05.06.2008 — National Autism Association of PA.

WHAT:

Meet Lovaas Institute representatives and learn about the Lovaas Model of Applied Behavior Analysis, which is used with children as young as 18 months up to elementary school-aged. The presentation will include information about research, teaching techniques, and characteristics of home- and school-based intervention. Q&A at end.

WHERE:

Lancaster, PA.

WHEN:

The presentation will be held Tuesday, May 6, 2008, 6:30-8:30pm

02.23.2008 — Lovaas Institute to present at the 2008 CalABA Conference.

Innovation and Refinement of Skill Acquisition and Behavior Reduction Procedures at the Lovaas Institute

WHAT:

Though there are treatment manuals that present a wide range of instructional programs and standard procedures for implementing them (Janzen, 1996; Lovaas, 2003; Sundberg & Partington, 1998) little information is widely available on trouble shooting strategies when standard procedures are ineffective or inefficient.

Receptive identification (tact) frequently is one skill area in which children with autism require the practitioner to troubleshoot in order for a child to demonstrate skill acquisition. However, the range of creative strategies used to expedite skill acquisition of receptive object labels and other instructional programs, usually are not widely disseminated. The purpose of this workshop is to demonstrate and exchange programming ideas that have been effective at teaching receptive discriminations when published procedures have failed.

In terms of programming innovations, behavior reductive procedures usually result in an even greater degree of innovation. We will discuss how creative proactive measures, differential reinforcement, and sensory matching have been effective when reactive measures were ineffective.

Additionally, workshop participants will be exposed to a refined methodology for making comparisons of two instructional procedures to ensure instruction is both effective and efficient.

The Lovaas Institute presentation has been approved for 3 BACB continuing education units.

WHERE:

The 2008 CalABA conference will be held February 21-23 at the Hyatt Regency Orange County in Garden Grove, CA.

WHEN:

The presentation will be held Saturday, February 23, 2008 from 1:00 pm to 4:00 pm

07.31.2007 — Lovaas Institute Outreach Seminar

The Art and Science of Peer Integration (Play Dates) in the Lovaas Model

WHO:

Jennifer LaMarca and Vincent LaMarca, BCBA, are behavior consultants with the Lovaas Institute and reside in Indianapolis. They have utilized the Lovaas Model of Applied Behavior Analysis for the past 12 years.

WHAT:

A repertoire of play behavior forms the framework for social interactions. Play and socialization have increasing become an important topic for behavior analysts in autism intervention. This is especially true considering data from Sallows & Grapner's (2005) replication of the Lovaas (1987) study. In Sallows & Graupner, 48% of children demonstrated rapid learning achieving substantial cognitive, language, adaptive, social and academic growth. Among this group, the number of hours of structured home-based peer integration (play dates) was significantly related to teachers' ratings of social skills. Structured peer integration is again highlighted as an integral component of the most recent replication (Cohen, Amerine-Dickens, & Smith, 2006).

This seminar is intended to demonstrate the principles, curricula, and evaluation procedures of interventions to teach play and social skills and extend teaching into structured peer integration sessions. Parents, teachers, and other professionals involved with children on the autism spectrum between the ages of 2 and 10 are most likely to benefit. The seminar is a shortened version of the conference presented by Dr. Ivar Lovaas, Dr. Scott Cross, and Vincent LaMarca at the May 2007 ABA Convention in San Diego.

WHERE:

Franklin Road Branch Library (southeast side of Indianapolis)
5550 S Franklin Rd (map)

WHEN:

Tuesday, July 31, 2007 (5:30-7:30 PM)
The presentation will last approximately 1.5 hours with plenty of time at the end for additional questions.
(attendees can come and go as needed)

COST:

Free

RSVP:

Because the conference is free, anyone can come, even if they don't RSVP. However, please try to let us know how many people in your group will attend by July 30 so that we bring enough copies of handouts for everyone. Contact Vince LaMarca Please title the email something like, "Re: Lovaas Outreach Seminar" so that it isn't deleted by accident as junk mail. In the email, include the following information:

PARENTS

Name:
School District:
Age of Child with Autism:

SCHOOL EMPLOYEES

Name:
School District:
Position:

PRIVATE PROFESSIONALS
(e.g., OT, SLP, BEHAVIOR CONSULTANTS, ABA INSTRUCTORS, LAWYERS)

Name:
Occupation:
Location: