Lack of communication is the number one reason for problem behavior. In this session we will discuss how to identify what a child's problem behavior is telling us about their need for communication and how to teach them to communicate the things they need. When children know that the are understood and that there communication is honored, much of their problem behavior goes away and growing blossoms.
MA BCBA LBA, Elevation Behavioral Science Services
Danielle Merritt MA BCBA LBA loves the work she does as the owner and director of Elevation Behavioral Science Services. Danielle is a Licensed Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (MA BCBA LBA) with a master’s degree in Applied Behavior Analysis and a master’s certification in Autism... Read More →
Saturday April 26, 2025 10:35am - 11:35am PDT
Room D6
An autism diagnosis can often cause strain on relationships with extended family members. Autism causes many families to totally change how they do life and those changes can be hard for extended family members to accept. In this session, we will talk about how to foster a good relationship with these extended family members who don't understand autism or who are not supportive. We will talk about communication, setting appropriate boundaries, and regulating our emotions around these people. We will discuss being intentional about how we want to react to unthoughtful comments from extended family members. I have a Master's degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development and I have a lot of personal experience in navigating these tricky relationships with my own family.
DEVELOPING A LEGO THERAPY PROGRAM FOR SOCIAL, COMMUNICATION, and IMPULSE CONTROL SKILL DEVELOPMENT IN BOTH SCHOOLS AND HOMES
Lego Therapy is a research-based intervention for individuals on the Autism spectrum that is under utilized and can be implemented effectively in a home or school environment. This session will address how to create a Lego Therapy Program and support implementation in homes or schools; specifically how to do Lego Therapy; the specific social, emotional, impulse-control, and communication skills that Lego Therapy targets; the current data on Lego Therapy effectiveness; and how to incorporate it into Tier 2 School Intervention/SpEd programs and home environments. Participants will get a hands-on demonstration of a Lego Therapy session as well as the informational materials needed to get started on Lego Therapy in their home or school.
Brynn Bell is passionate about mental health therapy and applied behavior analysis (ABA) and is especially outspoken about the importance of early intervention and working with youth. She has worked in an ABA clinic setting providing both mental health and behavior analysis services... Read More →
Saturday April 26, 2025 1:30pm - 2:30pm PDT
Room C5
In this session, we will talk about best practices for healthy marriages with a special emphasis on how to do this with special needs children. We will talk about focusing on what we can and can't control, allowing ourselves to grieve and feel emotion when it comes up, reframing negative thoughts and decreasing resentment towards our partners, and setting aside adequate time for the marriage. I have a Master's degree in Marriage, Family, and Human Development and I used to teach healthy relationships classes for the USU Extension Office before my child was diagnosed with autism. So I knew a ton about how to have a healthy relationship, but keeping a marriage alive with a severely autistic child is hard! I have learned so much the last 7 years on how to keep the family and marriage functioning while dealing with really hard situations.
We will talk about the Spell to Communicate (S2C) method and the in and outs of what it is and why it works for so many nonspeaking and minimal speaking autistic kids.
