BUILDING ON STRENGTHS

Dr Barry Prizant, CCC-SLP, one of the world's leading authorities on autism. We will be talking about identifying and encouraging the strengths found in people with autism. This session is for anyone desiring a deeper understanding, through the expertise of a mindful professional in the field of autism, to answer the bigger and more meaningful questions that guide successes of those on the spectrum. Dr. Prizant is recognized as an innovator of respectful person and family-centered approaches for people with autism and neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Dr. Barry Prizant

CCC-SLP 

Steps to Building Self-Regulation, Awareness and Social Understanding

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Kelly Mahler has been an occupational therapist for 17 years, serving school aged children and adults. She is involved in several research projects pertaining to interoception and has published 7 books on a variety of topics related to social and emotional growth. Kelly shares strategies with us known as IA Builders that modify abstract mindfulness concepts into concrete, visual, interactive and engaging tactics that improve interoception (how our body is feeling on the inside) 

Kelly Mahler 

MS, OTR/L; authtor

Drowning is Preventable

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Did you know that drowning happens 160 times more in children with autism than in their typically developing peers? And did you know that winter months are VERY dangerous times for drownings to occur? Cassie McGovern, Drowning Prevention Program Manager with the Florida Dept. of Health and McGovern Foundation is joining us to talk about how parents can proactively protect their children from drowning.

Cathy McGovern

Fl. Program Manager, McGovern Foundation

Autism and Faith • Celebrating the Spirit of the Holiday Season

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For ver 30 years, Barbara J. Newman has endeavored to create communities of inclusion through All Belong where she serves as the director of church services. Co-administrating inclusive education at Zeeland Christian School allows her to stay on top of best practices which she shares at schools and churches nationwide and in her books and practical resources, including Autism and Your Church, Helping Kids Include Kids with Disabilities, Nuts & Bolts of Inclusive Education, and her latest title, Accessible Gospel, Inclusive Worship.

Barbara J. Newman

Teacher Consultant. Author

Behavior: Whole Person Strategies

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We talked with Dr. Jim Ball is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA-D) who has been working in the field of autism for 25+ years.
If you’re a parent, you have had behavior challenges with your children. Dr. Ball will join REACH to discuss the application of the whole-person perspective toward behavior management that connects across home, school, and community. We’ll talk about some tried and true behavior strategies that really work!

Jim Ball, (BCBA-D)

Author, Consultant, Speaker

Making Inclusion WORK 

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Lisa Combs joined us to talk about Making Inclusion Work. Lisa is a behavior specialist, educational consultant, and autism specialist. She is an author and consultant on instruction, inclusive practices and behavior support of children with special needs.Lisa will share with us proactive strategies on inclusive education in a practical and simple format that remove common barriers of success for students with autism. Instead of being a reactive, she offers a proactive planning guide to help parents and teachers understand some of the most critical characteristics of autism and plan their classroom environment and teaching methods to avoid pitfalls that can occur.  

Lisa Combs

Behavior Specialist, Ed Consultant, Autism Specialist, Author, Consultant

Excelling With Autism

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Brenda Smith Myles Ph.D. Brenda has made over 1000 presentations all over the world and written more than 250 articles and books on ASD. Brenda’s newest book is Excelling With Autism. She spoke with us about how we can optimize progress of learners with ASD and described how to do things differently to yield positive impacts for those on the spectrum. We talked about the four elements of deliberate practice -- developing specific goals, ensuring focus, moving out of the comfort zone, and communicating outcomes – and how they are applied to teaching social, communication, and daily living skills.

Brenda Smith Myles Ph.D.; Author, Speaker, Autism Specialist

Get Ready for School

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Alicia Palelis, a professional in the field of behavior and education for kids with autism. She brought us tips and tricks to help get kids ready for the new school year and provide some insight on how to build better systems of communication with your school so you don't feel left out in the dark.

Alicia Palelis 

Autism Behavior Specialist 

Navigating Theme Parks

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Tips and Tricks on how to make your adventure to the Walt Disney Parks a success. Margi Hedelund, mother and advocate gave us the low down on the best ways to plan your trip to avoid the long lines and cut down the stress. Check out the video on our YouTube Channel and learn how to make your trip a success for everyone.

Margi Hedelund

Advocate, First Responder Trainer