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A few years ago, I interviewed many adults on the spectrum for my book Autism Life Skills about what were the important areas that concerned them the most while growing up. High on the list was safety. Many of them described feeling terrified during their student years. Practically all recounted instances of being bullied. A recent report from the Massachusetts Advocates for Children (Ability Path, 2011) shows that bullying is still a concern for most students: nearly 88% of individuals with ASD are bullied in school.

This is one of the reasons Autism College has partnered with the National Autism Association to put on a free online conference, Autism Safety and Crisis Prevention, sponsored in part by The Social Express. Dr. Lori Ernsperger will be presenting on The 3 R’s To Bullying Prevention for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Recognize, Respond, and Report, on Saturday, February 11, 10:00 – 11:30am PST (1:00 – 2:30pm EST).

Parents can help by ensuring that their children learn and practice social skills either through the IEP process or after school and at home. However, preventing bullying at school needs to be addressed systematically. Dr. Ernsperger will provide research and specific strategies in order for parents and professionals to create a safe educational environment and follow the legal requirements set out by the federal government on bullying prevention for students with disabilities. The webinar will be interactive. There will be an opportunity for those signed up to send in questions ahead of time or while listening to the program. Chantal Sicile-Kira will moderate the Q & A. To register for free, go to AutismCollege.com. For more information about the conference read the blogs at AutismCollege.com.

The learning objectives of Dr. Ernsperger’s presentation are:

Recognize the statistics of bullying
Recognize the warning signs of victims and stereotypes of bullies
Respond to the victims of bullies
Respond to bullies effectively
Teach anti-bullying social skills
Report bullying incidence in school settings

Dr. Lori Ernsperger is from Henderson, NV where she is the owner of Autism and Behavioral Consulting. Dr. Lori received her doctorate in Special Education from Indiana University. She has over 25 years of experience working in the public schools as a classroom teacher, administrator, and behavioral consultant. She is also an adjunct professor at St. Petersburg College in Florida. Dr. Ernsperger currently provides staff development and conference workshops to school district personnel and parents. Her workshops cover the following topics: Managing Problem Behaviors, Implementing Effective Instructional Methods, Designing Appropriate and Functional Data Collection Methods for the Classroom, Practical Strategies for Working with Individuals with Asperger Syndrome, and How to Get Your Kids to Eat. Dr. Ernsperger is the author of: Keys to Success for Teaching Students with Autism and Just Take a Bite: Easy Effective Answers to Food Aversions and Eating Challenges and Girls Under the Umbrella of Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Many thanks to our sponsor, The Social Express, “Social Learning Made Easy.”