June 14, 2010

******July 15 event free to the public********With the diagnosis rate estimated to be 1 in 110 children, proven approaches to teaching youngsters with autism are critical. The growing number of children with autism in public schools requires that new methods be explored and implemented.

The public is invited to a free seminar on educational models for children with autism spectrum disorders to be held from 7 to 9 p.m., July 15 at CSU Monterey Bay's World Theater. Parents of children with autism will find it useful, as will educators and medical professionals. Speakers include Dr. Cathy Scutta, an educational consultant with experience adopting multiple methods in large systems. Also on the program is Donna LeFevre, a behavior specialist and educational consultant. They will talk about their successes in merging applied behavior analysis, speech and occupational therapy for children with autism.

They will also present recent findings from research conducted at Temple University, one of the first studies to compare three educational programs for children with autism currently being used in public schools.

"We are fortunate to partner with Tucci Learning Solutions to bring experienced educators to the CSUMB campus to discuss these new approaches to support children with autism and their families," said Dr. Josh Harrower, CSUMB professor of special education and moderator of the seminar.

"Behavior analysis has proven a successful approach to autism, but our knowledge on implementation is still growing and we welcome this opportunity to focus on models that are working in real classrooms."

Tucci has worked with the Monterey County Office of Education, Carmel Middle School, Monterey Peninsula Unified School District, and the Pacific Grove Unified School District.

Driving directions and a campus map are available at csumb.edu/map.

About Tucci Learning Solutions, Inc.

Tucci Learning Solutions, Inc. provides consultative and training services for educators and parents of birth to 3, pre-school, and school-age children with a diagnosis of autism, pervasive developmental disorders, other developmental disabilities, and challenging behavioral difficulties.

Tucci's Competent Learner Model is an intensive, individualized teaching program designed to build a bridge of cooperation and understanding across school and home programs. The model promotes consistency in programming across all settings. The model has been developed over 30 years in a variety of settings. Several school districts/programs in California, West Virginia and Pennsylvania have adopted components of the Competent Learner Model.

About CSUMB's Certificate Program in Behavior Analysis

CSU Monterey Bay offers a certificate in behavior analysis. The program consists of three university courses, taught on campus. These three courses satisfy the Behavior Analyst Certification Board's university coursework requirements for national certification as an Assistant Behavior Analyst. When the university certificate program is completed, students will only need to meet the supervised experience requirements set forth by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board to be eligible to take the national board certification exam. For more information on CSUMB's Certificate Program in Behavior Analysis, please visit https://teach.csumb.edu/site/x16167.xml.