Autism and Visual Impairment: The Better Together Curriculum
Course participants will learn theoretical and practical information for teaching social communication skills to students with autism and visual impairment.
This course, based on an activity-rich curriculum guide, will provide theoretical and practical information for teaching social communication skills to the growing population of students with combined challenges of visual impairment and autism.
Through reading, discussion and hands-on practice, participants will improve their confidence and skills in working with this challenging group of students.
Course Objectives
- Use 3 different criterion-referenced tools to evaluate and select teaching objectives for students with visual impairment and atypical social development.
- Demonstrate and practice a repertoire of unit-based activities for teaching social communication skills to students with visual impairment and atypical social development.
- Give examples of skills in each of four domains in the Better Together curriculum: Social interaction, Communication, Social Cognition, and Emotional Development.
- Explain the importance of engagement and relationship-building in teaching students who have visual impairment and atypical social development or autism.
- Describe and practice effective strategies for building relationships with students who have visual impairment and atypical social development/autism.
- Write and document progress on observable and measurable relationship-based objectives for students who have visual impairment and atypical social development/autism.
- Assess the effectiveness of teaching strategies and adjust as needed to facilitate student growth.
Required Text
Better Together: Building Relationships with People Who Have Visual Impairments and Autism Spectrum Disorders (or Atypical Social Development), (Hagood, 2008) can be purchased online through the Texas School for the Blind and Visually Impaired.
Other Payment Option
To pay by Purchase Order, choose the Purchase Order option during checkout. Contact Perkins eLearning at [email protected] for any questions.
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Meet the Presenters
Jay Hiller, SLP
Jay Hiller has worked as a speech language pathologist at Texas School for the Blind & Visually Impaired since August 2008 where she provides communication intervention to teenagers and young adults who have visual impairment. She has worked with a number of students who are visually impaired and autistic or visually impaired and deaf blind and was fortunate to have the Better Together handbook as a resource from the beginning of her time there. Since her graduation from the speech communication program at the University of Texas at Austin 36 years ago, Jay has worked as a speech language pathologist with individuals aged 1-90+ in a variety of settings, including a small private foundation, public schools, pediatric home health, a hospital and skilled nursing facilities. Jay contributed to the microsite Playing With Words [https://www.pathstoliteracy.org/playing-words/] on the Paths to Literacy website, a resource Linda Hagood and some of her friends and colleagues (Megan Mogan, Kate Hurst, Cyral Miller and Charlotte Cushman) created to demonstrate a collaborative approach to play-based storytelling with students who are blind or visually impaired and who have additional disabilities including those who are autistic or deafblind. She also assisted Linda in gathering data for her doctoral dissertation. Jay lives with her husband and dogs in Austin, Texas. They have two adult children.
Linda Hagood, Ph.D.
Linda Hagood worked for over 30 years as a speech language pathologist, with more than half of that time focused on communication intervention with children and adolescents who have visual and multiple impairments. After being trained as a speech language pathologist in the speech communication program at the University of Texas, she worked both as a communication specialist and educational consultant in a variety of settings, including TSBVI. While working there, Linda developed two curriculum guides, both published by the school’s curriculum department. Better Together (2008) was developed to address the growing population of students with dual diagnoses of visual impairment and autism.
Linda launched this Autism and Visual Impairment course in 2013, as part of the first full term offered online by Perkins eLearning. We are honored to continue offering this course in tribute to her invaluable contributions to the field of education of students with multiple disabilities, including visual impairments and deafblindness. In 2020, Linda Hagood was recognized as the Outstanding Related Service Provider of the Year by the Principals of Schools for the Blind (POSB).
Disclosure:
Jay Hiller has been paid by Perkins to instruct this course. She has no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose.
Perkins School for the Blind is approved by the Continuing Education board of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) to provide continuing education activities in speech-language pathology and audiology. See the course information for number of ASHA CEUs, instructional level, and content area. ASHA CE Provider approval does not imply endorsement of course content, specific products, or clinical procedures.
This workshop is offered for 6.45 AOTA CEUs. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
Dates:
June 24, 2024 -
August 11, 2024
Level:
Introductory
Length:
Multiple weeks
Credits:
3 Graduate
35 Continuing Education
35 Professional Development
35 ACVREP
35 CTLE
35 OSPI
6.45 ASHA
Cost:
$375 - Early Bird Price
$400 - Regular Price
Syllabus: