They Taught Him to Fish, Then Let Go

By PETER APPLEBOME
FREEPORT, N.Y.
The invitation for Dan Mulvaney’s graduation Sunday showed a burly young man with a hipster’s goatee wearing a graduation cap (courtesy of Photoshop) and holding a real striped bass he caught in the bay behind Long Beach High School.
It read: “ ’Twas said that by teaching a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime.
“Dan Mulvaney has learned to fish, learned to cook and accomplished many things. Dan is ready to take on the world. Join us in celebration of his graduation, with honor, from Long Beach High School.”
It concluded: “Casual cuisine, beach-friendly dress code, indescribable pride.”
You could sense that indescribable pride Friday as his father, Jim Mulvaney, watched his son at work at the recreation center in this Long Island suburb just across the bay from their home.
After all, Dan holds down two jobs, at the recreation center here and the Lakewood Stables in West Hempstead. He’s getting ready to move into a house with three friends. He cooks — mostly pasta — and picks up after himself and does his chores at home better than most of his peers. His mother, Barbara Fischkin, says when they walk on the boardwalk in this unpretentious seaside town, more people greet him than her. Dan often accompanies his father to a local bar like Geri’s or John Henry’s, nursing a Sprite and picking the olive out of his father’s martini.
At 21, he has even managed to learn to say a few words — hi, mom, dad, more, food, bathroom and a few others. He may indeed be ready to take on the world, but at the very low end of the autism developmental scale, he’ll take it on with very limited tools. He’ll almost certainly need a full-time caregiver for the rest of his life.
Every graduation has its own history and conflicting story lines — pride, nostalgia, joy, achievement, regret, separation. It’s hard to know who’s in for more change and who’s better prepared for it, the graduate or the parents.
But this is a graduation that seemed unlikely to happen, so you can multiply all the emotions by 2, 3 or 10. Dan seemed on a normal developmental track for his first three and a half years until things went haywire. His speech suddenly stopped. He sat in a corner gnawing on his shirt. His parents first thought it would pass, then that it was a hearing issue, and finall y the cold, terrifying diagnosis came.
In the early years, the school district had no idea what to do with him and said he was better off at home or a “special school.”
As a middle school student he was isolated from other children and placed in the corner of a foyer where the solution was to let him bounce on a trampoline, ride an exercise bike and nap as frequently as possible. His parents were told that at least one teacher referred to him as “an animal” from whom other students needed protection.
The school district insisted that Dan be sent to an institutional setting, an idea his parents balked at even before a state official had warned them that a school recommended by the district had problems with pedophilia.
And for all the expense and havoc, the $50,000 yearly baby-sitting bills, the disruption he created to careers and relationships, they didn’t want their son in an institution. They wanted him in a local school and in his own house.
“Parenthood is not something you can abdicate,” Mr. Mulvaney said. “No one is going to look after your child better than you, especially a hard child.”
SO instead, with the assistance of the district’s head of special education, Mary Tatem, they pushed and prodded, became total pests, made themselves and the district crazy but ended up with the best education Dan could hope for, one where he ate with other kids and became part of their world — good for him, good for them. And along the way Long Beach transformed itself from a district that barely knew how to deal with special-needs kids into one of the best in the region.
None of it is perfect. How could it be? But Sunday, Dan was coaxed into putting on his graduation gown and, after halting for a moment as if pleased and surprised by the enormous burst of applause, received his diploma. About 60 people came to his house to celebrate — parents, teachers, advocates for the autistic, his pediatrician, the friends who greet him on the boardwalk.
On Monday, he goes off to a summer camp, and then he’ll begin his new life at a group home. And he and his parents, like so many this time of year, will start anew with both a new set of possibilities and unalterable ties to the life they’ve somehow suddenly, miraculously outgrown.
E-mail: peappl@nytimes.com

Wide World of Adaptive Sports

On Sunday June 14th, 2009 Kulanu, together with the Five Towns JCC, CAHAL, and TOVA, held its first Wide World of Adaptive Sports symposium for parents and their children with special needs at HAFTR Elementary school. Coaching parents in the techniques of breaking down sports to adaptive skills for their children, parents and children spent the morning at karate, yoga, basketball, soccer and aerobics workshops run by Kulanu specialists and visiting professionals. Information tables for other adaptive sporting events such as golf, baseball, horseback riding, Special Olympics, and track and field events were on hand. As an added perk, the first fifty participants were given free bike helmets.
The highlight of the day featured an inclusion baseball game played by Kulanu members and special guests from the Young Israel of Woodmere’s little league team. Parents burst with pride as their children hit, ran and fielded during the game. One parent commented that she’d like to someday see “kids with special needs integrated into community little league teams.”
Steven Cuomo, founder of Rolling Thunder, a Track and Field team that includes individuals with disabilities running side-by-side with “typical” runners, enthused about the importance of getting all kids involved in sports.
“In the classroom you can tell the difference between a child with autism and the others. Put the same group of teens on a track field and they all are same. It’s time we stated focusing on peoples abilities and help them build on their strengths instead of looking at what they can’t do.”
All participants were given a take-home guide to special needs sports that Kulanu compiled. If you would like a copy of the guide and further information about the many programs available to families with children with disabilities, please contact Leiby Brill at 516-569-6664 or e-mail to leiby@kulanukids.org.

SUMMER 2009 programs and camps for Special Needs families

Here's a quick outline of all the summer programs and special needs camps for SUMMER 2009! Attachments and listing will also be posted on our website, www.ManhassetSEPTA.org throughout the summer for your convenience-hope you find them helpful and wishes for a fun, healthy summer for all!
Events:
Special Day for Special Kids Event-Sat July 25 and Sun July 26, 11am-4pm. Summer Festival for children with developmental disabilities (including Autism Spectrum, ADHD, OCD, Tourette's, and related neurobiological disorders) and their families! Wall climbing, EuroBungee, mini golf, bouncy castle, giant slide, swimming pool and water slide, baseball, basketball, toddler and big kid playgrounds, paddle boat and MORE! West Hills Day Camp in Huntington $12/adult-$6 for kids 12-3y/o (free for 3y/o and under) Bring lunch-or buy it there. www.specialdayforspecilakids.com (See attached flyer.)

Learn to ride a two-wheel bike-ALL kids welcomed! Log on to www.bikeny.org and sign up for the free class. This group also helps fits helmets (can provide one also!) and size handlebars and seats to child's body and more! It's a 2 hrs workshop FREE--typical and special needs kids.

Free Summer Family Film Festival-Westbury Stadium 12 theaters at Brush Hollow Road is hosting free family movies every Tues and Weds at 10am all summer long! Space Chimps, Kung Fu Panda, Curious George, Barnyard and lots of family films your kids might have missed in the past years-or would love to see on the big screen again. Visit the Regal movies website for the complete listing (festival is nationwide!) http://www.regmovies.com/nowshowing/familyfilmfestivalschedule.aspx?state=NY

Surfer's Way will be having three special needs tandem surfing experiences this summer at Long Beach, NY. Everything is supplied and free including individual tandem surfing instructor, wetsuit, life vests and boards-just bring a towel and sunscreen! Check out their site for details and dates http://surfersway.org

Hooves for Hope at the Sand's Point Preserve is now accepting enrollment for their Equine assisted program for special needs children and their families. Check out their website for more information and an application http://www.hoovesforhope.org/ .
Programs:

The Mosaic School Summer Program for children 7-16 y/o with Autism offers a behavioral school program in Wantagh with 6 or 8 week program that includes recreational activities that support social skills, behavior management, and academics over the summer. Call 516-765-3696 for more details.

St. Mary's Kids at Roslyn now offers programs for k-3 and 4-8 grades including therapeutic listening, Wii exercise program, handwriting without tears, and more programs this summer. Call 516-621-2681 or email Sharon Pardo at spardo@stmaryskids.org for information on programs.

