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September 30, 2020
6:00 pm - 7:30 pm
Autism and the Coronavirus Pandemic: Visual Strategies for Self-Regulation, Anxiety, and Emotional Distress (webinar for families)
Intended Audience: FAMILY MEMBERS
Family members of children with autism will learn techniques, tips and tools to teach self-control and self-management skills with square breathing techniques; alleviate anxiety through Power Cards and Five-point scale techniques; and promote positive behavior through Social Stories and visual cues. Parents and family members of individuals of all ages diagnosed with autism face unprecedented challenges during the COVID-19 restrictions of social distancing. Individuals with autism depend on a team of professionals, teachers, and family members to support their daily learning, behavioral, sensory and communication difficulties. With “stay at home” orders and schools and businesses closed, routines and structure have been disrupted on top of mounting anxiety and stress. During this 90-minute webinar, Kathy Morris will demonstrate four practical strategies which will help alleviate the stress and anxiety those with autism are currently facing to help reduce meltdowns and tantrums. You will learn Square Breathing, Power Cards, Five-Point scale and Social Stories to help identify emotions as well as regulate anxiety and stress. These practical strategies can be taught by the parent or educator through video call demonstrations.
Continuing Education – This training will NOT provide continuing education credit.
Presenter(s)
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Kathy Kaluza Morris
Kathy Kaluza Morris has been an educator for 46 years as a speech therapist, teacher in self-contained unit for behavior differences (including autism and emotional disturbances), PPCD teacher for moderate to severe disabilities, resource elementary, and diagnostician/supervisor where she implemented one of first LIFE Skills programs in Texas. She was a behavior and assistive technology consultant in a Texas education service center supporting 42 school districts from pre-K to 12. She left to start her doctoral program in autism and behavior and started her own business, igivuWings, in 1999. She has since been presenting all over the word, including all 50 states, Canada, Singapore, and other international sites. Her most hot topic is executive functions, because districts and agencies across the world realize that ameliorating and addressing executive functions will support all psychological and developmental disorders as well as neurotypical students. Kathy and her husband, Guy, “walked the walk and talked the talk” after the premature birth of their twin sons, Kirk and Drew. In April, 2017, they received the ARC Lifetime Achievement Award for their lifelong professional and personal work with persons with disabilities.