Dr. Jed Baker, Director of the Social Skills Training Project, an organization serving individuals with autism and social communication problems, will be in Havre on April 3 presenting a workshop entitled "Managing Frustration, Anxiety and Teaching Social Skills." This is a free training for parents, general and special educators, paraprofessionals, agency personnel, and others who work with students or individuals on the autism spectrum or who present behavioral challenges.

Anne-Marye Ymzon, Special Education faculty, and Tammy Edwards, first grade teacher at Meadowlark Elementary, will be attending. Anyone else interested in attending should register by March 28.

Baker is on the professional advisory board of Autism Today and several other autism organizations. In addition, he writes, lectures, and provides training internationally on the topic of social skills training and managing challenging behaviors. He is an award-winning author of eight books, including Social Skills Training for Children and Adolescents with Asperger's Syndrome and Social Communication Problems.

Baker's main focus during the Havre workshop will be addressing behavioral challenges while managing frustration and anxiety with individuals on the autism spectrum. Baker works on the premise that individuals who present behavioral challenges often have difficulty regulating their feelings and interacting socially.

The workshop will describe how to handle meltdowns and how to design effective behavior plans to prevent these moments and to reduce frustration and anxiety. The second part of the presentation will detail strategies to motivate individuals to learn, approaches for teaching teach social skills, applications to generalize skills into the natural setting, and tactics to increase acceptance and tolerance from peers.

Baker typically imparts information through lecture, interactive exercises, and video clips to meet the following objectives:

• Understand how best to think about challenging behaviors to insure better outcomes.

• Learn strategies to deal effectively with anxiety and frustration; both to deescalate and to prevent meltdowns.

• Identify ways to motivate verbal and non-verbal individuals to want to socialize.

• Learn how to choose effective strategies for teaching and generalizing skills.

• Create programs for typical peers to accept individuals with disabilities, reduce bullying, and model positive behaviors.

The morning will begin at 8:00 a.m. with sign in, followed by a morning session from 8:30-11:30. A break will occur from 11:30-12:30 for lunch on your own, followed by the afternoon session from 12:30-3:30. Six OPI renewal units are available for this training which will take place at the Fifth Avenue Christian Church located at 2015 Fifth Avenue in Havre.

Registrations for this workshop, which is sponsored by Region II of the Comprehensive System of Personnel Development (CSPD) in partnership with Havre Public Schools, will be taken through March 28. Those interested in attending should go online to http://www.blueponyk12.com where they will click on the CSPD icon and then on the hyperlink that reads: "Register Here For Upcoming CSPD Training Events!"

Questions about this training can be directed to Region II CSPD Coordinator, Aileen Couch by calling (406)395-8550, ext. 6714, or emailing cspd@blueponyk12.com. As a professional courtesy, Couch asks that anyone needing to cancel a registration to please contact her office.

Region II CSPD coordinates personnel development to meet the diverse needs of all children and youth in the counties of Cascade, Teton, Pondera, Toole, Glacier, Liberty, Hill, Blaine, and Chouteau. Although preference will be given to people living in these areas, participation by individuals from outside of Region II is also welcome.