SLP-Seminars on Working with Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders including Asperger Syndrome
Taught by Renowned Author and Clinician, Tim Kowalski, MA, CCC-SLP
Asperger’s Syndrome and Academics (available in ½-day and full-day formats)
Ask any educator. Having a student with Asperger’s Syndrome in the classroom presents serious challenges that many educators are not equipped to handle. This presentation will discuss the academic skills and deficits frequently associated with Asperger’s Syndrome. Participants will learn a variety of behavioral supports designed to enhance the child’s ability to initiate work assignments, increase motivation, decrease distraction, compensate for gross and fine motor deficits, adapt the curriculum, modify academics, and increase cognitive processing. By employing these techniques, educators will learn how to defuse power struggles frequently seen in the academic environment and implement procedures shown to benefit all.
Understanding the Adult with Asperger Syndrome (1/2-day)
This presentation will discuss the difficulties often found in adults having Asperger Syndrome, many of which are not employed at a level commensurate with their cognitive ability. It will discuss the problems often seen in employment, dating, hygiene, marriage and relationships. Discussion will focus on individuals formally identified as having Asperger Syndrome and those suspected of having AS. It will provide strategies to assist these individuals in establishing pro-social coping skills.
Assessing Social Communication in Asperger’s Syndrome (1/2-day)
Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome have significant difficulty in the domain of social-pragmatic language. Their ability to effectively engage and communicate is hampered by deficits that standardized tools fail to target and sadly many speech-language pathologists have not been adequately trained to evaluate. This session will offer 11 tools to evaluate the social-communicative features of Asperger’s Syndrome that neuro-typical individuals find odd, unusual, and downright offensive. This session will also instruct participants on developing operantly based goals.
Enhancing Social Skills in Asperger’s Syndrome (1/2-day)
Individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome possess inadequate social skills. As a result, neuro-typical individuals perceive their behavior as odd, unusual, rude, and downright offensive. Speech-language pathologists are often called upon to address these issues and provide skills and strategies to produce positive change. Sadly many speech-language pathologists are completely at a loss when confronted with individuals possessing this diagnosis and often resort to inappropriate intervention strategies. This session will help participants to identify and treat deficits related to the domains of social-interaction, social-communication, and social-emotional regulation thereby allowing for more appropriate service delivery to this difficult population.
The Importance of Social Pragmatic Communication to Life Success (1/2-day)
The concepts of Theory of Mind, Executive Functions, Central Coherence, and Emotional Intelligence can explain why many individuals with Asperger Syndrome act as they do. Developing goals and interventions using this theory as a foundation for intervention enables practitioners to achieve better positive results. This presentation will describe how these theories relate to Asperger Syndrome and will provide participants with an understanding of why many individuals with Asperger Syndrome fail to perform at their potential academic and employable levels.
Does a Student with Asperger Syndrome Really have a Reading Comprehension Deficit? (1/2-day)
Many educators complain of poor reading comprehension in their students diagnosed with Asperger Syndrome. This session will discuss why many well-intentioned intervention methods fail to produce the desired results with this population. It will stress the underlying causal factors as to why comprehension and most importantly, inference skills are lacking.
The EQ of AS (How emotional intelligence impacts Asperger Syndrome intervention) (1/2-day)
Emotional intelligence is the innate potential to feel, use, communicate, recognize, remember, describe, identify, learn from, manage, understand and explain emotions. Individuals diagnosed as having Asperger Syndrome present with significant deficits in EQ on both a personal and social level. This session will explain the various competencies of EQ and how they relate to Asperger Syndrome. It will allow participants the ability to develop more appropriate goals.
How Does Theory of Mind Relate with Asperger’s Syndrome? (1/2-day)
Uta Frith’s concept “Theory of Mind” can explain why many individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome act as they do. Developing goals and interventions using this theory as a foundation for intervention enables practitioners to achieve positive results more rapidly. This presentation will describe Theory of Mind as it relates to Asperger’s Syndrome. It will provide participants with a greater understanding of perspective taking, why many individuals with Asperger’s Syndrome evidence symptoms of paranoia, as well as describe the deficits associated with Theory of Mind.
What is Asperger’s Syndrome? (1/2-day)
Until recently, no one heard of Asperger’s Syndrome. Not anymore. Even mainstream television shows have aired segments in which the main character purportedly has AS. It is imperative that our fields understand what constitutes AS. Misdiagnosis is extremely common and speech-language pathologists should be aware of the global picture in order to help in the accurate assessment of this population. This session will present an overview of AS such that participants will have a thorough understanding of what constitutes AS and the criteria needed for the diagnostician to make an accurate label.
