2017 Events
The Power of Play: Teaching Joint Attention, Symbolic Play, Engagement and Regulation (JASPER) to Community Providers
Featuring Amanda Gulsrud, Ph.D. and Aimee Herrera, M.S., BCBA - 12/07/17
Joint attention and symbolic play are core social communication deficit in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The literature indicates that joint attention is the best predictor of language outcomes for children with ASD (Mundy, Sigman, & Kasari, 1990). However, many interventions in the community do not explicitly target joint attention and play skills. This activity provided attendees with an overview of social communication and play development in children with ASD and an introduction to JASPER, a naturalistic developmental behavioral intervention (NDBI), developed at UCLA. Attendees learned specific JASPER strategies to increase children’s joint attention, symbolic play, engagement and regulation.
Dr. Gulsrud is an Assistant Professor in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at UCLA and a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in autism and the development of early interventions. She is the Clinical Director of the UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental (CAN) Clinic, which focuses on the evaluation and treatment of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) across the lifespan. Ms. Aimee Herrera specializes in early intervention for infants & toddlers with developmental delays and behavioral treatment for young children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities. Aimee is a board certified behavior analyst who uses naturalistic developmental behavioral interventions to teach communication, social interaction, play and academic readiness skills.
Getting Parent Buy In: Overcoming Challenges to Parent Training
Featuring Cynthia Whitham, LCSW - 10/17/17
Parent training is an important component of comprehensive treatment programming for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This activity provided attendees with an overview of an evidence‐based parent‐training program for children with ASD and described specific methods for clinicians to implement with caregivers. Providers and educators working with individuals with ASD learned clinical tools to establish active parent participation, communicate key treatment concepts, build parental optimism, and decrease parental stress.
Cynthia G. Whitham, LCSW, is the Director of the UCLA Parenting and Children’s Friendship Program and a Clinical Instructor in the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the UCLA Semel Institute. She has been training parents for over 30 years and is the author of two books, Win the Whining War & Other Skirmishes: A Family Peace Plan, and The Answer is NO: Saying it & Sticking to it, which have been translated into nine languages. In addition to her UCLA group classes, Ms. Whitham has a private practice on the east and west sides of Los Angeles.
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Anxiety in ASD
Featuring Drs. Patricia Renno and Mina Park - 8/24/17
Anxiety disorders are common in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and are associated with additional functional impairment; however, they are often overlooked and not adequately treated due to diagnostic overshadowing. Recent randomized controlled trials have demonstrated the efficacy of modified CBT for anxiety disorders in children with ASD, however, dissemination of these treatment techniques to practitioners is needed. This talk provided attendees with an overview of the presentation of anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder and how modified cognitive behavioral therapy techniques can be applied to treat anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Dr. Renno is a Clinical Instructor in the Department of Psychiatry and Bio-behavioral Sciences at the University of California, Los Angeles and specializes in the assessment and treatment of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and related psychiatric conditions in children and adolescents. Dr. Park is a Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Instructor with training in assessment and treatment of neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders in youth and young adults.
Summer Training Workshop for Preschool Special Educators - July 2017
The two-day training workshop was for Preschool Special Education and General Education Teachers, Teaching Assistants, Behavior Interventionists, Speech and Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and School Psychologists from local school districts. The workshop included demonstrations, guided observation, behavioral rehearsal activities to practice new skills, interactive instruction, handouts outlining new skills, and an overview of the research underlining the content. Attendees became familiar with developing and assessing play skills; utilizing strategies for challenging behaviors in the classroom; and assessing social communication.
PLAY Seminar and SPACE Assessment Featuring Dr. Stephanie Shire
Dr. Stephanie Shire is an Assistant Professor in Early Intervention and Early Childhood Special Education at the University of Oregon.
Assessing Social Language in Preschoolers Featuring Sarah Gross, M.A., CCC-SLP and Dr. Tanya Paparella
Ms. Sarah Gross is a licensed Speech and Language Pathologist at the Early Childhood Hospitalization Program (ECPHP) at UCLA. Dr. Tanya Paparella is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Division of Psychiatry at UCLA and a licensed Clinical Psychologists. Dr. Paparella Co-Directs the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization (ECPHP) at UCLA.
Environment and Grouping for Play and Adapting Story Time Featuring Dr. Jilly Chang
Dr. Jilly Chang is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Special Education and Counseling at CSULA.
Thinking Outside the Box: Approaching Behaviors Seminar Featuring Dr. Stephanny Freeman
Dr. Stephanny Freeman is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry at UCLA and a Licensed Clinical Psychologists. She Co-Directs the Early Childhood Partial Hospitalization (ECPHP) at UCLA.
Overview of Research and Resources at UCLA
Dr. Amanda Gulsrud is an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry in the David Geffen School of Medicine and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist. She also directs the UCLA Child and Adult Neurodevelopmental Clinic and UCLA CAN REACH Training program.
The Science of Making Friends for Youth with Social Challenges: The UCLA PEERS Program Featuring Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson - 5/3/2017
Impairment in social interaction is one of the core features of autism spectrum disorder and remains one of the most difficult areas to treat. While many therapies based on applied behavioral analysis (ABA) have been developed to increase language and decrease challenging behaviors, social difficulties are often not adequately addressed and continue to be a challenge for individuals with ASD throughout the lifespan. There are currently very few evidence-based social skills training programs for youth with ASD. This workshop taught clinicians evidence-based clinical tools and strategies from the UCLA PEERS program to promote ecologically valid social skills in youth with ASD. Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson presented several PEERS intervention strategies including step-by-step guides for teaching youth how to enter into individual and group conversations and successfully handle peer conflict.
Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson is an Associate Clinical Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the UCLA Semel Institute and is a licensed clinical psychologist. Dr. Laugeson is the Founder and Director of the UCLA PEERS Clinic and the Training Director for the UCLA Tarjan Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD).
Alternative Functional Behavior Assessments Formats: What To Do When the Gold Standard Isn't Feasible - Featuring Dr. Nathan Call - 02/23/2017
Functional analyses that adhere to the methodology described by Iwata, Dorsey, Slifer, Bauman, and Richman (1982/1994) are considered the gold standard for identifying the function of problem behavior. However, there are many practical barriers that may prevent clinicians from conducting this rigorous version of functional behavioral assessment. For example, due to the high cost, labor-intensive nature, and potential risk of harm to the client (e.g., self injury) it is not always feasible to employ these methods. Fortunately, many variations to the typical functional analysis have appeared in the literature. Dr. Nathan Call presented several variations to typical functional analysis, including a discussion of the relative strengths and weaknesses, the most appropriate applications, and empirical support for each of them.
Dr. Call is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Emory University School of Medicine and the Clinical Director of the Severe Behavior Program at the Marcus Autism Center.