Full Course Description

Advancing Social Engagement in Autism: Evidence-Based Strategies for Real-World Success

Dr. Jed Baker—one of the pioneers behind cognitive behavioral skills development for individuals with autism—brings together today’s leading voices in autism support to share what actually works when it comes to building real, lasting social connection.

In this high-impact session, Dr. Baker breaks down a powerful, inclusive model that blends a range of expert approaches, while tackling the big questions every clinician, educator, and parent faces:

How do we pinpoint the right social goals?
What sparks engagement and motivation in our learners?
How can we adapt our strategies to different language and developmental levels?
What ensures real-world success—not just in-session wins?
How do we create a community that supports neurodiverse peers?
And how do we measure what truly matters?

He’ll share case examples that bring these ideas to life—illustrating how to overcome common barriers and turn theory into connection.

Whether you’re working with kids, teens, or young adults, this session is packed with practical strategies to help individuals with ASD thrive socially and emotionally.

Program Information

Objectives

Identify key components of social skills training across various approaches.
Employ motivation strategies to increase social skills training buy in.
Develop practical skills for modifying teaching approaches for students with varying levels of receptive language comprehension.

Outline

What really makes social interaction work—and why does it break down for some?

Explore the core challenges behind social difficulties and why traditional approaches often miss the mark.

Key Components of Skill Development Across Methodologies

Introducing Our Panel of Speakers and Their Unique Contributions

Targeting relevant skills
Motivating participation in learning skills
Modifying the setting
Using teaching strategies suited to individual’s language functioning
Planning for generalization into the real world
Creating accepting peer environments
Measuring outcome

Case Studies Highlighting the Key Components of Skill Development

Helping less verbal students interact in meaningful ways with peers
Facilitating peer connections for highly verbal yet isolated students with ASD
Assisting adults in the dating world

Target Audience

Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
School Administrators
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses

Copyright : 14/11/2025

The Science of Relationships, Dating, and Employment: Evidence-Based Strategies from the UCLA PEERS® Program **Due to unforeseen circumstances, this session’s CE hours needed to be removed. Please see the Bonus Content tab for more information.

Join Dr. Elizabeth Laugeson, developer of the world-renowned UCLA PEERS® program, for an engaging and interactive session on the science of social success.

Through valuable insights into research outcomes, resources, handouts, and real-world case studies, you will gain actionable strategies for:

Making and keeping friends
Handling bullying and rejection
Developing and maintaining romantic relationships
Thriving in the workplace
Improving social confidence

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze difficulties among neurodivergent clients in making and keeping friends, handling bullying and rejection, developing romantic relationships, and maintaining employment.
Choose role-play demonstrations, social coaching, and real-world practice assignments to effectively teach social skills to teens and adults.
Develop practical skills for social coaching individuals in implementing PEERS® strategies using the 4 P’s (priming, prompting, praising, and providing corrective feedback).

Outline

Social differences among neurodivergent teens and young adults
Understanding the differences between peer rejection and social neglect
Examining the importance of improving friendship
Understanding the consequences of peer rejection
The role of neurodiversity and choice in learning social strategies
Overview of PEERS® curricula
Evidence-based methods of social skills instruction
Overview of PEERS® social strategies
- Making and keeping friends
  Case Vignette: Alex’s Struggle with Making and Keeping Friends
- Handling teasing and bullying
  Case Vignette: Maya’s Struggle with Teasing and Bullying
- Developing and maintaining romantic relationships
  Case Vignette: Jordan’s Struggle with Dating and Romantic Relationships
- Finding and maintaining competitive integrated employment
  Case Vignette: Sofia’s Struggle with Workplace Social Interactions and Job Stability
Summary of research findings for PEERS®
Risks and limitations of research and strategies
Overview of publicly available PEERS® resources

Target Audience

Psychologists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
School Administrators
Social Workers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses

Copyright : 14/11/2025

Thinking Socially: A Framework for Friendship-Building

From an early age, students are expected to work in groups and navigate peer relationships—even with those they wouldn’t naturally choose as friends. As social expectations grow more complex, many students struggle due to factors such as increased screen time, social anxiety, and reduced in-person interaction.

