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Outline

Neuropsychology: How the Brain with Autism Works

• Latest research in ASD brain development
• Comorbid disorders and symptoms
• Enhanced vs. impaired abilities
• Information processing: Typical brain vs. brain with autism
• How an individual with ASD processes tasks

Assessments: From Observational to Standardized Tools

• Comprehensive diagnostic tools and evaluations
• Screeners for anxiety, depression, OCD
• Career planning assessments
• Modified checklists for infants and toddlers
• Accurately interpret reports to guide interventions
• Ethical challenges in assessment and communication of diagnosis

TAKE YOUR AUTISM INTERVENTION TO THE NEXT LEVEL!

Effectively Intervene Early

• Applied Behavioral Analysis to break down targeted skills
• Developmental interventions to express feelings and form relationships
• Educational interventions for parents
• Ethical principles to educate and support families in treatment choices
• Case study: 2-year-old boy, working on verbal requests

Strengthen Communication and Social Interaction Skills

• Visual systems to improve communication and reduce meltdowns
• Teach turn-taking and pragmatic language
• Programs to assist in generalizing social skills
• Video modeling and role play to teach social rules
• Social stories and social autopsies
• Special interests to change unwanted or inappropriate behavior
• Case study: 8-year-old male, competitive, difficulty losing at games, aggressive with peers

Manage Sensory Overload and Self-Stimulatory Behaviors

• Exposure to more appropriate self-stimulatory behaviors
• Fading out severe self-stimulatory behaviors
• Environmental strategies including classroom modifications
• Case study: 6-year-old female, hand flapping, rocking, and high-pitch squealing sounds

Decode ADHD and Executive Functioning in ASD

• Improve attention, on-task and organizational skills
• Schedules, timelines, web diagramming
• How to provide more preferred tasks vs. less preferred tasks
• “Home base” to help organize in classroom
• Case study: 11-year-old male, difficulty planning/ organizing, needs help with social pragmatic language skills

Decrease Undesirable Physical, Verbal and Other Inappropriate Behaviors

• Turn noncompliance and oppositional behavior around
• Applied behavioral analysis techniques
• Token economy systems
• Functional behavioral assessment made easy
• Case study: 10-year old male, impulsive, engages in stealing behaviors

Manage Anxiety and Specific Phobias

• Cognitive Behavioral and Coping Cat Training
• Recognize emotional and physical reactions to anxiety
• Clarifying thoughts and feelings in anxious situations
• Develop plans for effective coping
• Evaluate performance and giving self-reinforcement
• Case study: 9-year old male, generalized anxiety disorder, and school phobia

Decrease Obsessive-Compulsive Behaviors

• Decipher symptoms of OCD vs ASD
• CBT and Exposure and Response Prevention
• Mapping OCD
• Creating the exposure hierarchy
• Relapse prevention and family sessions
• Case study: 22-year old female, excessive hand washing with fear of illness

Reduce Depressive Symptoms and Suicidal Ideation

• Psychosocial interventions: Experiential activities with practice time
• Cognitive-behavioral therapies
• Mindfulness-based therapies
• Family therapies
• Social and vocational programs
• Case study: 15-year-old male, hates school and has a plan, intent, and timeline for suicide

Sexuality and Sexual Behavior Challenges

• Body awareness and exploration of self
• Sexual arousal, puberty and sex education
• Address dating and sexual relationships
• Education on masturbation and pornography
• Gender Identity and LGBTQ
• Case study: 14-year-old male, frequent masturbation and stalking behaviors

Psychopharmacological Interventions

• Commonly prescribed medications
• Medication efficacy
• Risks vs. benefits
• Case study: 17-year-old male, flat affect, on medication for ADHD and anxiety

Special Considerations

• Trauma: Similarities and differences with ASD
• Independent living and career planning
• Guardianship and legal Issues
• Multicultural and gender differences
• Limitations of research and potential risks
• Case study: 5-year-old male, adopted overseas with no birth or developmental history
• Case Study: 19-year-old female, living at home with mom, no job, and never diagnosed with ASD

Ethical Challenges in Autism

• Guidelines for assessment, treatment, and consultation
• Welfare of the individual Informed consent
• Use of restraints
• Time-out vs. seclusion
• Case study: 8-year-old-male, screaming, standing on top of table with scissors in his hand

Faculty

Cara Marker Daily, PhD, BCBA

Licensed Pediatric Psychologist

Daily Behavioral Health

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Cara Marker Daily, PhD, BCBA, is a licensed psychologist and a Board Certified Behavior Analyst with over 20 years of experience providing assessment and treatment for children, adolescents and young adults with autism in the home, school, hospital and community settings. She works directly with educators, speech/language pathologists, occupational therapists, BCBAs and other professionals. Dr. Daily is the president and training director of Daily Behavioral Health, a leading behavioral health provider in northeast Ohio specializing in assessment, consultation, and treatment of autism, anxiety and disruptive behavior disorders. She is the founder and executive director of the Building Behaviors Autism Center, which has received numerous grants to provide free and reduced cost applied behavioral analysis services to individuals with autism.

Dr. Daily has written several cognitive-behavioral and behavioral-based curriculums focusing on teaching daily living skills to children with autism and published a peer-reviewed journal article supporting evidence for success of these programs. She has presented nationally on topics of autism, disruptive behaviors disorders, anxiety and chronic health conditions in the pediatric population. Dr. Daily has been featured in radio, television, and other media platforms in northeast Ohio. She is the author of The Key to Autism: An Evidence-Based Workbook for Assessing and Treating Children & Adolescents (PESI, 2016).

Dr. Daily received her Ph.D. in School Psychology at the University of South Carolina, and completed an internship in Pediatric Psychology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a postdoctoral fellowship in Pediatric Psychology at The Children’s Hospital at The Cleveland Clinic. Dr. Daily is a member of the Department of Pediatrics at Fairview Hospital at the Cleveland Clinic, the American Psychological Association, the Ohio Psychological Association, and the Christian Association of Psychological Studies.

Speaker Disclosures:

Financial: Cara Marker Daily is the president/training director for Daily Behavioral Health, Inc. She is the founder/executive director of the Building Behaviors Autism Center. She is a compensated consultant for Rethink Autism. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc.

Nonfinancial: Cara Marker Daily has no relevant non-financial relationship to disclose.