The Autism Society of Berks County presents our 10th Annual Conference on Autism!    "Promoting Functional Communication in Children with Autism: Addressing the Verbal Challenge"   Presenter: Tamara S. Kasper, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA                    Thursday, April 23, 2009 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Reading Country Club - Reading, PA (5.5) Act 48 Credits Available

Tamara S. Kasper, MS/CCC-SLP, BCBA, has practiced as a pediatric speech/language pathologist with emphasis on treatment of children with challenging behavior for over 18 years.  She has specialized in treatment of children within the autism spectrum for the last 10 years.  Her commitment to the children she serves led her to pursue treatment methods outside the field of speech-language pathology.  Under the mentorship of Dr. Vincent Carbone and his protégé, Ms. Kasper became a Board Certified Associate Behavior Analyst.  Ms. Kasper has also completed advanced training in application of Skinner’s analysis of verbal behavior, Greenspan’s DIR approach, and Kaufman’s strategies for apraxia of speech.  She is co-author of the K&K Sign and Say Materials.  She is the recipient of the 2008 WSHA Clinical Achievement Award and nominee for the ASHA DiCarlo Award.  Currently, Ms. Kasper directs The Center for Autism Treatment and provides consulting services, training, and workshops to treatment teams who serve children with autism in the United States, Canada, and Europe.

This program will address the challenges related to developing verbal behavior skills in children with autism and other developmental disabilities who are experiencing difficulty in development of vocal language. Emphasis will be placed on the use of Skinner’s behavioral classification of language (as applied by Sundberg, Partington, Carbone, and others) which refocuses and refines the teaching of functional communication. Methods for effective transfer of skills from prompted to spontaneous requesting will be presented and viewed via video and practices. Procedures to systematically shape functional verbal and/or manual communication in children with limited verbal and motor imitation will also be addressed, including utilization of the K&K Sign and Say teaching tool. In addition, application of Kaufman’s hierarchy of vocalizations and use of simplified “word shells” with this population will be explored, including transfer of improved speech production skills across language functions. This seminar has been described by past participants as “inspirational” and “empowering.”

Learning Outcomes:

At the conclusion of this workshop participants will be able to:

• List two skills required for the development of verbal language.

• List three motivators that can increase the use of verbal language.

• Explain the rationale of using reinforcement in the teaching of verbal skills.

• Describe the process of using phonemic approximations in the teaching of verbal language.

• Explain the rationale of using manual communication in conjunction with teaching verbal language.

*FEE (includes program materials, lunch and the book, 1001 Great Ideas for Teaching and Raising Children with ASD by Veronica Zysk and Ellen Notbohm.)

Parent or Student $30

Professional $75
(must pay professional rate to receive ACT 48 credits)

*Registration fee or Purchase Order must be received by Monday April 20, 2009.
*Late or on-site registration will be an additional $10.00.