DIR 103: Engaging Autism

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As an alternative, please consider taking DIR 101: An Introduction to DIR and Floortime.  

Engaging Autism: A Pathway to Understanding and Engaging Individuals with Autism from a DIR® Perspective

Engaging Autism: What is it and how do I do it? 

This course examines how using a respectful and engaging developmental and relationship-based approach promotes human development.  This is about much more than simply training individuals on the autism spectrum to learn discrete skills.  You will learn the key to helping individuals with autism become motivated from within (an intrinsic desire) to engage, relate, communicate and learn. 

This course examines the importance of social relationships and cultural competency as they relate to the therapeutic relationship.  Participants learn how a developmentally based model of care, including consideration of individual differences, the perspective of the client, and specific techniques, all serve to strengthen the therapeutic relationship and support growth and development.

DIR® is an approach to help individuals communicate better with their environment. It was developed by Dr. Stanley Greenspan to help promote each person's development to its fullest potential.  It is an incredibly powerful approach to help people with Autism relate, communicate, think, and learn.  It aims to meet people at their level of development and build on their strengths and abilities by creating opportunities for interactions and building relationships with people who are important in the their life. This course will explore specific strategies for truly engaging and respecting a person with Autism in treatment and identify specific reasons why this is so effective as well as respectful.

Don't train a child to learn by force or harshness, but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of genius of each. –Plato

Learning Objectives

• Participants will demonstrate the ability to relate at least three ways in which the therapeutic relationship can foster social engagement and human development.

• Participants will demonstrate the ability to relate at least three techniques that can be utilized to improve cultural competency as it relates to their profession.

• Participants will demonstrate the ability to relate at least three ways in which to specifically apply an understanding of the "I" of DIR (Individual Differences) to improve cultural competency when working with individuals with Autism and their families.  

Agenda

This is a 7-hour day with 6 hours of course instruction

Framing the day: An introduction to the course (30 minutes)

Explanation/insight into the importance of engaging with, and respecting of, clients with Autism and their families. (60 minutes)

Understanding the social-emotional developmental process (The "D" of DIR) and its impact and role to autism intervention. (30 minutes)

Break (15 minutes)

Basics of DIRFloortime (developmentally based, evidence-based, therapeutic model) including discussion of Functional Emotional Developmental Capacities 1 and 2.  Video on DIR model. (60 minutes)

Review of individual differences/sensory function/regulation. (45 minutes)

Lunch (45 minutes)

Understanding of how one can increase their level of cultural competency: (75 minutes)

• Respecting and engaging those with Autism. 

• Understanding point of view that some therapies may be disrespectful or inappropriate

• Considering the perspective of those with Autism

• Self-advocate video presentation

Principles of DIR Floortime and how to apply basic relationship-based strategies.  Q and A. (60 minutes)

All participants will receive a Certificate of Attendance documenting hours of participation in their course and available professional continuing education credits.  Please note that continuing education credit is only provided for direct seat time.  Course preparation including readings, lectures, and mentoring is not included in the CE hour or credit total.

Please CLICK HERE for Instructor Disclosures.

The course content is focused on a specific product or service (DIRFloortime®) and there will be no mention of other products or services. ICDL does not receive any commercial support for the DIRFloortime certificate courses.  If any commercial support is provided for a conference or event, it will be disclosed on the promotional material or webpage for that specific event. 

Continuing Education Questions?  E-mail ceu@icdl.com. 

Speech and Language Pathologists (pending asha approval)

This course is offered for 0.6 ASHA CEUs

(Introductory level, Professional area)

Non-Credit Onsite Events: Continuing education credit is not offered for breakfast, luncheon, dinner functions or breaks; board and committee meetings, networking events.

Skills Level: This Training is appropriate for occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, educators and mental health treating professionals of all skill levels.

Important Information for Speech and Language Pathologists:

As part of your registration, you were asked to share your ASHA account number.   This is required for ICDL to process your ASHA continuing education credits.  Our Continuing Education Department will complete and submit an ASHA participant form on your behalf.at the conclusion of your course.

We also request that all participants complete a course evaluation form that will be received via email.  This course evaluation is for ICDL and is used to help improve all aspects of our training program. Your feedback is valuable and we thank you for your time!

If you have any questions about this process please email us at ceu@icdl.com.

This course is offered for 0.6 AOTA CEUs

(Introductory level, Professional area)

Non-Credit Onsite Events: Continuing education credit is not offered for breakfast, luncheon, dinner functions or breaks; board and committee meetings, networking events.

Skills Level: This Training is appropriate for occupational therapists, speech and language pathologists, educators and mental health treating professionals of all skill levels.

To obtain AOTA CEUs from a course you have taken, please follow these steps:

1. As part of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)’s Approved Provider Program, ICDL is required to have a certain number of short online surveys completed for renewal as a continuing education provider. Please complete this one page survey about your continuing education experience here: http://www.aota.org/appsurvey.

2. Complete the course evaluation form that has been e-mailed to you from ICDL. This course evaluation is for ICDL and is used to help us improve our course offerings. We thank you for your time.

Counselors

Educators

NEW YORK STATE EDUCATORS:

ICDL is recognized by the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants. Approved Provider Number: 23878.

Social Workers

NEW YORK STATE SOCIAL WORKERS:

Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders, Inc., SW CPE is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #0371.

Art Therapists

According to the ATR-BC Recertification Standards, ICDL training programs that are approved by one of the other national continuing education boards listed on this page, may be eligible for Art Therapy continuing education credit. These standards state, "CECs will be accepted for all courses or events that fit in the ATCB Eligible Content Areas and that are presented or approved by any of the following art therapy, mental health, or behavioral sciences entities: state licensing authority, national professional organization, or national credentialing body for continuing education credit."  It is the responsibility of each participant to determine if an ICDL program qualifies or not.  ICDL is not an approved ATR-BC continuing education provider and as such can not award ATR-BC continuing education credits directly.  However, we are approved by organizations like NBCC which may meet the above quoted standard.