Conference Promotes Independence for Students with Autism

October 13, 2011

Educators, parents and AEA staff learned together at the autism conference held in September.

In an effort to promote positive environments for learning and better educational outcomes of children and youth with autism, Heartland AEA provided 160 educators, parents and AEA staff a chance to learn together at a daylong conference held on September 9, 2011 at the FFA Enrichment Center on the DMACC Ankeny Campus.

“There was a great need for collaboration,” said Stacy Volmer Heartland AEA challenging behavior and autism consultant. “Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can range from having mild to intensive behaviors. Parents and educators are always looking for ways to make students more successful. They’re taking more initiative and asking more questions. The conference was an opportunity for parents, administrators, teachers and AEA staff to interact outside of an IEP (individualized educational program) meeting and learn the same things at the same time.”

The conference was a collaborative effort between Heartland AEA and two area parents, Danielle Sharpe and Ethel Faust, each mothers of children with autism.

“I really appreciated that they [the AEA] respected my opinion as a parent advocate to allow me to help with planning this conference,” said Danielle. “I think by having AEA staff as well as parents contribute to the planning, we were better able to address the needs of educators and parents.”

Participants learned about current research, effective-based strategies, different perspectives on challenges and the importance of early interventions to actively work on building independence at a young age. Local agencies and support groups that provide assistance for educators and families of autistic students, including Heartland AEA’s Parent and Educator Connection, were on site to talk to educators and parents on available resources.

Two nationally acclaimed autism experts, Bobby Newman and Dana Reinecke, presented keynote addresses at the conference. Dr. Newman is the director of Room to Grow and Co-founder of the Coffee’s Untapped Potential Café, a fair trade coffee cafe staffed entirely by individuals with developmental disabilities. Dr. Reinecke is an Assistant Professor and Department Chair of the Center for Applied Behavior Analysis at Sage Colleges in New York.

The conference also had breakout sessions that were led by autism specialists from Heartland AEA and specialists from other agencies in Iowa. The roster included: Todd Kopelman and Lisa Kemmere of the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital; David Tilly (Regional Director at Heartland AEA) and Danielle Sharpe, a local parent of a child with autism; Randy Allison of Educational Solutions, Wendy Acri (Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant at Heartland AEA) and Stacy Volmer (Challenging Behavior & Autism Consultant at Heartland AEA); Toni Fuller Merfeld and Susan Van Essen of Metro West Kids Learning Center and Dawn Musgrove, a local parent of a child with autism; and Cheryl Risen (Program Assistant for External Professional Development at Heartland AEA).

Several participants took a survey after the conference so that the Agency could have perspective on planning similar events. The reaction to the conference was overall positive, and several participants had good things to say.

“While there were many excellent aspects of the conference, the opportunity to connect to parents was especially powerful. Not only did we connect but we now have a common reference we can build on in terms of our understanding of important issues.”

“Bobby Newman and his wife Dana were the best part of the conference. It made me reflect on my teaching, and the way I run my classroom. I learned a lot of great things from them, on how I will move forward with a new way for my classroom to look.”

“My son's Heartland AEA SLP (speech-language pathologist) was able to attend with me. This enabled us to brainstorm ideas for my child and ask presenters questions in a timely manner.”

“As a parent of a child on the autism spectrum, I am excited to both learn from the speakers and network with others in the community working with this disability."

By popular request, the conference presentations and handouts are available here.

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Heartland AEA is an intermediate education agency serving 11 counties and 139,500 students in Central Iowa. The Agency is committed every day to helping people grow, develop and learn.