Power Pals' Afternoon Recreation Program-This program in Glen Cove is open to special needs and typically developing children ages 6-10 y/o from 1pm-4pm from June 29th to Aug 14th. Daily program includes bike riding lessons, sports snack and water play headed by "Skills-n-Drill Bootcamp's" own Coach Chris Speziali! Call 516-359-7734 or register online at www.power-pals.com. (See attached file)

For Teens and College Students with ASDs: Summer Organization and Academics Readiness at the Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism and Developmental Disabilities' Advantage Care Diagnostic and Treatment Center. This short term "coaching" therapy program focuses on self-awareness, organizational skills and executive functioning over 8weeks with a 1:1 skill building program (45 minutes per session). Bring a blank planner and get ready to get organized! If you are interested, please contact Laurie Perlis, Psy.D., program coordinator for more information at 516-686-4440.

Kehilla Vocation Experience at Sid Jacobson JCC is a 6 week summer vacation and work experience rolled into one for 16-21 y/o special needs young adults. Program includes two vocational sites throughout the summer and one day a week for fun-filled day trips, with fitness, art therapy and drama included as daily activities. (See attached flyer.) Contact Lisa Warren at lwarren@sjjcc.org or call 516-484-1545 ext 786.

Camps:
Ramapo Camp:
Footholds for the Future, a prep program for young adults with special needs who require supportive services on the road to independence. This program is designed to provide an inclusive group living experience focused on building healthy relationships, learning essential life skills, and practicing job-related competencies. Ramapo will operate two 12-week sessions in 2009 and three 12-week sessions in 2010 at Ramapo's Rhinebeck, NY campus. Participants may enroll in multiple sessions. 2009 Program Dates for summer; June-September 2009 (start and end dates are flexible) and fall; September 2-November 24, 2009 For more information and to apply, contact Mike Fleet at footholds@ramapoforchildren.org

Get Your Feet Wet for children is a new one-week camp program now available in August for first timers to sleep-away camp. Swimming, crafts, hikes, cookouts, and sing-alongs--all the best activities of the summer along with a wide range of special events will be offered during Ramapo's inaugural "Get Your Feet Wet" program, set for Saturday, August 22 through Saturday, August 29, 2009. For more information, please call us at (845) 876-8423 or e-mail mkunin@ramapoforchildren.org .
Camp Ramapo for 5-10y/o for one to six week programs. See attached flyer for details.

Mid Island Y JCC Afternoon Day Camp for Special Needs Children 3-10 y/o-The perfect compliment to CPSE or CSE morning programs, with a 2-to-1 child/counselor ratio to enjoy the summer camp experience. Program runs from June 30th to Aug 19th and includes swimming in their Olympic sized pool, sports, outside playground, music, snack and more. Contact Doreen McIlwaine at 516-822-3535 or via email at dmcilwaine@miyjcc.org for more info and prices.

Great website to help your summer routine and travel:
An online resource that helps walk parents through outlining and creating an ABA program to use at home, camp, and during summer happenings. www.rethinkautism.com

An online guide of gluten free eating for all of Long Island--www.GlutenfreeLI.com

And last..
NYS PTA's June Advocacy Newsletter and Legislative Briefs
Available on the website, www.nyspta.org, The Advocacy Newsletter reports information on education; environment; special education; health and wellness; parenting and family life; family, school and community engagement; and cyber/media safety. The Legislative Briefs... reports the latest information on both State and Federal legislative activity from the Legislation chairman.

Membership Connections
To help network and share information, SEPTA offers personal recommendations to explore and judge for yourself. Please email us with any recommendations or networking requests you may have!

Remember, KNOWLEDGE IS POWER-Please forward this on, and send us info to share! It is Manhasset SEPTA's mission to empower with knowledge, supporting parents and staff to give every child excellence in education and quality of life.

