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.

8171 TEN EASY STEPS TO ESTABLISHING A SOCIAL SKILLS TRAINING PROGRAMING IN YOUR COMMUNITY


Thursday, July 9, 2015: 11:00 AM-12:15 PM
Room Number: 205 (Colorado Convention Center)
MP3 Recorded Presentation Handout

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

Purchase Access
Provide attendees with the tools and encouragement needed in order to set up a social skills program within their local community for adolescents and young adults with ASD. We will share our experiences in creating and sustaining a community based, direct social skills program for the past 8 years. This presentation will provide ten easy to implement steps to use in order to build a social skills training program within your committee for people who have Autism Spectrum Disorders. Attendees will learn how to build a sustainable social skills program by learning the following steps.

  1. Investigate the feasibility within the community    

  2. Present the idea to a non-profit support group

  3. Apply for funding through grants and donations

  4. Find an appropriate location

  5. Develop a social skills curriculum that focuses on soft-skills and college/work skills

  6. Find highly qualified instructors and paraprofessionals to teach program

  7. Find community peer volunteers to participate and help

  8. Find community partners to enhance the curriculum (Art Therapist, drama teacher, bank manager, personal director, police department)

  9. Social Skills Program Implementation

  10. Evaluation of the program

Presenters will share their experience of building a lasting social skills program within the community that participates and parents look forward to year after year.

Learning Objectives:

  • Identify ways to fund and create a social skills program for people with ASD in the community
  • Design a plan to execute the social skills program through curriculum and community activities

Content Area: Social Skills

Presenters:

Mary M. Giusti, Ed.S.
LEA / Special Education Deparment Head Rising Starr Middle School
Expectional Ops

Miss Mary Giusti has been teaching students with special needs in Fayette County for 11 years. Throughout her career, Miss Giusti has worked with students in interrelated collaborative and resource, general curriculum self-contained and adaptive curriculum self-contained classrooms. Her areas of expertise are autism, Specific Learning Disabilities and behavior.

Jenny Bellamy, Ed.S.
Autism Triad Program Lead Teacher. Also, Program Director for summer program
Teacher at Starr's Mill High School. Summer program - ExceptionalOps

Jenny Bellamy is the parent of a 19-year-old daughter with high functioning autism. Jenny has been teaching social skills in the public school system for 10 years (middle and high school). Jenny assisted in developing and executing the summer social skills program that she is proposing to present.

Amor Kok, Ed.D.
Counseleor Expectional Childdren's Services Fayette County
Exceptional Ops

Dr. Amor Kok has been the Counselor for Fayette County's Exceptional Children's Services since 2002. She was an economics teacher from 1991 to 1998 and school counselor from 1998-2002.

<< Previous Session | Next Session >>