Understanding and Supporting Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorders (Synchrounous)

Tuesday; April 22, 2025
5:00pm - 8:00pm
Zoom


Course Description
This course provides a foundation on autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and the continuum in which this disorder manifests, specifically focusing on adolescents and young adults. Due to the complexity and co-morbidity often associate with ASD, techniques and strategies to  anticipate, analyze, and provide solutions to address complex behaviors, including creating behavior plans, self-monitoring systems, and visual schedules, is an outcome of this course. Other tools, such as using peer supports, will be discussed and their benefits for individuals with ASD and supporting peers. This course will also provide a lens to understand the myriad of challenges faced by parents and opportunities to support them.


CEUs
3 Social Work CEUs
3 SCECH Credits


Instructor 

Christina Marsack-Topolewski, PhD, LMSW is an Associate Professor of Social Work in the College of Health and Human Services at Eastern Michigan University. She holds a bachelor's of science in Special Education from Wayne State University, master's of Social Work from the University of Michigan, and a PhD in Social Work from Wayne State University. Dr. Marsack-Topolewski is an affiliated research associate with the Michigan Developmental Disabilities Institute. She has worked in the public school setting for over 15 years as both a Special Education Teacher and Teacher Consultant. In her work in the public school setting, she supports students with various disabilities, including learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and mental health challenges. Her main research focuses on providing support to individuals with disabilities and their parents.


Course Format
To participate, you will need a stable Internet connection and Zoom. Please visit the Zoom System Requirements site for the technical requirements that you will need. You are highly encouraged to use video, but you are required to use audio connection by calling in on a phone or through Zoom. Due to this being a Live-Online course, you will need to be able to ask quesitons.

After you register here, you will receive an email with an invitation to register for the Zoom meeting. Once you register on Zoom, you will receive the link to join the meeting on the day/time of the course. You can also visit the Zoom Help Center to learn usage before your scheduled course.

Please contact jnewland@emich.edu with any questions.