Many thanks, Manhasset SEPTA

Another Mother’s Musings

New Beginnings
By Phyllis Lubin
Published on Thursday, June 18, 2009

A beautiful dress was chosen. The hair was cut and styled perfectly. Everyone involved knew the date and time to be there. The excitement was building all day. The babysitter was due to arrive in time for us to get good seats (neither Yussie nor Lea would be able to stay awake so late). Rochel needed to be there an hour early, so her dad was available, of course, to get her there on time. And everything worked out perfectly.

In the one day that has passed since Rochel’s graduation, many thoughts have gone through my head. Somehow, after all these years, I can still remember my junior-high-school graduation. (We called it “junior high school” then, not “middle school.” I’m not sure why the change was made, but perhaps somehow “middle” is now deemed more appropriate.) My junior-high-school graduation stands out in my mind more so than my college graduation. I never had a high-school graduation, since the “fad” at the time was to go to college on early admissions; and I missed my law-school graduation, since I gave birth to my eldest son, Naftali, the day before that big day. College graduation day was shared with hundreds of other graduates that I didn’t know, listening to speeches from people I had never met, and the attendance was so huge that there was no way I could spot my parents or any familiar smiling faces.

Graduation from junior high school was much more intimate. It was conducted in the school gym on Washington Avenue in Lawrence. My graduating class comprised about 30 students (compared to almost 100 in Rochel’s graduating class). Everyone knew everyone else’s name, and I certainly got to see the smiling faces of my parents, grandparents, uncle, and brother as I received my diploma.

Fast-forward a few decades, to June 14, 2009. My 13-year-old daughter, Rochel Raiza Lubin, has reached this milestone. Too big a crowd to meet in the school gym where I graduated, we gathered at Congregation Beth Sholom (next door to the school). The shul was filled to capacity. Hundreds of smiling faces watched their loved ones. A new tradition began this year, as alumni of the school were invited to personally present the diploma to their loved ones. As my husband and I are both alumni of this fine institution, we were both called to the front to present Rochel’s diploma personally. I had my moment again, as I had so many years before, to see my mother’s smiling face before me, although this time with an added ingredient—my amazing daughter Rochel.

I cannot complete this column without shepping a little nachas. My daughter Rochel is indeed special. She has blossomed into the mature young high-school woman she is today. Her kindness and caring towards her grandparents, siblings, parents, and friends is known by all. Specifically, her patience with her younger siblings is remarkable. Her dedication to helping out at the Kulanu Sunday program is truly commendable. She actually began her “work” at Kulanu eight years ago, before Yussie was old enough to attend, as a “friend” to other children with disabilities at Kulanu.

For the past month, since my dad’s injury, Rochel has been by my side on countless trips to the hospital, and now, thankfully, to visit him at home. She knows just the right things to say and do to cheer him up. In fact, she enjoys helping him with the laptop computer to enable him to use e-mail and stay in contact with life outside his house. Rochel knows just the right way to cheer anyone up when they are down. Her enthusiasm is contagious!

According to the dictionary, graduation is the “conferral or receipt of an academic degree or diploma marking completion of studies.” I think I would like to add another facet to this definition: “Conferral or receipt of an academic degree or diploma marking a new beginning in life.” A promotion, if you will, to another level in the course of a lifetime. As a high-school student, even more will be expected from our graduates, and I have the faith, along with Rochel’s entire family, that she will use the skills that she has acquired to succeed at anything she wants in life! Mazel tov!


Phyllis Joy Lubin is an attorney with Rosenfeld & Maidenbaum, LLP, who resides in Cedarhurst with her husband Leonard and six children: Naftali, Shoshana, Rivka, Rochel, Yosef, and Lea. She welcomes your questions and comments at MothersMusings@gmail.com.