Transitioning from High School to College with Asperger Syndrome (1/2-day)
Students with Asperger Syndrome have many difficulties when transitioning from high school to college. This presentation will discuss these difficulties and offer treatment approaches found helpful to achieving positive change. It will emphasize the use of meta-cognition. while exploring issues related to attendance, study skills, time management, class lectures, exams, responding in class, group activities, and written essays. Hygiene and other personal issues will also be stressed.
Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster through Social Pragmatic Language (1/2-day)
Emotions are perhaps one of the most difficult features of Asperger syndrome. Few therapists know how to handle the chaos created by the emotional roller coaster in Asperger Syndrome. This session will offer practical strategies to help in recognizing, reacting, and restraining impulsivity associated with the inability to “read” emotions.
Are You In the Zone? Social Awareness for Students with Asperger Syndrome (1/2-day)
Individuals with Asperger’s syndrome possess inadequate social skills. Many therapists are completely at a loss when confronted with this diagnosis and often resort to inappropriate intervention strategies. This session will help participants use their “mirror neurons” thereby allowing for more appropriate service delivery to this difficult population.
Reading, Writing, and Rage: the 3 Rs of Asperger Syndrome (1/2-day)
Reading comprehension and effective written expression are typically challenging areas for students diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. For many of these students, they express their frustration through rage. This session will detail practical strategies to enhance reading comprehension and offer alternatives to written output as well as appropriate techniques to manage emotional self-regulation.
Does Napoleon Dynamite have Asperger Syndrome? (full-day)
This seminar will help you understand Asperger Syndrome as it relates to the school environment and acquire practical skills for effective assessment and intervention. From Hans Asperger's first description of the syndrome to current views, participants will gain knowledge and insight into the strengths and weaknesses associated with this diagnosis. Attendees will be able to identify and obtain skills-based treatment techniques designed to address the social-interaction, social-communication and social-emotional concerns present in this population. Extensive recommendations designed for specialists and classroom teachers to help these individuals succeed in the academic and social environments will be provided. Case studies and an appropriate amount of time for questions and answers will also be provided. Participants will take home useful tools and creative ideas to use the very next day.
And Then There’s Pragmatics… Tomorrow We’ll Talk About Artic (1/2-day)
This seminar will help you understand pragmatics, the social component of language and acquire practical skills for effective assessment and intervention. Participants will gain knowledge and insight into the strengths and weaknesses associated with this diagnosis. Attendees will be able to understand the importance of social pragmatic communication, the theories involved in pragmatic understanding, and the developmental stages to achieve pragmatic competence. Participants will be able to identify and obtain skills-based techniques designed assist them in determining when things go wrong in social-pragmatic communication, how to assess this difficult area of language, and to understand why students with social-pragmatic deficits act the way they do. Hands-on activities will address the social-interaction, social-communication and social-emotional concerns present in this population. Extensive recommendations designed for specialists and classroom teachers to help these students succeed in the academic environment will be provided. Case studies and an appropriate amount of time for questions and answers will also be provided. Participants will take home useful tools and creative ideas to use the very next day.
Managing the Emotional Roller Coaster through Social Pragmatic Communication (1/2-day)
This presentation will introduce participants to the concept of emotional intelligence (EQ), the innate potential to feel, use, communicate, recognize, remember, describe, identify, learn from, manage, understand and explain emotions. It will describe how individuals diagnosed as having Asperger syndrome present with significant deficits in all these areas on both a personal and social level. Personal EQ competencies are negatively impacted by a variety of ways. Self-awareness is typically deficient in that the individual has difficulty recognizing his own emotions and their effects, knowing his strengths and limits, and doubting his capabilities. Self-regulation is often impacted by an inability to effectively manage disruptive emotions and impulses, questions of trustworthiness, a lack of responsibility for his own actions, and a lack of adaptability making him inflexible in his thinking. Self-motivation may be impacted by a lack of an achievement drive, not being able to embrace the goals of a group, a lack of initiative, and an inability to continue a goal despite setbacks. Social EQ competencies are also impacted negatively in individuals with Asperger syndrome. Social awareness is limited by empathic concerns, an inability to anticipate, recognize, and meet the needs of others, a difficulty in recognizing what others need to enhance their abilities, a failure to embrace multiculturalism for opportunity development, and an inability to recognize the emotional currents and the power relationships inherent in a group. Social skills, as they relate to EQ, are negatively impacted by an inability to be an effective persuader, an inability to effectively and clearly express oneself, poor leadership skills, a difficulty in producing positive change, an inability to negotiate and resolve differences through socially appropriate means, poor proficiency in building social bonds, as well as an inability to collaborate and cooperate in an efficient manner, and by being poor team players. Through these concepts of Emotional Intelligence, participants will enhance their understanding of why individuals with Asperger Syndrome act as they do. As a result, they will be able to develop more appropriate goals and produce true positive change in these individuals to allow them greater confidence when presented with the complexities of a social society.