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| When Peek-a-Boo Fails: How to Teach Eye Gaze to Young Children With Autism |
| Thursday, May 21, 2020 |
| 8:00 AM–11:00 AM |
| Virtual |
| Area: AUT/DDA; Domain: Applied Research |
| CE Instructor: Ivana Krstovska, Ph.D. |
| IVANA KRSTOVSKA (Lehman College, City University of New York) |
| Description: Impairment in eye gaze is one of the earliest symptoms identified in infants later diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Eye gaze impairment interferes with successful attention to environmental stimuli necessary for building the foundation of early social communication. As a result, the learning process of young learners with ASD is negatively affected. This workshop will first review the research on eye gaze interventions across both requesting and joint attention contexts. Prerequisite skills required for eye gaze will be identified next. Specific procedures to teach eye gaze across different social-communicative contexts, including requesting and joint attention will be described as well as planning for generalization. Video clips of typically developing toddlers and toddlers with ASD engaging in eye gaze will be viewed, followed by a guided practice of various prompting and prompt fading procedures to teach eye gaze. Strategies to decrease response effort during instruction will be discussed to help avoid the development of problem behavior during intervention. |
| Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the workshop, the participant will be able to: 1. assess and, if necessary, teach prerequisite skills needed for eye gaze 2. teach eye gaze in different social-communication contexts 3. decrease response effort to engage in eye gaze 4. plan for skill generalization and maintenance |
| Activities: This workshop will include a lecture, video observation, discussion, and guided practice. Supplemental materials with written procedures for each targeted skill will be provided to participants at the beginning of the workshop. |
| Audience: This workshop is developed for practitioners who work with young children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorders as direct service providers, supervisors, trainers or consultants in the early intervention program and preschool special education facilities as well as those who provide Applied Behavior Analytic home-based services. |
| Content Area: Practice |
| Instruction Level: Advanced |