Opportunities for in-home respite in Queens

Ohel Bais Ezra has opportunities for families that live in Queens to

receive in-home respite services. In-home respite provides temporary

relief to families for several hours per week. While providing this

respite, trained counselors work with these children and adults with

developmental disabilities on a 1:1 basis, providing socialization

and skill building activities. For more information please call

Intake at (718) 686-3471 or email BEintake@ohelfamily.org

Kumu; The Second Annual Kulanu Musical

On May 17th, 2009 Kulanu’s Sunday Recreation Program “musical production” KUMU, showcased the music and movement that has been enjoyed all year by our participants and volunteers. The name of the musical, “Kumu” (stand up) was Kulanu’s way of reminding everyone to “stand up and make a difference”.

This years’ production took its inspiration from the Off Broadway hit STOMP. The production, conducted in front of parents of participants and volunteers was filled with music and beats created by garbage cans and handmade instruments.

For the past 10 years hundreds of children from our communities have been getting up early on Sundays to attend our program. As a result, Kulanu’s Sunday Morning Activity Inclusion Program has impacted the lives of children with disabilities and community volunteers simply by spending dedicated time to have fun together by attending movement classes, adaptive sports, therapeutic music, arts and crafts, and learning about Jewish holidays and heritage. To find out more about the Sunday Program or are interested in volunteering, please call Leiby Brill at 516-569-6664. We look forward to seeing you there!

Kulanu senior receives “The Baco Boys Award”

Kulanu senior, Yigal Rosengarten was among the 15 individuals given Awards for Devotion and Commitment in Action at a ceremony at Temple Hillel on Thursday night, May 14th, 2009. What has been termed “The Baco Boys Award” was established by the Five Towns Jewish Council in the memory of four teenage Camp Baco counselors: David Altschuler, Adam Cohen, Jonah Richman, and Jordan Satin, who drowned while heroically attempting to save each other in the rain-swollen Boquet River.

The Five Towns Jewish Council acknowledges their untimely passing and promotes the qualities of selfless service to humanity by annually presenting The Award for Devotion and Commitment in Action to local students.

In nominating Yigal, the Kulanu faculty noted his participation in Tomchei Shabbos, delivering food to the needy before Shabbos and his participation in the Kulanu Fair where he is instrumental during early morning set-up, working a full day and assisting in clean up at the end of this annual event. Mr. Michael Trotta, the school coordinator and Mrs. Melissa Sornik, social worker, noted that Yigal’s demonstration of chesed on a daily basis was the over-riding reason for his nomination. During the school day, Yigal is known to intercede in classmates interactions, ensuring that the “under-dog” is fairly represented.

The administrators and faculty members of Kulanu are proud to acknowledge Yigal’s accomplishments and wish him a hearty Yasher Koach.

Applied Behavior Analysis and Social Thinking

Newsletter
Michelle Garcia Winner's Update on Social Thinking

In This Issue
Social Thinking Providers Conference

Early Reg. Ends June 11!

Michelle's Blogs: "I Don't Care!"

Gifted at Home But Not in School?

Free Book Offer through June 15!

Seattle-Area Workshops

Dallas - with Carol Gray

So. San Francisco Workshops

Need More Intensive Training?


Quick Links

Up to 20% off Workshops

Superflex, Social Detective & More Books

Michelle's Blog


Social Thinking Providers Conference!
June 27-28
Santa Clara, CA
This two-day workshop will focus on the emerging concept of combining Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Social Thinking. Our speakers will present creative strategies related to teaching Social Thinking in schools and private practices, including those related to refining social behavior mapping, using more visual strategies to teach Social Thinking and learning a concrete way to teach friend files. We will have details of a creative summer program, a school that blends behaviorism with social teachings and more! Go to the website for the agenda and speaker summaries.

Read more




A Politically Incorrect Look at Evidence-based Practices


By Michelle Garcia Winner

"A must read for all regular and special educators!"

- Kari Dunn Buron, autism specialist and author of the "5-Point Scale" books
Read more


Superflex!

