$60.00 USD

Update on Autism Spectrum Disorder

Thursday, March 23, 2023           

From 9am to 4pm Johannesburg, South Africa Time Zone

                                 

Workshop Description:

This workshop will cover an update on the key features and theories regarding Autism to consider for effective assessment and intervention. Maude Le Roux will discuss etiology, including the origins of different behaviors as well the developmental considerations for intervention. Different theories such as “Theory of Mind” and “Central Coherence Theory” and concepts such as joint attention, attunement, and developing a social brain with empathy will be included. Each autistic is unique and even as there are shared commonalities, the manifestation of these aspects shows very differently across a variety of profiles. Maude has a unique way of capturing the essences from research available and making it applicable to the work we do as therapists. Both professionals and parents will benefit from this very informative day packed with information!

 

Workshop Objectives:

Participants will:

  • Be able to summarize different theories ascribed to autism spectrum disorder
  • Describe the relevance of relationship to build social-emotional skills
  • Consider the sensory modulation influences on autistic behavior and social intent

 

Level of the Workshop:

Intermediate

8.30 to 9.00am         Registration

9.00 to 10.30am       Neurodiversity in Autism

10.30 to 11am          Morning Break

11.00 to 12.00pm     The Dance – Attunement and Joint Attention

12.00 to 1.00pm       Lunch

1.00 to 2.30pm         The Door – Sensory Modulation and Emotional Regulation   

2.30 to 2.45pm         Afternoon Break

2.45 to 4.00pm         The Drama – Building imagination and communication          

 

Maude Le Roux

Maude is an Occupational Therapist with several years of field and supervisory experience in a variety of therapy fields. She started her career in the field of psychiatric conditions and transitioned over the years to develop a multi-modal practice in pediatrics. She started A Total Approach in 2002 and since then has become an international trainer in different areas of work. She has been appointed as one of the international training team leaders in the DIR / Floortime Certificate process, as well as Tomatis Sound Therapy and Interactive Metronome. Maude serves on the Board for ATTACh where she holds the portfolio of developing trauma and attachment workshops for an international audience. She designs her own live courses with regards to sensory and emotional processing through her own developmental pathways model. Maude works with a team of occupational therapists, speech language pathologists and physical therapists in her practice. She is well known for her experience and work with children who carry a diagnosis on the Autism Spectrum, Attachment, Sensory Processing Disorder, and Dyslexia/ Learning Disabilities. Maude is a mentor to many therapists, including OT and DIR professionals internationally. She has presented at conferences in a variety of settings across the US and internationally. She has co-authored the book, The Listening Journey, with Francoise Nicoloff, and her second book, Our Greatest Allies, is now available on Amazon.com. Her basic philosophy is that all children can learn, and that therapists are instrumental in finding out the “key” to each child. She enjoys empowering therapists to do just that!

 

Method of Instruction:

PowerPoint, video, case studies

 

Which Disciplines:

Occupational Therapists, Physical Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, Educators, parents

What People Are Saying:

Hi, hope you are well. I have been taking flying leaps and using the Floortime technique with many of my children, especially the very anxious, rigid ones - oh my word. Last Friday I had a treatment session of note with a little boy who is developmentally delayed and has great instability within his hands and body. By the end of the session, we had covered numbers, colors, shapes, and he was building food out of play dough, putting pegs into the play dough, and then using a spoon to move the pegs. We even had an oven involved that he had built out of blocks. All things he has really struggled with in the past. All self directed, the items just "happened" to be around, and I went with him enthusiastically. He was sitting wonderfully by the end with great symmetry and we both had had fun.

Gillian – South Africa

Dear Maude, I just wanted to write to say thank you for your lovely feedback after my presentation this Monday - it left me glowing all week. This course has been such as wonderful process and it has been fantastic having all your extremely interesting teaching points along the way. It has been so beneficial being able to draw from your very wide experience and knowledge to help us all understand these kids just a little better and the things going on inside these little bodies that help or hinder their progress. I think it's also so very valuable for the children I know who are 'developing as expected' - my own children included! I feel that looking at children (and adults) with the DIR/Floortime perspective makes us all just that little bit more compassionate and understanding. This course has answered many questions for me but has also raised just as many, if not more, so the journey will most certainly continue for me.

Warm regards Abby – South Africa