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Upcoming Trainings from the OPI Montana Autism Education Project
MontCOMM 2023
The Montana Autism Education Project has a limited number of scholarships for the MontCOMM 2023 conference on Friday, August 18th, 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Attendance can be virtual or in-person (Missoula.) OPI, ASHA and and MOTA renewal units are available.
This year’s conference offers several sessions which may be of particular interest to those working in schools:
Session 2A: AAC Implementation for School-Aged Individuals
Session 2B: Literacy and AAC: Why Both are Key!
Session 3A: AAC: Re-Defining Life Skills
Session 3B: AAC Assessment: A Practical Approach to Decision Making
PLEASE NOTE: Specific Cancellation and No Show policies are in effect for MontCOMM registrations/attendance that could affect your participation in future trainings from the Autism Project.
Cancellations: You are welcome to cancel at any time.
No Shows: If you do not cancel and do not attend, 1. you will be unable to receive a MAEP scholarship to the 2024 MCEC conference in Missoula, future MonCOMM August Institutes and all 2023-24 conferences/trainings which require us to pay a fee per person; and 2. You will be automatically wait-listed for any 2023-2024 trainings that have a limited attendance.
You can request a MontCOMM registration scholarship here. These scholarships are only available to Montana public school educators.
Also . . .
We are still in the process of completing the 2023-2024 training contracts with PECS and Dr. Jennifer Schoffer Closson, so we have not yet opened registrations for those trainings, but here are a few things you can look forward to this coming year:
Dr. Jennifer Schoffer Closson – Virtual Trainings
Dr. Schoffer Closson will be offering eight new virtual trainings which build upon her previous trainings (you don’t have to have attended the previous trainings.) Each training will be repeated three times during the school year and the most popular ones will be repeated in June.
Stop Behavior Before It Starts: Part 1 Understanding Behavior – 1.5 hours
This presentation looks at what motivates behavior, how to identify those motivators, how to identify the reinforcing consequences, the crisis cycle, extinction bursts, and everything that just makes behavior confusing.
Stop Behavior Before It Starts: Part 2 Getting Ahead of the Behavior – 1.5 hours
After taking part 1, this presentation looks at how you can use evidence-based practices to get ahead of the behavior (antecedent intervention). This strategy can likely reduce the occurrence of interfering behavior.
Brain Differences in ASD: What this Means for Behavior – 1.5 hours
People with ASD experience brain differences. Understanding these differences can help us understand the behavior and learning of people on the spectrum. Understanding the learners’ differences can enhance our ability to teach them.
Executive Functioning: It Presents as Interfering Behavior – 1.5 hours
Sometimes kids look like the just DON’T WANT TO…. Executive functioning challenges often come out as interfering behavior. Learn about what we can expect at each age, how we can treat executive functioning challenges, and what some IEP goals can look like.
Behavior for ASD: Refusal Barriers
This talk will look at how to specifically apply evidence-based intervention for level I, II, and III learners when they refuse or escape tasks.
Behavior for ASD: Sensory Barriers
This talk will look at how to specifically apply evidence-based intervention for level I, II, and III learners when their sensory needs are creating barriers to learning.
Behavior for ASD: Relationship Barriers
This talk will look at how to specifically apply evidence-based intervention for level I, II, and III learners when they are not building relationships with educators and peers.
Behavior for ASD: Communication Barriers
This talk will look at how to specifically apply evidence-based intervention for level I, II, and III learners when they are using interfering behavior as a means of communication.
When registration opens for these trainings open, you can find them on the Montana Autism Education Project blog.
Planned Trainings from PECS (all virtual):
Challenging Behavior - 1 day. A training is tentatively scheduled for October 20th.
This highly interactive training offers strategies for navigating behavior challenges with learners of all ages, in any environment. Using case studies and examples from your setting we begin the workshop highlighting the key concepts of applied behavior analysis, helping you to understand why challenging behaviors occur.
Refresh Your PECS - Back To School Edition - 1 day. A training is tentatively scheduled for October 19th.
This is a condensed Picture Exchange Communication System® (PECS)® training refresher for participants who have previously attended a PECS Level 1 Training.
Building Functional and Creative Learning Sessions - 2 days.