The Social Thinking Methodology offers practical strategies and metacognitive tools to help students better understand and engage with the social world. This session will include clinical stories that highlight how and why these frameworks were developed—and how they support lasting change.

Attendees will receive Thinksheets to help explore each concept in a practical, ready-to-use format for students or clients. They’ll also have time to reflect on how these tools apply not only to those they support—but their own social experiences as well.

(Originally developed for individuals with social learning differences, these frameworks have since been embraced in mainstream settings for their effectiveness in making the implicit rules of the social world more explicit and accessible.)

Program Information

Objectives

Evaluate the six different levels on the Friendship Pyramid into clinical practice to help clients break down the social world to improve social competencies.
Analyze the role of a student's inner voice in promoting or discouraging relationship building attempts.
Utilize a "Feelings Shift Across a Day" worksheet for students to tune into how their feelings shift across a time in a day.

Outline

The Social Competency Model
Developing one’s metacognitive awareness of one’s inner-voice: Inner Coach & Self-Defeater
10 Core Social Thinking Vocabulary
The Four Steps of Communication
Socially Based Executive Functioning
The Friendship Pyramid
How Feelings Are Different from Emotions
The Feelings Journal
Risks and limitations of research and techniques

Target Audience

Speech-Language Pathologist
Social Workers
Occupational Therapists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Psychologists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Case Managers
School Administrators
Nurses
Physical Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physical Therapist Assistants

Copyright : 14/11/2025

Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Action: A Pathway for Meaningful Social Interaction

Unlike traditional approaches that focus on Level 1 autistic individuals, this session highlights strategies to support those with higher support needs—especially non- or limited-speaking individuals who use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools.

Through a mix of lecture, case studies, and video, we’ll explore the 4 A’s of Autism—Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Action—as a practical framework for educators, clinicians, and allied professionals.

In this session, you’ll:

Gain awareness of social interaction challenges faced by non-speaking autistic individuals
Recognize when traditional methods fall short and AAC-based strategies are essential
Appreciate the strengths and contributions of nonspeaking individuals
Identify immediate and long-term steps to foster inclusive, empowering communication

Includes video clips from Carl the Collector, a groundbreaking PBS Kids series featuring an autistic lead character. A must-see session!

Program Information

Objectives

Apply the 4 A’s of Autism: Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation, and Action, when using assistance and augmentative communication (AAC) devices.
Choose 2 or more common software packages for improving communication and related social interaction.
Appraise 2 or more common hardware packages for improving communication and related social interaction.

Outline

Introduction

Outline of presentation
What brings me here, as an autistic person to focus on communication and social interaction for non and limited speaking autistic individuals.
What the 4 A’s of Autism: Awareness, Acceptance, Appreciation and Action mean to me as an autistic person

The 4 A’s of Autism

Relating the 4 A’s of Autism to recognizing and supporting a non or limited speaking individual for communication and social interaction.
Methods and materials for supporting a non or limited speaking individual for communication and social interaction
- Supporting software
- Supporting hardware

Implementation

Examples and case studies
What can you do today, over the next month, and the next year to support non and limited speaking autistic individuals for successful communication and related social interaction.

Conclusion

Summary of presentation
Description of risks and limitations of presentation content

Target Audience

Teachers/School-Based Personnel
School Administrators
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants
Social Workers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Psychologists
Case Managers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Nursing Home/Assisted Living Administrators
Addiction Professionals

Copyright : 15/11/2025

Critical Skills to Manage Overwhelming Frustration, Regulate Emotional Reactivity, and Curb Impulsivity

Individuals with challenging behaviors are often caught in a cycle of discipline—seclusion, exclusion, and even restraints—that can lead to lasting negative outcomes.

Parents, educators, and therapists are frequently overwhelmed by these behaviors and unsure how to respond in ways that truly support growth and long-term change.