"Teachers and parents will be amazed by the power of this cartoon character."
- kindergarten teacher

Read more


Michelle's Other Presentations
Hollywood, Florida
June 10-11, 2009

Tallahassee, Florida
June 18-19, 2009

St. Charles, Illinois
July 23-26, 2009
Autism Society of America National Conference

All Workshops Schedule




Our Social Thinking Providers Conference is right around the corner and therapists and teachers are coming from all over to present their unique spin on how to apply Social Thinking in real time. Check out the schedule! Registration is still open, but the early and group registration discounts end June 11. We are also finalizing our new, anime-illustrated book for teens and college-aged students, which will be released very soon. I've posted new blogs, including one on how to approach the dreaded "I Don't Care!" attitude that many of our kids have. The school year may be ending, but the learning continues!




Early Registration Deadline: June 11
Romance and its complexities, teaching self-regulation, motor activities and Social Thinking... these are just a few of the topics clinicians will address at this year's expanded Social Thinking Providers Conference! The conference, on June 27 and 28 in Santa Clara, CA, will focus on bridging Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and Social Thinking. Breakout sessions will go deeper into specific age groups. The latest research on Social Thinking will also be presented.

Read more





"I Don't Care!"
How many times have you heard that! From elementary school to high school, our students seem to say it a lot. In my new blog, I offer you ways to approach the thinking behind it and the teaching needed to help these kids along. Listening, and not taking it personally, are key.

Read more





Gifted at Home But Not in School?
So many of our students can be self-directed, active learners at home, but hit the skids at school. While understandable, the social complexities of school must be faced. I've posted a blog exploring this topic.

Read more





Free Book Offer!
Through June 15, buy Playtime with Zeebu, a DVD and puppet combination for ages 3 and up that makes social learning fun, and receive the new 40-page Zeebu activity book, EYEPOWER: Learning to Use the Power of Your Eyes, for free (regularly $6.99)! The new Zeebu program can help to start building Social Thinking "early and often!"

Read more





Seattle-Area Workshops
I'm excited to return to Seattle on October 6 and 7! The workshops this year are intended for parents, professionals and other caregivers who are new to Social Thinking and want to learn the practical strategies and core information. We'll explore the ILAUGH Model of Social Cognition that shows how social-processing difficulties affect a range of academic tasks, how to make IEP goals work, why standardized tests are inadequate, an "eye-opening" informal assessment procedure and much more. Please let people know this is a great chance to get introduced to the core Social Thinking ideas! More details and registration discounts are now on our website.

Read more





Dallas Workshops with Carol Gray
Carol Gray and I always have a lot of fun teaming up to present these two workshops coming to the Dal las-Fort Worth area on November 5 and 6. Her Social Stories and related insights work brilliantly with Social Thinking. We will examine how our students need to learn their own new paths to thinking socially, as well as how our thinking as parents and teachers can help to encourage our students' abilities to learn. This is a popular workshop series so sign up early! Early, online and group registration discounts are now active on our website!

Read more





South San Francisco Workshops
We have taken your advice and opened up registration and discounts now for our Bay Area workshops on December 2 and 3! I will present the practical and dynamic assessment and treatment strategies that I continue to develop through my clinical work. These workshops offer a great introduction to Social Thinking.

Read More





Need More Intensive Training?
Our mentor-training sessions fill up quickly! Folks from all over the world participate, learning intermediate-to-advanced level treatment concepts of Social Thinking and observing students. Dates and applications for 2009-2010 mentor-training are now posted on our website under the Professionals tab.

Read more




Summer offers us a time to refresh. But that doesn't mean it's all lazy days! Think about how much learning goes on during a vacation, or just spending more time with your kids and family. Social Thinking happens everywhere--on the beach, in a crowded airplane. Take this time to observe. Maybe a new insight into one of your students will emerge, or even the beginnings of a treatment approach. Put your sunglasses on, but not your blinders. And don't work too hard :)

Best regards,

Michelle Garcia Winner
Social Thinking


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Free workshop series for parents of children with ASD ages 3-8 at Lindner Center

Fay J Lindner Center for Autism is offering a free workshop series for parents of children with ASDs ages 3-8 this summer in conjunction with a research project. Workshop dates are 6/22, 7/13, and 8/10.

