"Shortly after our beautiful son was diagnosed with Asperger's Syndrome, we attended a workshop, which was led by Rebecca, to better understand his condition and how we could help him. Through both her knowledge and her compassion, she led us into his world and gave us hope."
Barbara Brewton

"Ms. Klaw's presentation was highly informative, practical, and enjoyable for teachers, special ed supervisors, parents, and behavioral health personnel."
Edward J. McVay, MD
DuBois Regional Medical Center

Although Rebecca Klaw has trained all over the United States on many topics related to young children, school-aged children, and teenagers with Autism Spectrum Disorders, the following topics are the most frequently requested:

Autism 101. This is a basic description of what it means to have autism.

Relationship-based Therapy for Children with ASD. This is a half-day, full-day or multiple-day training on intervention that is developmentally based and effective. Both the how and the why are presented. Techniques are illustrated through video footage. There is a version for early intervention - ages 0-6 - as well as a version for preschool and elementary students.

Understanding the Student with High Functioning Autism (HFA) or Aspergers Syndrome (AS). This is a full-day presentation for teachers and parents who are learning about HFA/AS for the first time. Included is a section on writing IEP goals for social and behavioral, rather than academic, issues, Also included is a handful of teaching strategies to help remedy issues particularly compromising for students with HFA/AS.

Developing Social Skills in Children with Autism. This training has come in many packages and can be tailored to whatever an audience might need to learn about social skill development.

Therapeutic Social Groups. This training describes a particular model of group intervention for all children on the spectrum. The full-day version includes both experiential learning and video illustration. It may involve a co-presenter.

Writing Measurable Goals So That Data is Meaningful and Informative. This is a half-day training about writing goals and measuring progress when targeting non-academic skill areas important in the growth and development of individuals with special needs. This workshop can be tailored to professionals working with very young children (birth to 3). A more comprehensive workshop, given with Jill Lehman, PhD. is described at www.KidAccess.com

Thoughtful Response to Agitation, Escalation and Meltdowns in Individuals with ASD. This half-day or full-day workshop describes a way of understanding children with ASD and using that understanding to guide both proactive and, if necessary, reactive responses to escalating agitation.

Autism in the Preschool Child. This half-day or full-day presentation reviews basic information about autism, a discussion about early development and how it looks in the very young child with autism, and the common characteristics of autism that impact the preschooler. The afternoon of the full-day presentation concentrates on techniques/strategies for building relationships – first between adult and child, then between child and peers.

The Clash Between Zero Tolerance and Autism. This half-day presentation is usually given with Arthur Feldman, Esq. The presentation includes information on disciplining students with autism, Positive Behavior Support Plans, and Zero Tolerance and its sometimes unfortunate impact on students with HFA/AS. Also included in the presentation are suggestions for both proactive and reactive responses to times when a child with autism is unable to abide by the school's code of conduct due to the social, emotional or cognitive challenges associated with autism.

New! Counseling Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. This workshop focuses on the mental health issues that affect individuals living with an autism spectrum disorder, how to understand and interpret the unique presentation of mental health symptoms, and ideas for treating those symptoms. This workshop can be a breakout session, a half-day session or a full-day session. For a full day, it is effective to have a panel of folks with autism talking about their own experience with counseling and/or a panel of therapists who have been successful in treating clients on the autism spectrum.

Training can also be provided for staff in the form of Guided Case Consultation. This is an effective way to provide meaningful information about autism, perhaps more immediately relevant than attending a general workshop. Information about the particular issues for a child, teen or adult living with autism unfolds as cases are reviewed and discussed. This can be a cost effective way to provide staff training on your most complex and troubling cases. This form of training has been provided for early intervention agencies in Philadelphia, PA and Waterbury, CT, for schools in the greater Pittsburgh area and in nearby Ohio, and for residential treatment facilities in the Pittsburgh area. References for this unique type of personalized training can be provided upon request.