Individuals with HFA, AS and related challenges often require treatment to help their social functioning, but just as frequently resist or avoid such intervention. Individual therapy is less than ideal, since an adult, a few to several times the age of the client, makes for a poor role model. This presentation will describe the LUNCH Groups program, where over 90% of students have reported they enjoy participating and three quarters of parents report meaningful improvement in child behavior. We will review the simple yet effective initial assessment process and cover program highlights, such as computer animation projects, three types of raffles that improve behavior, parent support components, behavior generalization, plus focus on eating and manners. The program's five core elements include: 1) Executive Functioning; 2) Pragmatic Social Skills; 3) Pragmatic Language Skills; 4) Academic Readiness; and 5) Environmental Awareness. Videos and case examples will supplement lecture material to illustrate these principles in practice. Bruce M. Gale, phd is a clinical psychologist who began working in autism in the mid-1970's. After graduating UCLA, he completed graduate training at Florida State University (1985) and was honored to present his research on self-injurious behavior at the First National Conference of Powerful Data-Based Systems for Treating Autism in 1980. He completed his internship and advanced fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital and was appointed as a ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0b75qfpcdQ&hl=en