This free workshop series has been designed especially for parents of children with an Autism Spectrum Disorder between the ages of 3 and 8 years. This 3 part series covers topics which parents frequently ask us about. Parents will benefit by learning how to extend programming to the home environment.


These workshops are being offered as part of a research project through the SUNY Stony Brook Department of Psychology in collaboration with AHRC Nassau and the Fay J. Lindner Center. The project is looking at family barriers to effective interventions in young children with ASDs. At the end of each workshop participants will be invited to sign up for the research study. Participation in the study is voluntary and is not required to attend the workshops.

Please see attachment for more information or contact stetenbaum@ahrc.org

Your Young Child with ASD Workshop Series


Workshop #1 June 22nd 7-8:30pm
What to do when yelling doesn’t work:
Why don’t children just listen? What is the best way to decrease unwanted behaviors? This workshop will focus on the use of positive behavior support strategies at home. Positive behavior support techniques will be highlighted that allow parents to decrease problem behaviors so they can focus on increasing learning and improve family life. The workshop will highlight how these strategies can be used with young children with autism spectrum disorders.

Workshop #2 July 13th 7-8:30pm
Teaching Life Skills to Young Children with ASDs: “It’s just easier to brush his teeth myself than wait for him to do it.” Ever find yourself frustrated teaching everyday skills? Life skills and self-care can seem like hard work for children with ASDs and their parents. However, early childhood is a good time to work on skills such as toileting, teeth brushing, hand washing, dressing, and feeding. This workshop will highlight strategies to ease the frustration of teaching early life skills and address behavior analytic strategies that will lay a framework for future skill development.

Workshop #3 August 10th 7-8:30pm
Family Barriers to Effective Interventions: Sometimes life gets in the way of teaching. This workshop acknowledges that intervention does not occur in a bubble and that sometimes family difficulties prevent optimal interventions. This workshop will highlight research about the experiences of families of children with ASDs. Additionally, suggestions for additional supports and strategies to alleviate these barriers will be discussed.

The Fay J. Lindner Center
The Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism & Developmental Disabilities, an affiliate of AHRC Nassau and the NSLIJ Health System, provides services for children and adults with autism and related developmental disabilities. The Center provides a range of treatment programs in both individual and group settings including: cognitive and behavioral programming, social skills and communication training, counseling, psychological, social work and speech language services, psychopharmacology and research participation, in addition to comprehensive interdisciplinary assessments and school consultation. The Center was recently relocated to a new state-of-the-art facility on AHRC Nassau’s Brookville campus on Wheatley Road. The center is adjacent to the Pearl & Jack Ain Advantage Care Diagnostic & Treatment Center. The workshops will be held at the AHRC Mansion (white building across from Center).

Speaker Biography
Samara Pulver Tetenbaum is currently a doctoral candidate in clinical psychology at SUNY Stony Brook and a behavior specialist at the Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism. She has been working in the field of ASDs for 6 years and has extensive expertise in cognitive behavioral therapy, behavior plans, and family work. She has provided both home and clinic-based therapy services and has offered behavioral and social skills consultation in the schools. Samara has presented locally and nationally on positive behavioral supports and family work for individuals with ASDs

Please send completed
registration form to:

Fay J. Lindner Center for Autism & Developmental Disabilities
189 Wheatley Road
Brookville, NY 11545
Attention: Samara P. Tetenbaum

Phone: (516) 686-4440
Fax: (516) 686-4439
E-mail: stetenbaum@ahrc.org
Sign-up Form (You may sign up for 1, 2, or 3 of the workshops)

Sign up for:
Date
Time
 What to do when yelling doesn’t work 6/22 7pm
 Teaching Life Skills to Young Children with ASDs 7/13 7pm
 Family Barriers to Effective Interventions 8/10 7pm

Name
Address


Phone
E-mail

How did you hear about the workshop series?

How old is your child?