The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

Use this site to access recordings and presentations from National Conferences

Autism Society records most keynote and concurrent sessions at their annual conferences. You can see and hear those recordings by purchasing full online access, or individual recordings.

4417 The Autism Network for Individuals with Hearing & Visual Impairments Annual Meeting


Friday, July 24, 2009: 4:15 PM-5:30 PM
Broadway Ballroom A (Pheasant Run Resort and Conference Center)
Handout

Registered attendees have free access, please select the button above for the file you would like to access.

Purchase Access
Membership review and information sources will be included as well as a briefing on voting in the national election by a father and son(deafness and autism) team. A psychologist will present family involvement, mental health and diversity issues among the deaf community and in group homes. A speech and language pathologist will describe the Rose-Mary Center’ s multi-sensory room adaptations and benefits for our target group, including less expensive home-based items. The Network Meeting will review growing membership via our association with the Autism Research Institute and website, www.autism.com.  Our national and international members include individuals and family members as well as professionals working toward our goals to build connections, reduce isolation experienced with the increased demands of dual disabilities and to encourage specialized research within our subgroups of unique individuals.  Updates on current issues specific to our members concerns in visual and hearing impairments as well as living with autism will be included.   This year, we will fortunately have a direct report from a young man with autism and deafness who voted in the national elections.  His father will present adaptations allowed under disability laws.
A more formal presentation will follow by a psychologist who  has been recognized for his efforts in developing special programs to address the communication and cultural  needs of  people in the deaf community, especially in Illinois.  He will briefly present an overview of research on the issues that confront individuals with deafness and autism and their families addressing different issues among parents also deaf or hearing.  He will discuss changes in previously described acquired autism, diagnostic and educational patterns following individuals developmentally from early childhood through young adulthood and living in group homes. Dealing with behavioral challenges across time and in different communication environments will be reviewed. Transitioning to adult programs in sheltered workshop settings and vocational rehabilitation also presents unique challenges. Time will be allowed for dialogue and questions regarding social emotional health needs and resources.
The next major presentation will be by a  Speech and Language pathologist working at the Rose-Mary Center in Ohio; it is a residential center for children and young adults with a wide range of developmental challenges including autism and visual and hearing impairments.  Seven community based group homes are also attached to the main facility. She will share her experiences in Neuro-Developmental Treatment and Learning Styles of Individuals with Autism.  Her focus at the meeting will be on Multi-Sensory Environments. To provide unique opportunities for learning, increasing attention and use of senses as well as encouraging relaxation.  The presentation will also include examples and ideas for incorporating similar experiences in a home or community residence using less expensive materials.  
Panel members are always available to address individual concerns and provide resources when possible.  This is done with the understanding that professionals are not able to provide diagnostic and direct treatment information in such a setting. Individuals with autism and hearing or visual impairments are always welcome to attend but this cannot be considered as an opportunity for direct clinical consultation.

Learning Objectives:

  • Attendees will learn that family members with their own sensory differences or losses as well as the member with autism and a hearing or visual impairment have social emotional needs complicated by communication issues related to the sensory information loss as well as autism.
  • Attendees will learn how to seek help and begin addressing basic emotional health and sociability issues in group homes as well as family life.
  • Attendees will recognize the need for adaptations and benefits in working on multi-sensory intervention for persons with autism and a frank sensory (blind, deaf) impairment
  • Attendees will learn to make less expensive options for home use based on multi-sensory programming for persons with sensory impairments and autism.
  • Attendees will learn successful adaptations exercised in the voting process to assist a young man with deafness and autism in exercising his civic duty of voting.

Content Area: Family and Sibling Support

Session Overview

Margaret P. Creedon, Ph.D., FAACP, Clinical Psychologist, Autism Research Institute, Chicago, IL

The Autism Network for Individuals with Hearing & Visual Impairments Annual Meeting

Michael Kanter, Parent, &, Advocate, Parent & Advocate (Single Father of a Deaf / Autistic Son), The Autism Network for Individuals with Hearing & Visual Impairments Annual Meeting, Wheeling,, IL

Autism and Deafness

James Vanderbosch, Psy.D., Psychologist, Mental Health and Deafness Resources, Inc., Northbrook, IL

Multi-Sensory Environments

Beth A. Tirpak, CCC/SLP, QMRP, Speech and Language Pathologist, The Rose-Mary Center, Euclid, OH

Presenters:

Margaret P. Creedon, Ph.D., FAACP
Clinical Psychologist
Autism Research Institute

Margaret Procyk Creedon, a clinical psychologist, is a special projects director for Autism Research Institute, professional advisory panel member of the Autism Society, director of the international Autism Network for Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Blind/Visually Impaired, DePaul University adjunct faculty, charter member, DCAAN (Disabilities and Child Abuse Action Network).

James Vanderbosch, Psy.D.
Psychologist
Mental Health and Deafness Resources, Inc.

Dr. Vanderbosch has worked for 30 years with deaf individuals, including those with autism, in mental health settings. For 15 years, he directed a groundbreaking outpatient mental health program for deaf people. Currently, he is chief psychologist for two therapeutic group homes and a consultant.

Beth A. Tirpak, CCC/SLP, QMRP
Speech and Language Pathologist
The Rose-Mary Center

Ms. Tirpak is a licensed speech-language pathologist and member of ASHA. She is certified in TEACCH and trained in neurodevelopmental treatment, working at the residential Rose-Mary Center. She has presented at conferences on multi-sensory environments, basic communication and interaction skills and the learning styles of individuals with autism.

Michael Kanter, Parent, &, Advocate
Parent & Advocate (Single Father of a Deaf / Autistic Son)
The Autism Network for Individuals with Hearing & Visual Impairments Annual Meeting

Mr. Kanter is the proud single parent of a young adult son, Brandon, who is deaf and has autism. He has worked to support and inform other families in Illinois as an active member and former officer of the Autism Society of Illinois and the North Surbuban chapter.