autism research forum 4 April near Central

I am pleased to announce the final program for the fifth Aspect Research Forum on Thursday 4^th April 2013.  The Research Forum will form part of the Aspect calendar of events planned for Autism Awareness day in April.

This is an opportunity to hear about some of the research projects undertaken by Aspect staff and key research partners over the last two years.  For the first time this year we will have a focus area in the morning and will concentrate on research related to communication.  This will be the first opportunity to hear about the outcomes from the Aspect iPad trial from the Aspect research team Craig Smith and Tina Angus along with our partners from Wollongong University.  We will also have a very interesting session from Dr. Libby Maher from Giant Steps, on the subject of her doctoral research, "Promoting Social Responsiveness between Adults and Children with Autism".  The final session will report on the outcomes of the Aspect evaluation of Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) and the Vantage Lite AAC device, which showed very positive results for children and families in our early intervention and school programs.

Other presentations will include the research findings from the evaluation of the Secret Agent Society program to teach children social and emotional skills and the impact of that program on their learning and development; and an overview of the annual Aspect update of international research in the field of autism.

The aims of the day are to engage with Aspect's partners and other professionals, to share our research outcomes, and to get feedback from you on some of our key research projects.  There will be plenty of opportunity for questions and discussion.

For the first time this year the Aspect Research Forum will be held at the Mercure Hotel in Sydney.  We will gather at 9.15am for refreshments and begin the presentations at 9.30.

There will be an administration charge of $120 per person and payment details are outlined below.  Please note this administration fee includes a hot sit-down buffet lunch at the Four Elements Restaurant located in the Mercure Hotel.

 

Aspect Research Forum

Thursday 4^th April 2013

The Mercure Hotel, 818-820 George Street, Sydney

 

Program

 

Time	Session Title	Presenter
9.15 am	Arrival and Coffee
9.30 – 9.40 am	Welcome and launch of  the fourth Aspect Research Forum	Adrian Ford Aspect Chief Executive Officer
9.40 – 9.50 am	Introduction to the Program	Dr. Debra Costley General Manager Aspect Educational Development & Research
9.50 – 10.50 am	Session 1: Supporting Goal Acquisition for Students with an Autism Spectrum Disorder Using iPad Technology	Craig Smith & Tina Angus Aspect Hunter & Aspect Western Sydney Schools
10.50 – 11.05 am	Questions and Discussion Session 1
11.05 – 11.25 am	Morning Tea
11.25 – 12.05 pm	Session 2: Promoting Social Responsiveness between Adults and Children with Autism	Dr. Libby Maher Giant Steps Sydney
12.10 – 12.50 pm	Session 3: Evaluation of the Language Acquisition through Motor Planning (LAMP) Program with Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in a Range of Settings	Mary-Ann Bedwani Aspect Building Blocks & Ellen Winchester Aspect Building Blocks & Aspect South Coast School
12.50 – 1.05 pm	Questions and Discussion Sessions 2 & 3
1.05 – 2.00 pm	Lunch
2.05 – 2.45 pm	Session 4: An Evaluation of the Secret Agent Society Social Skills Program in a Specialist School Setting	Sian Horstead & Kristina Clarke University of Sydney
2.45 – 3.35 pm	Session 5: 2012/13 International Research Update	Dr. Susan Bruck Aspect Research Officer
3.35 – 3.45 pm	Questions and Discussion Sessions 4 & 5
3.45 – 4.00 pm	Conclusion and launch of new Aspect Research Insights	Dr. Trevor Clark Director Aspect Education & Research