Upcoming Events and Important Dates

ASPEN Annual Fall Conference

Effective School Programming For Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Friday, October 22, 2010 from 8:00am - 4:30pm

Keynote Presenter:

Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC

Thinking About YOU Thinking About ME: Exploring the Perspective-Taking Spectrum

Afternoon Session Presenters:

• Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC
  Organizing Strategies for Doing Homework
• Ellen Fenster-Kuehl, Ph.D.
  Making Sense of Test Scores: What Do All Those Numbers Mean?
• Alisa Jacobson, Esq.
  A Successful IEP: What Makes It and What Breaks It
• Alexandra Freer
  Quirky Kids: How Sensory and Auditory Sensitivities Affect Behavior and What You Can Do To Help

For More Details

Download our Fall Conference brochure available here in PDF format.

Register Now For ASPEN's Fall Conference

Please print and complete both sides of the registration form, available here in PDF format.

Location Information

Hilton Woodbridge, 120 Wood Avenue South, Iselin, NJ 08830

For hotel accommodations, please call the Hilton Woodbridge as soon as possible at 732-494-6200 and ask for the special ASPEN Conference rate.

ASPEN Spring 2011 Conference

Mark your calendars for our next Spring conference on Sunday, March 27, 2011! The brochures get mailed approximately 3 months in advance. Please send in your registration as soon as you receive the form so you don't get closed out! The keynote presenter will be John Elder Robison, author of "Look Me In the Eye: My Life With Asperger's."

A journey designed for young people with Autism Spectrum Disorder

In the context of a fascinating cultural adventure, this program for a group of fifteen young people at least sixteen years of age with Autism Spectrum Disorder encourages and enhances independence, self-reliance, and the ability to interact effectively with peers. Participants broaden their horizons, and have fun!

This program was conceived by Dr. Beverly Daley, who will join the group. Dr. Daley (Ph.D., and Master of Social Work, University of Southern California (USC), LCSW) has been a social worker at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) since 1978 and is currently on the social work faculty for the USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at CHLA. She created the Turner Syndrome Summer Camp, a national program for adolescents that is now in its 16th year and continues to serve as director. At the meetings of The International Association of Adolescent Health in May 2001 (Salvador, Brazil), her study on the benefits of camp, A Time to Thrive, received an award. In 2007, under the auspices of CHLA, she conceived, organized and participated in a highly successful European travel program for adolescents with special health care needs.

Over the course of ten days, participants experience the culture and landscape of England; its cities, villages, rich history, artistic treasures, and dynamic contemporary life. In collaboration with professionals from USC University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Childrens Hopsital Los Angeles the program offers an opportunity for learning and personal growth in a community that meets the needs of most teens with ASD. Small group activities with low adult to participant ratios enable the staff to guide and mentor. Behavioral expectations are clearly delineated and reviewed throughout the trip. Participants have multiple opportunities to develop independence and discuss their reactions to and observations of the day's activities. Active participation in activities fosters the evolution of a group spirit in which friendships can develop and thrive.

The program begins with an over-night flight from New York to London on July 9. The group immediately boards a private coach for the short trip to Oxford. For the first four nights the group stays in single dormitory rooms (arranged in suites) at St. Hilda's College, one of the colleges of Oxford University. St. Hilda's is within easy walking distance of the historic monuments, galleries, and greens of central Oxford. Throughout the program all staff are housed in rooms on the same floor as the participants.

Click here for a PDF with more details.

Beverly Daley, Ph.D.
Social Work Faculty, CHLA

Congratulations to Mr. James Bayley, resource room teacher in the Emerson Pubic School District and recipient of ASPEN's 2nd Annual Inspiration in Education Award.

Nominated by parent and ASPEN member Lisa Corcoran, Mr. Bayley was honored at our 23rd Semi-Annual Conference held on October 24th. We are thrilled to recognize educators who have gone above and beyond in creating environments where our children are able to thrive.

Thank you, Jim Bayley!