Centre for Early Autism Treatment Quarterly Newsletter ~ June 2004
Dear Families, How quickly time moves on. Another three months have passed by and it is already time for another CEAT Quarterly Newsletter. So much has happened since our arrival in Northern Ireland and we are continually impressed with and enthusiastic about the changes happening in relation to the education of young children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder. In this newsletter, we hope to fill you in on these exciting changes and to share some “food for thought” over the summer months. We are pleased to announce the arrival of Liana Maione, our first Programme Supervisor. Liana joined us at the start of June from Vancouver, Canada. She has quickly learned to drive on the “other side” of the road, to enjoy the Northern Irish hospitality (despite her dislike for hot drinks) and to work diligently as part of the CEAT team. Her arrival has allowed us to offer more intensive supervision to a number of families and teams in the Belfast area. Once again, it has been a busy month of training, both by and for CEAT Consultants. We enjoyed hearing Liana present her recent research on the use of “Video Modeling to Promote Social Language” during an open night at the Ramada Hotel. Nearly fifty people joined us as we discussed this practical and exciting approach to teaching our children. We are also proud to have conducted our fourth Orientation Seminar in Portadown, giving another twenty-five people introductory training in the use of Discrete Trial Teaching within the context of our home-based programmes. Finally, we’re pleased to have attended the 30th Annual Association for Behaviour Analysis International Convention in Boston, USA. We attended numerous workshops, talks and symposiums and were exceptionally excited to learn more about the recent developments in the field. We also had the opportunity to hear Dr. Lovaas speak, which was particularly exciting and informative. So, as you hang up your children’s school uniforms in preparation for a long summer, we too are gearing up for two months of hard work, play and fun with peers. We are looking forward to seeing you soon and wish you the best for a positive and productive summer term. Kimberly and Mary
PEAT’s PEACEFUL PROTEST Centre for Early Autism Treatment is proud to present its first
Intermediate Therapist Training Seminar
On a sunny Saturday afternoon, on the 22nd of May, diligent members of PEAT (Parent’s Education as Autism Therapists) marched the streets of downtown Belfast and Derry to promote Autism Awareness Week. We were proud to be a part of this continued effort to educate the public about the need for appropriate educational provision for children with A.S.D.
Topics to Include:
Discrete Trial Teaching: Beyond the Basics Reinforcement: Beyond “Good Job!” The Art of Prompting and Prompt Fading Shaping and Chaining
Data Collection: Efficiency, Effectiveness and Accuracy Session Management: Competency and Organization Creativity, Energy and Interaction
Coming soon to a hotel near you, August 2004.
For more information on PEAT, please visit their website at www.peatni.org or email at peatni@aol.com.
Centre for Early Autism Treatment
The National Autistic Society
21 Laganvale Manor Stranmillis · Belfast BT9 5BE Phone: 028 9066 2651 · Fax: 028 9066 2804 Email: information@ceatni.net
We are pleased to welcome the first Northern Ireland Branch of the National Autistic Society. We appreciate and support the N.A.S.’s aim to increase awareness of A.S.D. and to help parents make informed choice about treatment.