at their local elementary. Both participants required flotation devices to swim and had no documented swim skills. Per parent report, neither client could tolerate water on their face during showering. Both participants were enrolled in ABA services. Documented behaviors included elopement, tantrum, and noncompliance. The female participant also had a history of physical aggression. With regards to adaptive skill level, both participants scored in the moderately low to low functioning level on their recent Vineland Adaptive Skills Assessment. Using graduated guidance and prompt fading strategies, both participants were water safe within 10 30-minute swim lessons by their BCBA.

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

Parenting provides a unique learning experience as the child and parent grow together throughout the years. Parenting a child or children with autism adds unexpected elements along the journey. While each experience is individual and personal, there are some universal components that can benefit other parents who are traveling the autism path. Join us for this engaging panel discussion, as parents with differing lived experiences and perspectives share their stories and ways they have evolved in their skills and competencies as they parent from the autism lens.

This session will provide information about research-based instructional strategies for teaching mathematics to students with autism. Effective and efficient methods and strategies for teaching mathematics to students with autism are critical for preparing them to increase their post-secondary educational and employment opportunities.

The participants will be able to:

• Evaluate the instructional components of mathematics interventions for students with autism.
• Design and plan for instruction that uses evidence-based practices with intention.
• Understand how to meaningfully incorporate effective mathematics interventions in their own schools and classrooms.

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.

In this workshop, participants will learn some of the different situations in which using scripts can help facilitate communication. Methods for creating and implementing scripts will be presented, including the various modalities scripts can be delivered and strategies for teaching individuals to use them. Finally, we will demonstrate methods for fading scripts either completely out or so that scripts are less noticeable by others. Methods for creating, implementing, and fading scripts will be presented with the goal that adults on the spectrum could create and use scripts with themselves, caregivers could create and use scripts with their children, and that professionals, educators, and BCBAs could create and use scripts with their students or clients.

Teaching Objectives:

• Understanding and recognizing the various applications of scripts, across different ages and situations
• Creation and implementation of different modalities of scripts
• Understanding and implementation of different methods for fading scripts; such as the fading of words and the fading of aspects (e.g., size) of scripts

*Attendees may earn BCBA CEU from this session.