The Anne Carlsen Center will host an autism and literacy workshop May 5-6 at Bismarck's Kelly Inn.
Presenters include Joanne Cafiero and Mark Coppin. Cafiero began working with individuals with autism in the mid-1980s. She developed and implemented a program for non-verbal children for the Maryland Public School System using state-of-the-art communication technology. In 1986 she was awarded a master's degree in special education, followed by a specialist's degree in early childhood special education, from the University of Toledo. Cafiero was awarded a doctoral degree in curriculum from Johns Hopkins University in 1995. More information is available at (www.cafierocommunications.com).
Mark Coppin has 23 years of experience working at the Anne Carlsen Center campus in Jamestown. He began as a special education instructor in 1987 and has served a variety of roles in education and technology at the ACC. He is currently the assistive technology director.
Participants in Coppin's May 6 workshop will learn how to create materials to support literacy for individuals with autism. Applications used in the workshop will include Boardmaker Plus, PictureIt and Pixwriter.
Registration begins at 8 a.m. May 5, with workshop sessions running from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day. Participants can attend a one-day workshop (Cafiero on May 5) or two days of workshops (Cafiero on May 5, and Coppin on May 6). Graduate credit is available for those attending both workshops. CEUs are pending.
For questions, contact Adrianne Dempsey, ACC Program Coordinator: Evaluations and Trainings, at 1-800-568-5175 or by e-mail at adie.dempsey@annecenter.org. Visit (www.annecenter.org) to view the conference brochure. Attendees who post-mark registration materials by Thursday will receive a discount. A limited number of spots is available for the Coppin workshop, so early registration is encouraged.