Autism expert to speak at ACCC

The Anne Carlsen Center for Children has invited a nationally recognized expert on autism to Bismarck, N.D., to advise professionals and parents on how to help children with autism.

Stacy Goresko, Ph.D., is a Relationship Development Intervention Program-certified consultant from Longmont, Colo. RDI has often been called “The Missing Link” in the treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

The conference will be held April 14 and 15 at Best Western Ramkota Hotel in Bismarck. Registration begins at 8 a.m. April 14 and workshop sessions run each day from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Conference participants will learn about the fundamentals of RDI and how it helps children on the autism spectrum overcome relationship challenges and become engaged and connected to the world around them.

Research completed by The Connections Center in Houston and published by The National Autistic Society supports RDI as a promising program for helping children on the autism spectrum. Those who participated in RDI engaged in more communication and improved their social interaction. They also began to function better in a school setting. Parents observed more flexible, adaptive behaviors.

The parent of a child with autism, Goresko said RDI has made a major difference in her own family’s life. She conducts training and staff development for schools and has designed and implemented educational programs for children on the autism spectrum. More information about Goresko and RDI is available at www.help-autism.com.

For registration materials for the April 14-15 conference, contact Julie Hoeckle at 800-568-5175 or julie.hoeckle@ annecenter.org. Graduate workshop credit and CEUs are pending. More information is available at www.annecenter.org.

Tags: autism