This seminar will decode the underlying causes of behavioral outbursts and offer practical strategies to both calm and prevent them. You’ll learn to:

Remain calm in the midst of behavioral storms
Partner with the clients to identify the triggers behind meltdowns
Set up effective prevention plans to reduce outbursts
Teach critical emotion regulation and coping skills

Program Information

Objectives

Evaluate various factors that impact a client’s ability to successfully incorporate behavioral modifications to improve overall occupational engagement.
Describe the common feelings young people experience which lead to social-behavioral challenges.
Distinguish 7 common triggers to frustration and anxiety in young people with social-behavioral challenges.
Employ prevention plans for managing social-behavioral challenges in order to improve social participation and quality of life.

Outline

7 common triggers to frustration and anxiety in young people with social-behavioral challenges
Tools to facilitate distress tolerance
Provider self-regulation techniques and co-regulation strategies
Prevention plans for managing social-behavioral challenges
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Target Audience

Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Speech-Language Pathologists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
School Administrators
Social Workers
Case Managers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Addiction Professionals
Dieticians
Nursing Home/Assisted Living Administrators
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapy Assistants

Copyright : 15/11/2025

The Social World Unmasked: Teaching the Hidden Curriculum to Neurodivergent Minds

Join Brenda Smith Myles, PhD, to gain a compassionate understanding of the “hidden curriculum”—the often-unspoken social rules and expectations that can create barriers to inclusion and well-being. You’ll learn:

Respectful, strengths-based strategies for supporting neurodivergent individuals in recognizing, interpreting, and choosing how to respond to social expectations in ways that honor their authenticity
Tools to help individuals build agency and confidence by understanding context, prediction, slang, metaphors, and nonverbal communication—without pressure to mask or conform
Approaches to embed direct instruction and self-advocacy into everyday life, fostering independence and informed choice across environments

Through clinical stories, practical tools, and affirming guidance, you’ll leave prepared to help your clients navigate the social world on their terms—supporting connection, autonomy, and emotional safety at every step.

Program Information

Objectives

Analyze the use of hidden curriculum to improve clients understanding of social norms and expectations that will improve engagement in the occupation of social participation.
Assess the importance of the hidden curriculum across different settings such as school, community, and home.
Apply the hidden curriculum across preschool, middle school, high school, and adulthood.
Employ methods to teach the hidden curriculum across different ages and environments.

Outline

A Brief and Practical Overview of the Autistic Neurology Related to the Hidden Curriculum
- Two types of evidence that are important in understanding autism will be presented: the perceptions of autistic people and brain scans
- Risks and limitations of research, including instructional research, will be described
- Evidence in the following areas will be discussed learning, social/communication, generalization, reinforcement, sensory, and implicit learning
Why Teach the Hidden Curriculum
- The hidden curriculum, the set of unwritten rules that no one has been directly taught, but almost everyone knows, will be described
- Examples of its importance in multiple environments from preschool through adulthood will be discussed
How to Teach the Hidden Curriculum
- The instructional methods will be described and examples provided: one-a-day method, social narratives, cartooning, the Power Card Strategy, word scales, social autopsies, and video modeling
- The role of the mentor in supporting the use of the hidden curriculum will be discussed

Target Audience

Teachers/School-Based Personnel
School Administrators
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants
Social Workers
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors
Psychologists
Case Managers
Marriage & Family Therapists
Nurses
Nursing Home/Assisted Living Administrators
Addiction Professionals

Copyright : 15/11/2025

Supporting Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Growth in Autistic Children: Navigating Neuroplasticity, Gut-Brain Connection, and Sensorimotor Techniques

Led by Dr. Varleisha Lyons, this groundbreaking session aims to shift the narrative surrounding autism intervention by emphasizing empowerment rather than eradication of individual characteristics. Attend and you’ll learn how:

By embracing neurodiversity and capitalizing on strengths, you will learn how to create supportive environments encouraging confidence and exploration, ultimately promoting neuroplasticity and enhancing abilities across all domains including sensorimotor, social, emotional, and cognition
The brain-gut connection provides insights into managing client discomfort and challenging behaviors, paving the way for improved well-being and the expression of inherent gifts
Sensorimotor techniques can optimize motor performance and sensory processing, leveraging areas of strength to foster social-emotional growth

Don't miss this opportunity to revolutionize your approach to autism intervention and support the full potential of autistic individuals in our communities. Register now!

