The Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD Albany) is offering three live stream seminars that are directed towards school professionals, community professionals, and parents, who live or work with individuals on the autism spectrum. These sessions will not be recorded. These seminars AT NO COST to participants living in New York State through a grant from the New York State Education Department. Registration is required to attend. Choose the sessions you would like to attend when you fill out your registration entry.

Seminar One – 9:00am-10:15am

Hidden in Plain Sight:  Unmasking Anxiety in ASD
Although anxiety is not considered a core feature of ASD, approximately 40% of young people with ASD have clinically elevated levels of anxiety.  It is particularly important to recognize and treat anxiety in ASD since it has a great impact on the course and the core aspects of the disorder, exacerbating social withdrawal as well as repetitive behaviors (Hollander, 2018).  This training will look at how anxiety can manifest in individuals with ASD and how to treat these symptoms through a cognitive behavioral approach.

Seminar Two – 11:00am-12:15pm
Returning to the Classroom: Implementing Structure to Support Students with ASD
As many schools make plans to shift from distance learning to in-person instruction, families, students and educators face an adjustment period. That’s especially true for students with autism spectrum disorder, because transitions can be particularly stressful and challenging for them.  Establishing a new school routine is also really important. Setting a schedule and daily expectations is key to helping kids feel safe and secure at school. Students must be comfortable in order to re-engage and connect, and that will enable them to be ready to learn (Schetter, 2021). This training will examine ways in which teachers and other school personnel can establish structure within the classroom and throughout the day to support students with ASD as they return to in-person learning.

Seminar Three – 1:00pm-2:15pm
Understanding and Reducing Challenging Behaviors through Functional Communication Training
Participants will be introduced to ways in which they can better understand challenging behaviors and effective strategies to teach more appropriate skills. They will be guided through an evidence-based procedure called Functional Communication Training (FCT) that has been used successfully to reduce challenging behavior in individuals with autism spectrum disorder.

The live stream seminars (three seminars per date) are available on the following dates:
Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Continuing Education Credits
CARD Albany is an approved provider for the following continuing education credits:
School Psychologists (NASP)
Social Workers (LMSW & LCSW)
Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE)
Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC)

General certificates of attendance will be provided for all participants.

Each session is eligible for 1.25 contact hours. There is a $5.00 processing fee per session for each CEU selected. Please visit our website for more information about CEU offerings. CEUs can be selected during registration and payment can be submitted online with a credit card.

Register:  https://www.albany.edu/autism/training-and-learning/training-opportunities/professional-development-and-parent-seminar