Workshop to explore autism spectrum disorder April 18

"What Parents and Pubic School Teachers Should Know About Autism Spectrum Disorder" will be discussed at the April 18 meeting of the Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC). The workshop will be held in the media center at Howell High School, Squankum-Yellowbrook Road, Howell, at 7 p.m.

According to a press release from the Freehold Regional High School District, Marlene Cohen is a research assistant professor at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology of Rutgers University and director of Adult Transitional Services at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center. With more than 25 years of experience in the field of autism, Cohen will explore the various profiles of high school aged students with ASD and the current educational swing toward inclusion.

Topics will include the challenges parents, administrators and teachers encounter when providing an appropriate public school education for students on the autism spectrum. Cohen will share examples of best practices and discuss points to consider when planning for adulthood.

Reaching out to the needs of high school students, SEAC will hold a special workshop on self-advocacy at 7 p.m. May 16 in the media center at Manalapan High School, Church Lane, Manalapan.

Orrie Schulman, transition specialist for MOCEANS (Monmouth and Ocean) Center for Independent Living, will explore self-advocacy strategies and tips designed to prepare special needs teens to face the ongoing problems caused by their disability.

This workshop is designed for high school students with special needs, not for parents. Parents are asked to drop their teen off at the site location and return to the workshop at 8:45 p.m. for pick-up.

For more information about the two workshops, call (732) 367-4654.