Discrete Trial Training Dec. 14, 2007

The training is still underway. The most enlightening thing for me so far has been the importance of pairing the instructor with reinforcers. We have pretty consistently talked about pairing reinforcers from one level (edible to social etc.). I never considered the social importance of pairing people!

Discrete Trial Training

Today Dr. Sonja deBoer will share information with all thirteen training sites on discrete trial training. Just prior to our interview with Dr. deBoer, we were talking about the association that frequently we make between discrete trial training and one to one self-contained classroom teaching. In talking with Dr. deBoer, it became clear that there is a greater application for ABA than what we have assumed. We are all looking forward to the information that she is presenting.

Ziggurat Training

The two day workshop on the Ziggurat Model has been completed. Those of us who had the opportunity to attend left with a new tool in our toolbox a framework and assessment tools that will enable us to build effective interventions and programs for individuals on the spectrum. In addition, we left with a message, that message was this, when designing programs and interventions for students with ASD the key is to individualize those programs. Interventions should be designed while keeping in mind the impact that the autism has on the individual.

Ziggurat Model

Every time I have the opportunity to listen to Barry Grossman and Ruth Aspy, I learned a great deal. We are attending the Ziggurat Model Training in Overland Park, KS. The training is awesome. The Ziggurat Model is a framework that provides a structure for educators to build a program for students with ASD. The underpinning of the framework is the Underlying Characteristics Checklist. The checklist helps educators to see how autism is impacting the student. What a great workshop! The book is available from our lending library at www.ksndsp.org or can be purchased at www.asperger.net.

Social Skills Training

Wow, thank you Julie Donnelly! For so many of us, we think that we are familiar with the techniques that were covered; however the specific examples that Dr. Donnelly provided were terrific. I especially like the alternative presentation formats (cereal box, train, etc) for social stories. It was refreshing to hear new and different manners of approaching proven topics. I appreciated the different types of social stories that you provided; the cloze sentence format was new to me and was a great way to combine a social story with a predictable story. The variety of approaches to teaching theory of mind were very much appreicated. Thank you!

Training Series Starts Tomorrow

The Kansas Instructional Support Network's Annual Training Series begins tomorrow. Dr. Julie Donnelly will be providing educators across the state with information on social skill development and programming. Registration for the training was tremendous! Statewide we have over 335 registrants. We look forward to the presentation and to serving the professional development needs of Kansas educators. Please check our website: www.Kansasasd.com
for a short conversation with Julie Donnelly on our podcast page.

Second Team Training

Well, we finished the second team training. The training was held in Concordia, the training was well attended with over 30 attendees. The teams were eager to begin preparing a plan describing their vision for the team to present to their special education directors. The questions each team faces are diverse, some teams are confident in taking on the role of identifying student with educational autism, others see their role as supporting students and service providers through technical assistance and direct modeling of interventions and materials development. Without regard for how the team will function once they return to their district, KISN is dedicated to supporting those teams in their new roles. For more information regarding team training, please contact Lee Stickle or Jane Goetz.

ESSDACK Training

Wow! We had 47 people attend the training at ESSDACK today, of the 47 we had over 15 genral eduction teachers. That is the largest number we have had thus far. I would appreciate hearing from anyone in attendance to let me know how I can better tailor the information to the general education teacher. As usual, the majority of questions revolved around changing the behavior of the students we serve. I hope that I become more successful at conveying the need to first change our behavior in order to change the behavior of others.

Training Information

Jane and I have just completed our first Autism Interdisciplinary Team Training. The first session had 53 particpants and was held in Wichita. We would like to thank the Wichita Public Schools for donating the space and providing support for our training.