This practical, interactive workshop provides a blueprint for building effective learning environments, resulting in direct positive outcomes for learners.
Language of Emotions - 1 day.
In this workshop, we will review traditional approaches to teaching children with autism to communicate about their emotions as well as respond to such language from other people. Participants will be asked to consider how they currently teach various lessons related to emotions and then to plan to incorporate Skinner’s analysis into the design of effective lessons.
When registration opens for these trainings open, you can find them on the Montana Autism Education Project blog. All PECS training this coming year will have ASHA CEUs available.
Are you interested in a PECS Level 1 in-person training in 2023-2024??
In the 2022-2023 school year, there was low enrollment for in-person PECS Level 1 trainings. Our cost per person for the virtual PECS Level 1 trainings is much higher than for in-person trainings and thus we may not offer the virtual trainings this school year. If you are interested in attending an in-person PECS trainings, please complete the interest form here to help us understand if and where there may be enough interest for in-person two-day PECS Level 1 trainings.
Online Trainings from OCALI- virtual training
The following trainings are a great way to gain knowledge and earn OPI renewal units at your own pace during the summer break:
An Introduction to Autism Characteristics and Simple Strategies from OCALI
This introductory module presents information about unique characteristics of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), including social-communication, restricted interests and patterns of behavior, sensory, cognition and information processing, and emotional regulation. Five simple strategies are introduced that may be used anytime, anywhere with young children, students, and adults with ASD. (Note that this course is a prerequisite to take the longer courses.)
Learning Objectives:
- Provide an understanding of the spectrum of skills that characterize autism spectrum disorder, or ASD.
- Dispel common misconceptions about ASD.
- Provide simple strategies that may be helpful for individuals with ASD.
Estimated Time to Complete Module: 90 minutes
Foundations of Evidence-Based Strategies - Toddler and Preschool Age
Early childhood is an important time to help young children with ASD to develop critical language and learning skills. With video examples in homes and preschool classrooms, this course will introduce you to evidence-based strategies that can be used in natural environments during typical routines and activities of toddlers and preschoolers. This course takes approximately 10.5 hours to complete. Prerequisite: Many Faces of Autism
Foundations of Evidence-Based Strategies - School Age
During the elementary and middle school years, school-aged individuals with ASD are developing skills in many areas that will impact their futures. This course presents evidence-based strategies in action in home, school and community environments. This course takes approximately 10.5 hours to complete. Prerequisite: Many Faces of Autism
Foundations of Evidence-Based Strategies - Transition Age
Adolescents and young adults with ASD need many critical skills as they prepare for transitioning from high school into their own, unique adult lives. This course will show you how to use evidence-based strategies to support individuals who are transition-aged and young adults through video examples at home, school, work, and in the community. This course takes approximately 10.5 hours to complete. Prerequisite: Many Faces of Autism
You can find more information on the content of each training and register for the OCALI trainings here.
If you wish to receive OPI renewal units for completing the above trainings, you must register here. We will then tell you what information from OCALI training needs to be provided when you have completed a course to receive your OPI renewal units.
Virtual Trainings from the Montana Empowerment Center
The Montana Empowerment Center (MEC) has released a series of video recordings on a variety of special education topics. These are good to view and to share with parents. (Registration is required to view each video - doing so helps support the MEC grant by showing their outreach.)
Because these are recorded trainings, we cannot offer OPI renewal units. You can see the thirty-six!! different trainings here.
Upcoming Trainings: You can always find our trainings on the Montana Autism Education Project blog at: http://mtautism.opiconnect.org. We will be adding virtual and in-person trainings to the blog as we schedule trainings throughout the school year.
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility for a training from the OPI Montana Autism Education Project, contact Doug Doty at ddoty@mt.gov
For more information, contact:
Doug Doty, Statewide Coordinator, OPI Montana Autism Education Project
Direct replies to this email will not be forwarded or received by Doug.
If you know others who wish to subscribe to this newsletter, they can do so on the subscription page.
The OPI is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to people with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation, require an alternate format, or have questions concerning accessibility, contact the OPI ADA Coordinator, 406-444-3161, opiada@mt.gov, Relay Service: 711.
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