General Workshops for Families

General Family Workshops are presented to a group of participants and aim to develop participants understanding of a particular area relating to the autism spectrum. Presented by experienced professionals from across different teams within the organisation, participants will develop a greater understanding through these interactive, engaging and practical workshops. For Free sessions, participants must be either on the autism spectrum or a family member of someone on the spectrum. 

NDIS funding may be used to access these workshops. Please complete the questions relating to your participants NDIS Plan when registering. 

In order to use NDIS funding to access these workshops you must have 'Improved Daily Living Skills' OR 'CB Daily Living' listed as a support item within your, or your child's NDIS plan, have a budget allocated to this line, and the plan must be valid until after the workshop.

Venue:

NETLEY- 1/262 Marion Road, Netley, Adelaide, South Australia

ELIZABETH- 57 Elizabeth Way, Elizabeth, Adelaide, South Australia 

(unless stated otherwise)

For assistance in registering please contact Emma Bennett, Training, Consultancy and Research Officer on 8462 0658 or ebennett@autismsa.org.au 

For further information regarding the content of the sessions please contact Kate Exner, the Training and Development Consultant on 0421 326 710 or kexner@autismsa.org.au 

For Terms of Trade, please click here. 

Helping children on the spectrum manage anxiety

It is very common for people on the spectrum to experience varying degrees of anxiety. Learn more about anxiety, its impact on behaviour, and some strategies for helping individuals and families as a whole to better manage feelings of anxiety.

The Autism Spectrum and social skills                                                                       

This session will introduce some of the social difficulties that children on the spectrum experience, and discuss a variety of strategies that can assist them.

What does NDIS mean for me and my family?                                                                     

This session is for families and carers that are accessing the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) for the first time, as well as for those who are already in the scheme but want to know more.

The below topics will be covered during the session

• Background of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS);

• Who can apply;

• Preparing for your planning meeting, including goal setting;

• What you can use your NDIS money for;

• Options for managing your money;

• Choosing services and providers;

• Getting ready for a review; and

• Grievance procedures.

An introduction to the autism spectrum for families and carers                                                                      

Come and learn more about the characteristics of the autism spectrum and strategies that can assist an individual on the spectrum. Upon completion, participants will have a better understanding of the profile of a person with autism, including their strengths and challenges. This workshop also offers an opportunity to meet other parents of individuals on the autism spectrum.

Tough Topics - public/private, hygiene, puberty and relationships                                                                  

This session aims to empower families and carers to be able to cover some of the topics that come hand in hand with growing up!  It will give you strategies to support learning and development in the difficult areas of public vs private, hygiene, puberty, menstruation, masturbation and all different types of relationships.

What does autism mean for my family?                                                                  

This session will discuss autism and what it may mean for your child, and your family. The session will look at how parents and carers can explain to their child their diagnosis, helping them to understand what it means to them. The presentation will include a discussion around when and how to disclose a diagnosis, as well as how to explain autism to other family members, including siblings. The presenter will also cover support strategies that can be used in the home, and networking opportunities for siblings of children with autism.

Employability: developing job ready skills                                                               

This workshop is aimed at individuals on the spectrum looking to develop skills to secure, maintain and change jobs. This workshop will also help develop skills to maintain and create new support networks.

Topics include:

• Employability skills;

• Support options for gaining and keeping employment;

• Some of the autism specific employment programs;

• Matching skills to jobs;

• Disclose or not to disclose;

• How to advocate for yourself on the job; and

• Strategies to use on the job.

What does autism mean to me?                                                                  

This workshop is aimed at teens and adults on the autism spectrum who seek further understanding of autism and what it means for them personally in their day to day lives.

Presented by an experienced autism consultant and a person on the spectrum, the session will cover:

• Characteristics of autism including strengths and skills;

• Common challenges and strategies to support those challenges;

• Opportunities, support and services available;

• Disclosure, if, when and how;

• How to advocate for yourself; and

• Practical strategies to use in everyday living.

Mental Health: understanding & supporting the needs of people with autism & mental health concerns                                                               

This session will look specifically at mental health in the context of the autism spectrum. It will cover a range of topics including interventions to reduce stress and anxiety, enhancing social cognition, how to address bullying and techniques on how to increase self esteem.

The autism spectrum is a complex neurodevelopmental disorder and can present in many ways. For a significant number of adolescents on the autism spectrum, anxiety, depression and other mental health challenges can arise and heavily impact on everyday life.

This session presented by an Autism SA Behaviour Consultant with extensive experience in mental health and suicide prevention, will specifically look at mental health in the context of the autism spectrum.

