Relationships form in the most-interesting ways, and they don't always make sense, but having autism spectrum disorder makes them even more of a puzzle. Join the presenters as they discuss how their lives and experiences brought them together. They will discuss how their relationship and daily lives are challenged yet strengthened by James' diagnosis of autism. In addition, they will present tips and resources for teaching relationship social skills to high-functioning individuals with ASD. Lastly, this session will further prove, that no matter what, an ASD will never be stronger than love.

It is completely understandable for parents and professionals to want to protect vulnerable individuals with neurodiversities such as autism. But that same urge to protect can sometimes go to extremes that actually end up dis-abling those individuals and robbing them of the opportunities and autonomy that could have led to greater success and independence in adulthood. Join Jared Stewart, the Autistic BCBA, to gain valuable insight into how best to balance our responsibility to care with the universal right to make personal choices and (sometimes) to fail.

This session will provide information and resources for educators, youth, and families who are preparing for the transition to adulthood. We will discuss the positive predictors of postschool success as well as specific skills students need to thrive in postschool settings in education, employment, and independent living. We will identify resources to help stakeholders navigate the postsecondary transition process in productive and meaningful ways.

In this presentation, we will discuss the importance of training your mind for the world of work. We are so concerned about learning how to do specific tasks, how to get experience, and how to create an eye-catching resume, but lack training in the most important skill we need for work in the community--self-management. Employers must also focus on supporting mental health to create necessary inclusive culture and retain good employees.

Photographic activity schedules have been demonstrated to be effective in helping individuals with autism and other developmental disabilities learn how to complete both simple and complex sequences of activities without prompting from adults. In the current presentation, we provide a task analysis for creating both simple and complex digital activity schedules using Google Slides, a freely available, web-based technology that operates on a variety of digital platforms. We also provide suggestions for how behavior analysts can train parents to use this technology with their children using telehealth procedures.

Quality of Life is subjective to the individual. For years, people have been trying to find a way to objectively define and assess it. Do these definitions and assessments align with the thoughts and feelings of the individual? In this session, we will learn from four Autistic folks in our community - their perspectives on Quality of Life and their personal strengths, stories, and experiences that create it.

This session will focus on identifying, understanding, and avoiding the top ten mistakes made during post-secondary transition planning and evaluation based upon research and practitioner experience. An emphasis will be placed on using vocational evaluation and student involvement to foster self-determined choices and empower families, schools, and students to make the best possible decisions regarding post-secondary employment, education, and independent living.

In today’s educational landscape, successful schools thrive on strong partnerships. This presentation delves into the critical role of collaboration within school environments, emphasizing two key aspects: parent involvement and cultural sensitivity. We explore strategies of collaboration between schools and parents as active participants in their child’s education. Additionally, we delve into the nuances of cultural diversity, recognizing that each student brings a unique background and perspective. By fostering open dialogue, mutual respect, and understanding, educators can create inclusive spaces where every student feels valued and supported.

Some individuals on the autism spectrum have the tendency to engage in repetitive or rigid verbal and play behavior, which may limit current and future social opportunities. In the current presentation, recent research documenting effective strategies for teaching children on the spectrum to play and communicate in more variable and flexible ways will be described. We will also discuss how increasing variable responding may have positive impacts on the quality of life of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Research regarding suicidality in autism has consistently shown that autistic children and adults are much more likely to die by suicide than neurotypical individuals. Statistics vary but are consistently demonstrating suicide rates that are between two to eight times higher than expected given population statistics. What does that mean for clinicians and others supporting autistic individuals? What have we learned from clinical practice? What appear to be some do's and don'ts when it comes to the subject of suicidal thoughts? Come join us to explore this subject further, challenge our assumptions, and gather tools to feel better equipped to address this critical topic.

Early detection of autism has long been considered a priority issue. The rationale is that early detection increases the chances that treatments will achieve more relevant long-term outcomes for both the child and the family. However, despite the efforts of many researchers and organizations over more than three decades, we continue to detect only a fraction of the children who will receive a ASD diagnosis.

The presentation critically analyses the efforts made over the last 30 years and the reasons why we have not been able to make as much progress in early detection as expected. The presentation also outlines the approaches that underpin the different approaches aimed at improving detection, as well as the detection methods, their results and the conclusions that can be considered current certainties about the most effective strategies for detecting children with ASD or at risk of developing it.

Point-of-view video modeling (POV-VM) is a method to teach academic skills. This multiple probe single-case design study used explicit instruction techniques to deliver point-of-view videos through an online platform to teach multiplication, division, and fraction skills to two elementary-aged students with an autism spectrum disorder. A visual analysis of the data showed that POV-VM using explicit techniques to deliver the videos is an effective intervention for autistic students.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a behavior-analytic oriented treatment that utilizes behavior change strategies, present moment awareness, and acceptance procedures to increase psychological flexibility. Research has demonstrated the potential ACT has in alleviating social and emotional challenges as well as improving psychological well-being across a wide range of populations. Given that many individuals with autism often experience social and emotional challenges throughout their daily lives, ACT can be a beneficial treatment that can used to help alleviate these challenges. The current talk will provide a brief overview of ACT and describe how it can be used in a clinical capacity to those with autism.

Parenting a child with autism is a unique experience in each family situation. Karen Fairchild will lead a discussion with parents who have autistic children in their homes with varied needs and levels of support. Autism does not look the same in any two individuals, and neither does autism manifest the same in any two families. Come listen to the perspectives of parents who share their personal experiences and hope for a high quality of life for their children with a wide range of needs.

Using an engaging and honest style, the presenter will discuss post-secondary employment and education strategies for students with disabilities. This information will be infused with the presenter’s unique professional and personal knowledge as a CEO, Vocational Expert, and Certified Rehabilitation Counselor & Advanced Autism Specialist diagnosed with Asperger’s Syndrome. The presenter will also include information about current successful program models, the importance of vocational evaluation, and the findings of his dissertation which focused on understanding the relationship between successful employment outcomes and parent demographics, behaviors, and expectations. The attendees will leave the session with practical, research-based strategies, tools, and resources which they can use to better support the post-secondary employment and educational needs of students with disabilities. The attendees will leave the session with an understanding of the importance of high quality vocational assessment in the transition planning process for a student with a disability.

This presentation will discuss a recent study on video modeling and social skills for adults with ASD. This study aimed to evaluate the following research questions: - To what extent does a peer video prompting and modeling intervention affect whether adults with ASD in transition settings acquire social skills? - To what extent does the delivery of social skills instruction via peer video prompting and modeling lead to generalization and maintenance.

Strategies to address challenging behavior in schools often focus on de-escalation techniques or interventions to use when a challenging behavior has already happened. This session will focus on general classroom strategies to reduce the probability that challenging behavior will occur and effective, individualized strategies to help students with challenging behavior to be more successful in the school environment. Participants will learn to gather critical information through the FBA process and to use that information to develop behavior support plans that work.