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Structuring for Success: A 3-day Hands-on Workshop

Structuring for Success: A 3-day Hands-on Workshop

June 24 - 26, 2025
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT
RISE Learning Center
5391 Shelby Street, Indianapolis, IN 46227

Presented by Amy Gaffney, M.A., CCC-SLP, Educational Consultant and Indiana's only TEACCH® Certified Advanced Consultant

Sponsored by the Indiana Resource Center for Autism at the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, Indiana University - Bloomington in collaboration with RISE Learning Center.

Workshop Details

Overview

Research consistently shows that individuals with autism spectrum disorders respond well to a structured environment. This workshop combines presentations and hands-on activities to demonstrate how and why to implement structured teaching strategies based on the TEACCH© philosophy. This philosophy focuses on evaluating and working with autistic students in a demonstration classroom environment. The workshop emphasizes practical strategies that participants can immediately apply in their own settings to support student learning in academics, communication, independence, social interaction, leisure activities, and emotional regulation.

Goals and Objectives

Attendees will learn how to:

Understand why structured teaching is a helpful approach for individuals with ASD
Organize a classroom/workspace in a structured way
Design individualized visual schedules and work systems for a variety of learners
Create visually structured tasks to address the goals of a variety of learners
Develop an awareness of how structured teaching can be used to increase social and communication skills
Understand how to design structured teaching elements in order to provide a proactive approach to behavior management while also developing strategies to respond to any challenging behaviors that do occur

Who Should Attend

This workshop is designed for special education teachers, general education teachers, administrators, autism consultants, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, psychologists, family members, and any other professional working with individuals with a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder.

Additional Information

Amy is an Educational Consultant, a TEACCH® Certified Advanced Consultant, and a Speech-Language Pathologist with the Indiana Resource Center for Autism, Indiana Institute on Disability and Community at Indiana University. Amy received her Master’s Degree from the University of Kansas, where she was part of the Communication and Autism Project. She received her TEACCH® Certification from the TEACCH® Program at the University of North Carolina. She has experience working with young children, school-age children, and young adults. She has worked in a variety of settings, including in-home, public and private schools, and a private clinic. Amy does presentations and trainings nationally and internationally including topics related to structured teaching, executive functioning, communication, social cognition, and evidence-based practices. She is co-author of a chapter in the book, Life After Lockdown: Resetting Perceptions of Autism, titled “A Recipe for Student Success.”

Certificates of Attendance for 16.5 instructional hours will be available at no charge and can be used for:

Professional Growth Plan points
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency Continuing Education hours for Speech Language Pathologists, Occupational Therapists and Occupational Therapist Assistants licensing requirements
Indiana Professional Licensing Agency Category 1 Continuing Education for Social Workers (LSW), Clinical Social Workers (LCSW), Addiction Counselors (LAC), Marriage & Family Therapists (LMFT), Mental Health Counselors (LMHC), and Clinical Addiction Counselors (LCAC) licensing requirements

If you have questions about the workshop content, please contact us. All registration payment questions should be directed to IU Conferences (iuconfs@indiana.edu) at 800-933-9330.

The Indiana Institute on Disability and Community is committed to providing equal access to this event for all participants. If you have questions about accessibility or have a request for alternative formats or other accommodations, please contact us with your request at least three weeks in advance of the event. The deadline for accommodations requests for this workshop is June 3, 2025.

Structuring for Success: A 3-day Hands-on Workshop