May 1, 2025 Autism Conference on Zoom
Teaching to Successful Outcomes: Supporting Children with Autism in the Home, School and Community
Join us on Thursday, May 1st for our free autism conference on Zoom. Open to all families, educators, administrators, paraprofessionals, related service providers, caregivers, students, and individuals with autism.
Certificates of Attendance:
A certificate of attendance will be issued to all attendees. Attendance is usually verified within 72 hours of the event and surveys are sent to all attendees. A certificate of attendance is generated automatically upon completion of the surveys.
Continuing Education Information:
We are offering CEUs (for BACBs only) and Continuing Teacher & Leader Education hours (CTLEs) for this conference. Eligibility is verified after review of system generated attendance reports and data.
Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLEs):
SUNY Old Westbury is recognized by the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved provider of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants. A total of up to 5.25 CTLE hours are available for this conference. The total fee for CTLEs is $2.50 per session and is payable at time of registration.
Behavior Analyst Certification Board:
SUNY Old Westbury is recognized as an approved provider of BACB CEUs. The cost is $10 per credit payable at the time of registration. Up to 4.5 credits are available for this conference. BACB CEUs are offered for the following sessions:
Session 1: Inclusion-Oriented Practice for Students with Autism and Extensive Support Needs: A Pragmatic Approach to the Difficult Challenge of Inclusion ($15, 1.5 credits)
Session 2: Promoting Accessible Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Students with Autism and Extensive Support Needs: A Roadmap for Educators ($15, 1.5 credits).
Session 4: Brief Mindfulness Techniques for Enhanced Well-Being ($15, 1.5 credits)
NO OTHER CEUs being offered at this conference.
Registration Reminders:
Select the sessions you would like to attend from the drop-down menus when registering.
Confirmation emails are sent automatically after registration. Please allow 24 hours to receive your confirmation. If you do not see the email in your inbox, please check your spam folder. Contact us at autism@oldwestbury.edu with any questions.
Use the same first and last name and email address when logging onto Zoom for attendance purposes.
This is a live-only event with NO access to recordings after the conference ends. Please, only register if you plan to attend.
Session Descriptions:
Session 1. 9:00am-10:30am
Inclusion-oriented practice for students with extensive support needs: A pragmatic approach to the difficult challenge of inclusion
Students with autism and extensive support needs (ESN) have a right to a high-quality education focused on ensuring success and belonging within integrated environments. In this session, Dr. Pennington will offer a pragmatic framework for ensuring teachers orient evidence-based practice towards meaningful inclusion in integrated school, community, and employment settings. He will challenge participants to reflect on their practice and provide strategies to promote inclusion for students across the continuum of placements.
Session 2. 10:45am-12:00pm
Promoting Accessible Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports for Students with Autism and Extensive Support Needs: A Roadmap for Educators
Although positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) was intended to be a fully inclusive framework that benefits all students in a school, not all students with extensive support needs access and meaningfully participate in Tier 1 PBIS. In this session, participants will learn about the importance of building Tier 1 supports that promote inclusion and meaningful participation for students with extensive support needs and strategies to overcome potential barriers schools might face in implementing a continuum of supports that benefit all students.
Session 3. 12:30pm-1:45pm
The 360 Thinking Model: Breakthrough Strategies to Develop Independent Executive Function Skills
Whether your student needs to complete tasks, classwork, or homework, in this practical strategies seminar you will learn concrete tools to help students manage their attention, time, and materials to follow directions, plan, break down, and initiate the steps towards completing and closing out assignments. Help students keep pace to make timely transitions and follow routines. Practical strategies will be given to help with the initiation of more open ended and complex assignments. Learn dozens of practical strategies to support students in developing independent executive function skills to self-regulate and manage impulses!
Session 4. 2:00pm-3:15pm
Brief Mindfulness Techniques for Enhanced Well-Being in Individuals with Autism and Their Support Providers
This presentation will offer practical guidance on training our minds to enhance not only the quality of our own lives but also the lives of those we care about. Mindfulness is most effective when integrated into our daily routines, whether or not we have a formal sitting meditation practice. During this training, we will (1) explore why brief mindfulness skills are essential, (2) learn how to apply them in our daily lives, and (3) discover ways to help others, including autistic individuals, achieve a better quality of life.
Meet Our Speakers:
Robert Pennington PhD BCBA-D is a Professor and the William T. Bryan Endowed Chair in Special Education Technology at the University of Kentucky He has over 30 years of experience supporting individuals with disabilities, their families, and teachers. He has published over 100 articles, book chapters, and books related to working with persons with autism and intellectual disability. Robert is passionate about the dissemination of research-based practice and has provided hundreds of refereed and invited presentations to researchers, practitioners, and families. He also values service to field and his local communities through membership on numerous advisory committees, editorial boards, and grant review panels; leadership in professional organizations (i.e., President of Board of Directors for DADD, ACRES, KYABA); and consultation in schools. He has been recognized for his work through receipt of several accolades (President’s Distinguished Faculty Award, NCCEC Felix Barker Leadership Award, KYABA Innovator in Behavior Analysis Award). His current research interests involve behavior analytic communication instruction, expanding students’ repertoires in written expression, and improving educational programming for students with severe disabilities
Virginia L. Walker, PhD, BCBA-D, is a Professor in the Department of Special Education and Child Development at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Dr. Walker’s line of research has focused on three general themes: positive behavioral interventions and supports for students with extensive support needs, supports planning to enhance the inclusion of students with extensive support needs, and effective training practices for school staff supporting students with extensive support needs. Dr. Walker currently serves on the editorial boards of Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, Inclusive Practices, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, and Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities. She also serves as Vice President of the TASH Board of Directors.
Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP has over 25 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations and treatment of executive dysfunction. Ms. Ward holds a faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions. Sarah is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars and workshops on the programs and strategies she has developed with her Co-Director Kristen Jacobsen. Their 360 Thinking Executive Function Program received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from the National Organization CHADD. She has presented to and consulted with over 1700 public and private schools worldwide.
Nirbhay N. Singh, Ph.D., BCBA-D, is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Health Behavior at the Medical College of Georgia, Augusta University, Augusta, Georgia, USA. He is a well-known academic, prolific researcher, and a mindfulness meditation teacher. He is the developer of four evidence-based mindfulness-based programs, Mindfulness-Based Positive Behavior Support (MBPBS), Soles of the Feet (SoF), Mindfulness-Based Health Wellness Program (MBHW), and Mindfulness-Based Pause, Discernment, and Response (MBPDR).