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 Consultancy Coordinator on 0421 326 710 or kexner@autismsa.org.au 

For Terms of Trade, please click here. 

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 with experience in teaching in the high school setting.

The following topics to be covered:

• What to expect;
• Who to talk to at 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.

An introduction to the autism spectrum for families and carers                                                                      

This workshop is a great starting point for families of people newly diagnosed or a refresher for families who have had a family member diagnosed for some time. During this session you will learn more about
the characteristics of the autism spectrum as well as some strategies that can assist an individual on the  spectrum. The presenter will also go over some of the service and funding options available to individuals on
the spectrum and their families. Upon completion, participants will have a better understanding of the profile of a person with autism, including their strengths and challenges and a clearer pathway for implementation
of strategies and services.
This workshop also offers an opportunity to meet other parents of individuals on the autism spectrum and reminds parents and carers of the importance of looking after themselves too! The content is appropriate for parents,
grandparents and other family members who play a significant role in the life of a person who has autism and wish to know more.

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 following topics will be covered during the session:

• Background of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS);
• Who can apply and how to 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.

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

Supporting girls on the autism spectrum                                                              

Girls on the spectrum often present with a different profile from that of their male peers and are four times less likely to be diagnosed on the autism spectrum than boys. This can
often mean that girls on the spectrum are also misunderstood, and don’t receive the most appropriate supports for their particular needs.

This session looks at a range of topics including:

• Difficulties in making a diagnosis;
• Passions and interests;
• Social and communication skills;
• Developing friendship skills;
• Internal anxiety and depression;
• Using their strengths to build self-esteem;
• Bullying; and
• Menstruation and dating.

Supporting wellbeing and resilience of a person on the spectrum                                                           

Mental health issues are significant for people on the spectrum and wellbeing and resilience play a vital role in reducing and minimising mental health issues. Resilience refers to the ability to recover from
a disappointment, and wellbeing encompasses ones happiness, health and welfare.

This session looks at:

• Wellbeing and resilience in relation to characteristics of autism;
• Impact this can have on a person; and
• Supports and strategies to improve wellbeing and resilience.

Throughout the workshop, the presenter will use discussion, activities and videos to deliver information on these topics to enhance the attendees knowledge of supporting wellbeing and resilience in people on the
spectrum. This will also enable them to provide effective support to their child on the spectrum.

Tackling the tough topics: hygiene, puberty and beyond                                                         

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.

Developing independent living skills                                         

The development of living skills maximises independence, choice and self-determination for an individual. This session looks at the value of, and strategies for, developing independent living skills
for people on the spectrum. Starting with the foundation skills such as organisation; problem solving, planning and prioritising; participants will learn how these can be applied to develop skills in the areas of
hygiene and self-care, housekeeping and beyond.