Program Information

Objectives

Implement and skillfully embrace a strength-based sensorimotor approach when working with autistic individuals
Gain insights into the neuro mechanisms associated with the diagnosis of Autism and the brain-gut connection
Implement the Self-Regulation and Mindfulness Approaches a support tool for both families and individuals with Autism
Cultivate a supportive environment through contextual sensory intervention approach

Outline

Strength-based Sensorimotor Approaches and Autism Care

Advocacy initiatives
Empowerment rather than eradication of individual characteristics
Bridging the gap from treatment to acceptance

The Neurobiology of Autism

Peripheral and central nervous overview
The sensory system: Why clients flap
Intersection of trauma and autism
Gap between the age of concern and age of diagnosis

Improve Social, Emotional, and Cognitive Function

Self-Regulation and Mindfulness Intervention Program

Strength-based sensorimotor techniques
From “Safety and Self-Reservation” to “Reciprocal Mindfulness”
The brain-gut connection to manage challenging behaviors
Apply rhythm, heavy work, auditory, and praxis
Strategies to regulate the vagal response
A.C.T.I.O.N from Trauma Interventions
Body scanning, inversion, and more
Supportive environmental strategies

Target Audience

Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Speech-Language Pathologists
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
School Administrators
School Social Workers
Physicians
School Counselors
School Psychologists
School Guidance Counselors
Psychologists
Social Workers
Licensed Professional Counselors
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants

Autism Assessment Across the Spectrum: Strategies for Recognizing Functional Differences and Closing the Gender Gap

Current diagnostic criteria for autism continue to be based on how autism looks in boys and men.

To make matters worse, it relies almost exclusively on observable behaviour while many other conditions, such as depression and anxiety disorders, have included the personal experience of “felt perspective” of the individual being evaluated.

These traditional approaches contribute to the under identification of autistic people, especially in those who camouflage well including girls and women and those considered “high-functioning.” To improve recognition of autism, a paradigm shift is needed.

In this recorded session, view Drs. Aspy and Grossman, as they guide you through strategies for acknowledging personal experiences of autistic individuals and minimizing the impact of masking during the assessment process. You’ll learn how to effectively:

Assess functional skills in the areas of communication, social, sensory processing, and motor skills
Increase the recognition of autism in girls and women
Integrate the client’s personal perspective into the assessment process

This session incorporates core elements from their award-winning Ziggurat Model, a framework designed to meet underlying needs while capitalizing on strengths.

Program Information

Objectives

Design an evaluation plan for assessing functional skills and support needs of people across the spectrum using formal and informal instruments.
Create a strategy for increasing the recognition of girls and women through the assessment process used in your current employment setting.
Revise current evaluation strategies to integrate the client’s personal perspective into the assessment process.

Outline

Autism Imperfectly Defined

How the DSM and IDEA define autism
Adverse impact/Clinically significant impairment in functioning
Not a cookbook: A special note on Social (pragmatic) Communication Disorder

History of the Problem

Over fifty years of “If I don’t see it then it doesn’t count”
Relying on data from boys and men – creating the gender gap
Common myths of autism evaluation versus reality
Failure to recognize that experienced transdisciplinary teams using clinical judgment are the “gold standard”

Strategies Including Informal and Formal Instruments to:

Integrate the client’s personal perspective into the assessment process
Get beyond the mask and recognize canned language and scripting
Design an evaluation plan for assessing functional skills and support needs
Increase recognition of autism in girls and women
Revise current evaluations to integrate the client’s personal perspective into the assessment process

Target Audience

Psychologists
Social Workers
Speech-Language Pathologists
Occupational Therapists
Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counsellors
Marriage & Family Therapists
School Administrators
Teachers/School-Based Personnel
Case Managers
Nurses
Addiction Professionals

Therapy with Autistic Clients: Empowering Teens and Adults through ACT, CFT, DBT, and Self-Compassion

The correlation between autism and anxiety, phobias, suicidality, depression, and other mental health disorders is well-established.

