School Support Services offers professional development opportunities to educators, service providers and families. The presenters are practitioners who offer up-to-date, research-based information and practical skills. Trainings are available throughout the year and in various formats.

A "Certificate of Completion" is available to participants. This may be used to document professional development hours.

• Assessing Children with Autism: A Training for School-Based Teams
  This team training is an intensive 30-hour course which builds upon the foundation received in the Autism Registry training. The goal of the training is to provide school teams with the necessary skills to identify and design appropriate interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Three primary assessment methods: observation, verbal reports or interviews, and direct interaction with a child will be covered.
  Prerequisite: Autism Registry Training

• Visual Supports: Make it/ Take it Workshop
  Make it/Take it workshops help parents and professionals design and make visual supports for use at home and school. Participants will be given time to make all of the following supports: I’m working for, Work jobs, Visual schedules and choice boards, How is your engine running, Social scripts, Personal Profiles, Make time for data, and Power cards. Parent/Professional team pays one registration fee.

• Supporting Children with Autism: Training for Teacher Assistants and Paraprofessionals
  This two-day workshop is designed for paraprofessionals, teacher assistants, and Head Start providers who work with children with autism and other developmental disabilities. Hands-on practical information regarding the use of specific types of supports, as well as ways to troubleshoot problem situations will be provided.

• Writing Effective IEPs
  Topics include components of an effective program, critical target areas, setting priorities, writing measurable objectives and evaluation methods.

• Developing Social Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
  Impairments in social interaction are a central feature in autism spectrum disorders. This one-day training will introduce the social skills program designed by the Dallas Independent School District for children with ASD and younger children with ADHD and Emotional Disturbance.

• Medical Update
  This two-hour workshop presented by Child Study Center Pediatric faculty provides the latest updates on causes, prevalence rates, diagnostics, co-existing conditions, evidence-based and “alternative” treatments, and medication.

• The Diagnosis and Treatment of ADHD: A School-Physician Collaboration
  This training presented by Child Study Center Pediatric faculty, provides information for schools, physicians, and families on the evaluation and treatment of ADHD, legal requirements for identifying and providing education services, treatment options, and the impact of ADHD on school performance. Child Study Center staff will work with districts to identify physicians in their communities and to individualize this training to meet their unique needs.

• Understanding ADHD
  Geared to general education teachers and families, this workshop provides information on signs and symptoms of ADHD, types of ADHD, how diagnosis is made, how parents and schools can be involved, setting outcomes, and tips for supporting children to manage their behavior.

• Assessment of Children With ADHD
  This one-day training and half-day follow-up is designed for school psychologists doing ADHD assessments in the schools. The training provides the latest updates on the disorder as well as components of a comprehensive assessment. Information on medications and physician/school communication will be provided by a Child Study faculty member. The follow-up session will feature a case study format.