AUTISM, ASPERGER’S & ADHD SEMINARS
FRIDAY 2 MARCH 2012
Presenter: Professor Tony Attwood
Cognitive Affective Training (The CAT-kit and its’ values)
Tony is a Clinical Psychologist who has specialized in autism spectrum disorders since he qualified as a clinical psychologist in England in 1975. His book Asperger’s Syndrome—A Guide for Parents and Professionals has sold over 300,000 copies and has been translated into 20 languages. Tony presents workshops and runs training courses for parents, professionals and individuals with Asperger’s syndrome all over the world and is a prolific author of scientific papers and books on the subject.
Cognitive Affective Training: The resource material provides activities to explore 9 emotions using an instrument, a “thermometer”, to measure the degree of expression, activities to structure experiences and perceive the physiological cues that indicate increasing anxiety and anger.
Strategies to reduce being bullied and teased: Children with Asperger’s syndrome are more prone to bullying and teasing in comparison to typical children, The presentation explains why children with Asperger’s syndrome are more likely to be a target and strategies to reduce incidents of bullying and teasing.
Presenter: Mrs Astra King
Managing Difficult Behaviour and Fragile X
Astra is a Clinical Psychologist with a background in disability services with a main interest in the area of intellectual disability, autism and related disorders. Her experience includes residential work in community and institutional settings, behaviour intervention team, team interventions and general recreation services. She has significant experience in provision of clinical, educational, and development evaluations for a wide range of mental health, personality, general functioning and developmental issues.
Currently working as a Consultant Psychologist for Silvan Lodge Clinic (specialising in Neurodevelopmental disorders across the life span) and the Fragile X Alliance Victoria (genetic condition causing a wide range of functional difficulties and disability). Astra has a special interest in the areas of ADHD and associated conditions, together with Autistic Spectrum disorders such as Asperger’s Syndrome.
Astra will deliver a presentation covering history of terms, what is ADHD – why does it look like and how is it different from other conditions, some aetiology (casual factors) of ADHD, and the individuals experience. Depending on the audience Astra will discuss and provide ideas for managing difficult behaviour—for parent groups and for teachers providing some classroom management strategies. The discussions will include the
4 A’s….Attention, Anxiety, Arousal & Autism.
A component of the presentation will relate to Fragile X and would cover phenotypical features (visible characteristics), and the issues more impacting on functioning or management.
Presenter: Dr Daryl Efron
ADHD and related problems, assessment, treatment and outcomes
Dr Daryl Efron is a developmental-behavioural Paediatrician at the Royal Children’s Hospital, Melbourne, Senior Lecturer University of Melbourne Department of Paediatrics and Honorary Research Fellow at the Murdoch Children’s Research Institute. He has a long-standing clinical and research interest in Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He is Head of the ADHD Assessment Clinic at the Royal Children’s Hospital.
He was a member of the reference committee for the revised NHMRC Guidelines on ADHD. His main current research focuses on mapping developmental trajectories of children with ADHD, and identifying modifiable predictors. He is also researching sleep problems in children with ADHD
Dr Efron says that while ADHD and associated disorders were now more widely diagnosed, this did not mean they were more widespread. “In years gone by they would be called disruptive, naughty or viewed as morally troublesome. These days people realise they have a difficulty and say we need to help. There is proper assessment and support. Medication is still the more effective treatment but support from family, friends and school is also essential.”
About 80 per cent of the young people with ADHD have a co-morbid illness such as anxiety, depression or learning difficulties and about half carry their symptoms into adult life. “The good news is that with support most kids with ADHD ultimately do well but their younger years can be tough,” he said. “They are at risk or anti-social behaviour and dropping out of school but with proper care and support they can usually get through.”
In this presentation Dr Efron will discuss the current conceptualisation of ADHD and related disorders and clinical evaluation procedures. Interventions will be discussed, emphasising the goal of supporting and promoting the child’s positive development trajectory.