But the complexities involved in treating autistic and other neurodivergent clients often result in less-than-ideal clinical outcomes.

Watch Jennifer Gerlach, LCSW, a neurodivergent psychotherapist and author, in this one-of-a-kind course focused on giving you the confidence and specialized intervention tools you need to maximize your therapeutic results in working with teens and adults with diagnosed or suspected autism.

You will finish with the ability to:

Recognize signs of masking in your assessment process to get to the underlying diagnosis
Apply neurodiversity-affirming ACT, CFT, DBT, and self-compassion interventions for depression, anxiety, and other mental health concerns
Minimize verbal and non-verbal communication barriers and sensory processing differences in the therapeutic process
Employ interventions for families, couples, and group work with neurodivergent youth and adults

Purchase now to effectively meet the critical needs of this growing population.

Program Information

Objectives

Utilize assessment strategies to identify neurodivergent clients.
Choose interventions to improve self-compassion, self-acceptance, and self-validation in neurodivergent clients.
Use community interventions to reduce isolation and social exclusion.
Determine how to adapt traditional psychotherapy strategies to meet the needs of neurodivergent clients.
Choose strategies to build self-advocacy skills in neurodivergent youth.
Utilize compassion focused strategies to reduce rejection-sensitive dysphoria.

Outline

Core Concepts of Autism and Other Neurodiversities
Foxes and wolves: experiencing the world differently

Diagnostic features
Neurodiversity-specific phenomena
- Executive functioning
- Sensory processing
- Alexithymia
Intense world theory
Intersectionality with gender identity
Common mental health comorbidities
Counseling with a neurodiversity-affirming lens

Neurodiversity Screening and Assessment

Red flags of undiagnosed adults
Intake screening tools for common comorbid conditions
- Depression and anxiety
- Eating disorders
- School dropout
- Addictions
- Suicidality
- Social anxiety
Assessment strategies using a neurodiversity-affirming lens
Characteristics of autism vs. mental health diagnoses
The impact of masking on diagnostics
Case study: Autistic college student, presenting with severe anxiety

Autism in the Therapy Room

Create safety through sensory and communication techniques adopted from DBT and CFT
Set up the environment and capitalize on the need for routine
3 must-use rapport-building activities
CFT strategies to increase a client’s emotional and somatic awareness while building self-compassion

From Knowledge to Practice
Address the Fall-Out of Living in a Neurotypical World

Five executive functioning skill-building strategies to reduce autistic burnout
Compassion-focused approaches to minimize rejection-sensitive dysphoria
Community interventions to reduce isolation and social exclusion
Strategies to minimize meltdowns and shutdowns through dialectical approaches
Double empathy and its impact on relationships
Limitations of the research and potential risks

Counselling Autistic Adults
Practical Applications of Inclusive Therapy Modalities

ACT strategies to create self-compassion
LAND: a DBT-inspired framework for selfadvocacy
Adaptive strategies to elicit value-based goal setting
Address sexuality and romantic relationship challenges
Couples’ work – 3 strategies to enhance empathy and communication
CBT approaches to support employment and move toward value-based goals

Counselling Autistic Teens
Interventions with a slightly different approach

Strategies for family therapy
Bully-proofing ACT strategies
Play therapy approaches to build resilience
Refocus activities to calm the mind storms
Talk to kids about their brains
Exercises for self-advocacy and self-efficacy
Tools to help kids build genuine social connections
Case study: Youth Talking Circle

Target Audience

Social workers
Counsellors
Psychologists
Psychotherapists
Addiction Counsellors
Art Therapists
Marriage & Family Therapists
Behavioral Health Nurses
Psychiatrists
Occupational Therapists
Other Mental Health Professionals