Workshops

:: UPCOMING WORKSHOPS ::

Full-Day Workshop

Seminar: Communication in Autism
                  Differences & Support Strategies

Everyone with autism demonstrates differences in their communication which may result in miscommunication and misunderstandings.

This evidence-informed workshop is designed to increase the participant’s understanding of the nature of communication in autism and to provide an overview of supports which can assist in bridging the gap between neurotypical and autistic individuals to reduce miscommunication and misunderstandings.

Participants will benefit most from this day if they come prepared to share stories of their experiences in interacting with individuals with autism and to actively engage with the facilitator.

Speaker: Amanda Reed, BAppSc (Speech Pathology), MA (Applied Linguistics)

Amanda is a speech pathologist and behaviour support specialist based in regional New South Wales, Australia. Her passionate interest for over 40 years has been neurodiversity, particularly those individuals who are diagnosed as being on the autism spectrum. Amanda has sought to better understand those who are differently wired and to support these individuals to achieve a better quality of life.

Amanda has worked in various educational settings, both mainstream and specialist. She has also taught and supervised speech pathology undergraduate students, primarily in paediatric speech and language development and disorders. For the past 20 years, Amanda has facilitated workshops and seminars internationally on a range of topics relating to autism. She has also presented at numerous conferences, both in Australia and overseas. The main areas in which Amanda has developed expertise are:

• Communication in Autism - Differences and Supports
• Positive Behaviour Support
• The Impact of Communication Differences on Behaviour
• Individualised Support
• Determining the Function of Behaviour to Guide Support

While regularly facilitating workshops and seminars, Amanda has continued to work directly with individuals on the autism spectrum. She has supported children, teenagers and young adults with varying profiles and differences. Amanda’s knowledge sharing is informed both by evidence and by her clinical experience.

Course Outline

1. Definition of communication
2. Components of communication
3. Types of communication
4. The spectrum of communication profiles observed in individuals with autism
5. Supporting receptive communication
6. Supporting expressive communication
7. Teaching new communication skills
8. Q & A

Course Objectives

On completion of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• Define functional communication
• Differentiate between receptive and expressive communication
• Describe the distinction between verbal and non-verbal communication
• List the areas of communication in which differences occur in individuals with autism
• Identify and prioritise areas in which communication supports are needed
• List several evidence-informed communication support systems commonly used in autism

Who Can Benefit?

Parents, teachers, support workers, occupational therapists and psychologists. Speech pathologists with limited experience in working with autistic individuals may also benefit from the information, but support systems are not covered in detail.

Course Fees & Closing Dates

Registration Type	Closing Date	Fees (S$)
	31 Dec 2023	420
Normal	Till Full	480