The Autism Society of Berks County presents our 9th Annual Conference on Autism!    "You’re Going to Love This Kid": Teaching Students  with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms   Presenter: Paula Kluth, Ph.D.                    Thursday, April 24, 2008 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM Reading Country Club - Reading, PA (5.5) Act 48 Credits Available

Dr. Kluth is an independent educational consultant.  Her professional and research interests center on differentiating instruction and on supporting students with autism and significant disabilities in inclusive classrooms.  She is a former special educator who has served as a classroom teacher, consulting teacher, and inclusion facilitator.  She is the author of "You’re Going to Love This Kid": Educating Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms (2003, Brookes Publishing); the lead editor of Access to Academics: Critical Approaches to Inclusive Curriculum, Instruction, and Policy (with Doug Biklen & Diana Straut, 2003, Erlbaum Publishing), and the co-author of three upcoming texts: A Land We Can Share: The Literate Lives of Students with Autism; Joyful Learning: Active and Collaborative Structures for the Inclusive Classroom; and You’re Welcome: 30 Innovative Ideas for Inclusive Schools.  She is currently conducting research on the literacy experiences of students with autism.

Participants will learn practical ways of supporting students with autism spectrum labels & other disabilities within a general education classroom.  Topics addressed include defining autism, listening to the voices of those with autism, differentiating instruction, making the classroom comfortable for all learners, building from student strengths, and boosting social and communication skills.  This interactive presentation featuring video vignettes, group activities, and real-world examples will focus on the importance of pushing beyond participation and inclusion to asking schools to understand every student as complex, as capable, and as a learner.

As a special bonus, Paula will review strategies and techniques from her new book "Just Give Him the Whale! 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism.  These ideas will help you look at students' "obsessions" in a different way as positive teaching tools that calm, motivate, and improve learning.

The following two books will be provided for all attendees:
You’re Going to Love This Kid: Educating Students with Autism in Inclusive Classrooms 
Just Give Him the Whale! 20 Ways to Use Fascinations, Areas of Expertise, and Strengths to Support Students with Autism.

*FEE INCLUDES: continental breakfast, lunch,  both featured books and program materials.