Thursday Workshop A

"Autism Spectrum Disorders: What We Know, What We Don't Know, and Where We're Going"

Given hypervigilant media attention, dramatic increases in the number of individuals being identified, and the mystique of the condition, it is almost impossible to go through a day without hearing something about autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The barrage of information is frequently confusing as the claims being made are contradictory. Do gluten-free, casein-free diets really help? Which behaviors are related to the autism spectrum and which behaviors are typical of all children and adolescents? Do vaccines really cause ASD? If not, what does cause ASD? If he's so smart, why does that young man with ASD do such stupid things? Dr. Heflin will separate fact from fantasy, provide the bottom line on what is known and unknown about ASD, and discuss what the future holds for children and youth with ASD, as well as those who work with them.  

Dr. Juane Heflin has over 25 years of experience learning about and advocating for individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). After earning her Bachelor's degree from Abilene Christian University and Master's degree from North Texas State University, she taught in the Ft. Worth Independent School District in a classroom for children with autism and emotional/behavioral disorders where she was given the "Outstanding Young Educator" award in 1987. After earning her doctorate at the University of North Texas, she taught at Stephen F. Austin State University. For the last 15 years, she has coordinated the program at Georgia State University which prepares teachers to effectively educate students on the autism spectrum. Dr. Heflin continues to work with school districts and agencies to ensure quality programming for students with ASD. She co-edits the journal, Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities. Her coauthored book, Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Effective Instructional Practices, published by Pearson in 2007 (2^nd edition in 2012), has been translated into Korean.

Robert Hull

Thursday Workshop B

Dr. Richard West

Thursday Workshop C

Elements of Effective Instruction: Essential and Practical Tools for Schools of the Future

This workshop will describe the research findings and the intervention implications derived from Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) data.  Four instructional variables have been identified which account for 2/3 of the variance of academic achievement. These variables are four times more predictive of school success than community risk factors, five times more than parent support, 15 times more than teacher qualifications, 37 times more than school leadership, and 60 times more than school resources. The strongest relationships are found for young and disadvantaged learners.

Indicators of School Quality (ISQ) is a comprehensive school assessment system based on the principle of “wise crowds”. The ISQ has been used in more than 1,600 schools in 14 states and two foreign countries. More than 860,000 students, 615,000 parents, and 85,000 teachers and school personnel have participated.

Participants will learn about the ISQ model, methods for data collection and analysis and the powerful implications for improving school outcomes for struggling students. The training will provide information about each critical element of effective school instruction and specific examples of practical strategies and tactics to apply across a wide variety of school settings.

Dr. Richard P. West is executive director of Utah State University's Center for the School of the Future, a research center dedicated to the development and promotion of best practices in education.  He is also professor of special education and rehabilitation counseling. He currently directs the Utah School Improvement Partnership and various research and demonstration projects funded by state and federal grants.  He has directed more than $20 million in research, training, and demonstration projects during his 30 years at Utah State University.  Prior to this, Dr. West was a school administrator in a large metropolitan school district.

Dr. John Maag

Saturday Workshop

Public schools often have organizational structures that form barriers for dealing effectively with students’ challenging behaviors. Resistance to change occurs at both institutional and individual levels. Improving student behavior requires shifting away from established paradigms and the impediments they cause. It is not easy to change paradigms because they exist as unquestioned tacit understanding and changing them exposes individuals and institutions to risks they may not be willing to take. This presentation exposes the logical flaws in the dominant paradigm and common misconceptions for managing students’ challenging behaviors. Also presented is a method for establishing new paradigms by making use of the 80/20 principle which states that 80% of efforts result in only 20% of outcomes. The goal is for schools to develop flexibility and maximize resources for addressing students’ challenging behaviors.

Dr. John W. Maag is a Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln where he specializes in the education and treatment of children and adolescents with emotional and behavioral disorders.  He is a nationally recognized behavioral consultant on best practices for managing resistance and improving relationships with others.  Dr. Maag has published over 90 articles and book chapters as well as authoring four books—one of which, Parenting without Punishment, won a Parent’s Choice award.  He was also the recipient of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Distinguished Teaching Award.  A licensed psychotherapist, Dr. Maag is a frequent public speaker and consulting editor to numerous journals.  

Dr. Mitchell Yell

Saturday Workshop 

"Developing Educationally Meaningfully and Legally Correct IEPs using the S.M.A.R.T. Process"

The development of a student’s individualized education program (IEP) is a crucial step in his or her special education programming.   The IEP is of critical importance to educators, parents, and students. It serves the purpose of directing and monitoring all aspects of a student's special education program.  The IEP is the document and process that formalizes the free appropriate public education (FAPE) for students with disabilities.  Additionally, the IEP is at the center of many, perhaps most, disputes, hearings, and litigation in special education. In this presentation, I will discuss the importance of developing S.M.A.R.T. IEPs.  S.M.A.R.T. IEPs are educationally meaningful and legally correct and are a win-win for teachers, students, and parents. My goals in this presentation are to (a) discuss the essential attributes of a S.M.A.R.T. IEP, (a) present a four-step process for developing S.M.A.R.T. IEPs and (b) demonstrate how parents and teachers can develop annual goals that are ambitious and measurable. Participants will be able to: Discuss the essential components of a S.M.A.R.T. IEPIdentify the four steps in developing S.M.A.R.T. IEPs Distinguish between goals that are measurable and meaningful and annual goals that are neither. Use effective strategies to develop measurable annual goals.

Mitchell L. Yell, Ph.D., is the Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chaired Professor in Teacher Education and a Professor in Special Education in the College of Education at the University of South Carolina (USC) in Columbia, South Carolina. Prior to coming to the University of South Carolina, Dr. Yell was a special education teacher in Minnesota for 16 years. During this time he taught in elementary, middle, and secondary classrooms for students with autism, mild mental retardation, learning disabilities, and emotional and behavioral disorders. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in 1992. His professional interests include: special education law; evidence based interventions for children and youth with emotional disorders, autism, and learning disabilities; school wide positive behavior support; and progress monitoring.

Dr. Yell has published 80 journal articles, three textbooks (The Law and Special Education, 2nd edition, Evidence-based Practices for Educating Students with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, and No Child Left Behind, both in their first edition, published by Pearson/Merrill Education), 14 book chapters, and has conducted numerous workshops on many aspects of special education law and the education of students with mild disabilities. He is currently working on four additional textbooks: Developing educationally meaningful and legally sound IEPs, Nature and Characteristics of Children and Youth with Emotional and Behavioral Disorders (with Michael Rozalski), Preventing Disruptive Classroom Behaviors: Strategies for Teachers (with Stephen Smith and T. Rowand Robinson), and Using Sound Instructional Practices: A Key to Student Learning and Classroom Management (with Geoff Colvin).