Services

On-Site Workshop: This workshop can be scheduled at your agency, school, or
program. Behavior Intervention Specialists, Inc can represent Dr. Thompson in making
contractual agreements, scheduling, and travel. The following information should
answer most of your questions regarding the content and Dr. Thompson's credentials.
Information about Behavior Intervention Specialists, Inc is at the bottom of this page, as
is our contact information.

Background & Rationale: In 2001 the National Research Council of the National
Academy of Sciences issued a report concluding all children with autism spectrum
disorders (ASDs) should receive a minimum of 20 hours per week of intensive early
intervention services beginning at 2-3 years of age. The report concluded that the
most effective methods were based on applied behavior analysis. School districts and
private agencies are attempting to provide such services in school, center and home
based programs. Psychologists, teachers and other school personnel, speech and
occupational therapists, behavior therapists and other service providers are being
called upon to meet this need, in collaboration with parents, pediatricians, and social
workers. In some areas there are insufficient trained personnel to provide these
services. This workshop provides a step-by-step approach to understanding early
intervention and school transition strategies for children with ASDs. It builds upon a
range of behavior analytic and developmental approaches, from discrete trial to
incidental teaching methods. It covers diagnostic features, brain science basis for early
intervention, intervention strategies, assessment, planning and beginning early
intervention, family-school collaborations, and preparing children for school transition.
Behaviorally-grounded practical examples of adapted curricula for children with autism
in integrated regular education kindergarten-first grade classrooms are discussed.
Positive Behavior Supports for preventing and intervening in reducing challenging
behavior are explored.

TRAVIS THOMPSON, Ph.D.
Dr. Travis Thompson is Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of
Minnesota (Minneapolis) where he is affiliated with the Department of Pediatrics Autism
Clinic and the Center for Neurobehavioral Development. He received his doctorate in
Psychology at the University of Minnesota and did postdoctoral training at the University
of Maryland and advanced behavioral science training at Cambridge University (UK).
He spent several years as the Executive Program Director of a community-based
behavior therapy program for young children with autism spectrum disorders in
Minneapolis, MN where he directly supervised services to a large number of children
with ASD. He has served as a consultant to public school autism programs in
Minneapolis and St. Paul, MN and Nashville TN. He is a licensed psychologist
(Minnesota).

Travis Thompson has worked in the field of developmental disabilities as a researcher,
teacher and clinician for over 30 years. He was previously Director of the John F.
Kennedy Center for Research on Human Development at Vanderbilt University, and the
Institute for Child Development (University of Kansas Medical Center). He was co-editor
of one of the first books concerned with behavior therapy methods for individuals with
developmental disabilities. He has published over 220 articles and chapters and 27
books, including Self-Injurious Behavior: Genes-Brain and Behavior (with Schroeder
and Oster-Granite) published in 2001 and International Handbook of Applied Research
in Intellectual Disability (with Emerson, Hatton and Parmenter, 2004). He has been an
invited speaker in 13 countries and 40 states within the U.S.   He has held numerous
offices and received awards for his work in developmental disabilities including serving
as President of the Division on Mental Retardation & Developmental Disabilities (33) of
the American Psychological Association. He was recipient of the Don Hake Award of
Division 25 of the American Psychological Association for "Exceptional Contributions to
Basic Behavioral Research and its Applications”. Thompson was recipient of the
American Association for Mental Retardation Research Award (1995), the Arc USA
Distinguished Research Award (1996), and the Academy on Mental Retardation Career
Research Award (1998). He has served on numerous national committees, including
the Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Research Committee of the
National Institute of Child Health & Human Development as well as other federal
agencies and the American Psychological Association. He has previously served as a
member of professional advisory committees to autism parent advocacy organizations
in Minnesota and Kansas.

Behavioral Objectives
1. Participants will enumerate the cardinal features of autism and provide an example of
each
2. Participants will discuss evidence for efficacy of intensive early behavior therapy and
predictors of response to intervention
3. Participants will be able to describe the brain science rationale for the effectiveness
of early intervention in autism
4. Participants will describe prescriptive assessment methods, the role of parents, and
selection of intervention priorities in beginning early intervention
5. Participants will explain why an adapted curriculum is important to successful
transition to regular education kindergarten for children with ASD
6. Participants will give three examples of activities that characterize the primary focus
of kindergarten transition
7. Participants will describe how behavioral principles are used to design adapted
K-First Grade curriculum for children with ASD
8. Participants will explain the importance of understanding Obsessive Compulsive
Disorder in preventing challenging behavior of children with ASD
9. Participants will describe how a functional assessment is conducted to develop a
Positive Behavior Support Plan for a first grade student with ASD and challenging
behavior

Who Should Attend:   This workshop will provide essential information for autism
program staff, behavior analysts, psychologists, special educators, speech and
language staff, and school administrators

Workshop Format: The format of the workshop will include lecture, graphics,
videotape, and discussion of specific concerns shared by the audience.

Workshop Agenda
8:00    Registration
8:30    Introduction and Autism Diagnostic Features
9:30    Early Intervention Approaches
10:00 Relevance of Brain Differences to Early Intervention
10:30 Break
10:45 Assessment, Parental Involvement, Selecting a Setting, Priorities and Which
Intervention Approaches to Use
11:45 Lunch
1:00   Transition to Kindergarten: Adapted Curriculum; Focus on Communication,
Social Skills and Preventing Challenging Behavior
1:45   K-First Grade Integration: Using behavioral principles to teach beginning reading
& math; Adapted art, science and social studies
curriculum
2:15   Break
2:30   Behavioral Challenges: Understanding OCD in Autism; Functional Assessment;
Analyzing Setting Events; Positive Behavior Support;
Medication for mental health problems in autism.
3:30 Adjourn – complete evaluation, pick-up certificates

About Behavior Intervention Specialists, Inc
Since 1985, we have sponsored over 850 training workshops in 44 states and two
Canadian provinces, with total attendance of over 38,000. Workshop topics have
included -- active treatment, aggression, autism, behavioral diagnostics, dual diagnosis,
functional analysis, medication, self-injurious behavior, sexuality, social skills training,
and traumatic head injury.

Additional Information: Please call Dr. Walt Antonow at 662-234-1640 for any
additional information regarding the workshop, or if you have questions about the cost
of the workshop and/or Dr. Thompson's availability..