Content covered will include:

• How mental health concerns can present in adolescence and adults on the autism spectrum;

• Practical strategies to support wellbeing and reduce mental health concerns;

• Signs that an adolescent may have suicidal thoughts;

• Practical strategies on how to respond to suicidal thoughts and behaviours; and

• How to help support mental health in the short and long term.

Supporting your child through high school                                                              

This workshop is specifically designed for parents who have a child currently attending high school, or starting high school in 2019.  This session will be presented by an autism consultant high school teacher, with the following topics to be covered:

• What to expect;

• Who to talk to at the high school;

• What support your child might be eligible to access at school;

• Preparing your child for the transition from primary to high school;

• Creating and implementing systems to support academic expectations – learning new routines, use of organisational folders, assignment break down, and recording homework;

• Developing social understanding;

• Bullying prevention and strategies;

• Anxiety and stress management;

• What to do if things are not going well; and

• Post school pathways - transition from school to tertiary study/employment/other e.g Day Options.

2019 Autumn Conference Series: Using the Social Thinking Methodology to support Social Learning

PRESENTATION OVERVIEW:

Michelle Garcia Winner, the founder of Socially Thinking®, will teach those that support people with social emotional learning challenges to develop skills in how they interpret and respond to social information to better connect with others. Michelle will present practical strategies to improve social competencies that can be used immediately in the classroom, clinic, home and community.

The conference is set to be an engaging, interactive day where participants will be guided through a range of innovative socially based problem solving strategies that can be used with individuals with solid expressive and receptive language skills, in a range of settings.

Frameworks and strategies presented and demonstrated include;

• How to encourage the development of social competencies;
• 10 core Social Thinking Vocabulary Concepts such as ‘expected’ and ‘unexpected’ behaviours;
• Social Behaviour Maps and ME maps for self-protective, resistant learners; and
• The Double Interview and Thinking With Your Eyes.

Outcomes for participants and individuals include learning how they can support the development of four core factors in social learning: social attention, interpretation, problem solving tothen figure out social responses. Participants will develop skills to help people learn to process and respond to social information; which then promotes social self-regulation.

“Observing the social interactions of others is very helpful to me as I formulate how to interact myself. I’ve learned not everyone walks with their head down avoiding eye contact all of the time. I’ve learned when and how to smile. I’ve studied what makes a stranger seem approachable. In short, you have to know the rules of the game in order to play the game’. A quote from a 43-year-old engineer and student of Social Thinking’s Methodology 

‘Your program has given me the much needed tools to communicate in a meaningful way with my 9 year old son. Thank you. The stress level in our house has decreased along with the meltdowns. He is able to come out of the meltdowns much more readily. Thanks.’- Conference Attendee, Parent

Who should attend?

Educators, clinicians, professionals, parents, family members, individuals and anyone who supports a person on the spectrum will benefit from attending this conference. All participants will develop an appreciation that social capabilities are integral to a person’s success in life - socially, academically, and professionally.

PRESENTER PROFILE:

Michelle Garcia Winner is an internationally recognised speech pathologist from the United States and is the founder and CEO of Social Thinking®. Social Thinking is a company dedicated to helping individuals from across their lifespan to develop their social competencies to meet their personal social goals. Michelle is recognised as ‘...the leading expert in the field of social skills’ with more than 30 years’ experience working with individuals, families and professionals in the autism sector. Michelle is a prolific writer and has written and/or co-authored more than 40 books and over 100 research articles about the Social Thinking Methodology including; ‘Social Behaviour Mapping’; ‘Thinking about you, Thinking about Me?’; ‘You are a Social Detective’; and ‘Superflex: A Superhero Social Thinking Curriculum”.

Michelle is known for her enthusiastic presentation style and ability to provide participants with real strategies that can make a difference in the school, home and community setting.

"...one of my favorite authors in the field of teaching emotional intelligence. Michelle Garcia Winner has pioneered some very helpful ways of conceptualising and helping educators understand the social challenges that students on the autism spectrum face." - Stephan Borgman, 2010, Psychology Today, ‘Spectrum Solutions’ 

PROGRAM:

8.30-9.25am – Registration

9.30-9.45am- Conference opening

9.45-10.30am- Social Think’s Social Competency Model

10.30-10.50am- Morning Tea

10.50am-12.30pm- Exploring two different types of informal dynamic assessment tasks

12.30-1.10pm- Lunch

1.10-2.30pm- Exploring 10 core Social Thinking Vocabulary concepts

2.30-2.50pm- Afternoon Tea

2.50-3.45pm- A Core Social Thinking Treatment Framework: Social Behavior Mapping and Me Maps

3.45-4.00pm- Conference Closing

4.15-4.30pm- Book Signing