Looking for an expert speaker on Autism, Special Needs Education, The Idea Model, Rythmic Movement, or other related subjects? Below are some of the Topics Lauren offers.

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Autism - Autism spectrum disorder impacts the nervous system.The range and severity of symptoms can vary widely. Common symptoms include difficulty with communication, difficulty with social interactions, obsessive interests, and repetitive behaviors.Early recognition, as well as behavioral, educational, and family therapies may reduce symptoms and support development and learning.

Therapeutic Education - aims at improving patient treatment by giving patients independence, and helping them obtain and maintain the necessary skills to live more comfortably with their disability.

Special Education - Special education (also known as special needs education, aided education, vocational education, and limb care authority education) is the practice of educating students with special educational needs in a way that addresses their individual differences and needs.

Parenting - Parenting or child rearing is the process of promoting and supporting the physical, emotional, social, financial, and intellectual development of a child from infancy to adulthood. Parenting refers to the aspects of raising a child aside from the biological relationship.

Neurodevelopment - Neurodevelopmental disorders are impairments of the growth and development of the brain or central nervous system. A narrower use of the term refers to a disorder of brain function that affects emotion, learning ability, self-control and memory and that unfolds as the individual grows.

Applied Behavior Analysis/Behavior Modification - Applied Behavior Analysis is the process of systematically applying interventions based upon the principles of learning theory to improve socially significant behaviors to a meaningful degree, and to demonstrate that the interventions employed are responsible for the improvement in behavior. Behavior modification is a treatment approach, based on the principles of operant conditioning, that replaces undesirable behaviors with more desirable ones through positive or negative reinforcement .

Relationship Development - Relationship Development Intervention® (RDI) is a family-based, behavioral treatment designed to address autism’s core symptoms. Developed by psychologist Steven Gutstein, Ph.D., it builds on the theory that “dynamic intelligence” is key to improving quality of life for individuals with autism. Dr. Gutstein defines dynamic intelligence as the ability to think flexibly. This includes appreciating different perspectives, coping with change and integrating information from multiple sources (e.g. sights and sounds). RDI aims to help individuals with autism form personal relationships by gradually strengthening the building blocks of social connections. This includes the ability to form an emotional bond and share experiences.

IDEA Learning System - The Integrated-Developmental-Educational-Approach to Learning© (IDEAL©). Using the IDEAL© model allows us to customize our educational programs to meet the needs of the individual and produces significant and lasting social, emotional, cognitive and behavioral changes.

Primitive Reflex Integration - are reflex actions originating in the central nervous system that are exhibited by normal infants, but not neurologically intact adults, in response to particular stimuli. These reflexes are absent due to the development of the frontal lobes as a child transitions normally into child development.

Rhythmic Movement - Rhythmic Movement Training is a movement based, primitive (infant or neo-natal) reflex integration program that uses developmental movements, gentle isometric pressure and self-awareness to rebuild the foundations necessary to help overcome learning, sensory, emotional and behavioural challenges for children and adults.

Brain Gym - Brain Gym is a nonprofit organization promoting a series of exercises claimed to improve academic performance. 26 Brain Gym activities are claimed to improve eye teaming (binocular vision), spatial and listening skills, hand–eye coordination, and whole-body flexibility, and by doing this manipulate the brain, improving learning and recall of information.

Leadership - Leadership is both a research area and a practical skill encompassing the ability of an individual or organization to "lead" or guide other individuals, teams, or entire organizations.

The Co-Creative Model - Co-creative model is a management initiative, or form of economic strategy, that brings different parties together (for instance, a company and a group of customers), in order to jointly produce a mutually valued outcome.

Movement Based Learning - Movement in learning is a teaching method based on the concept that humans learn better through movement. This teaching method can be applied to students, who should have the opportunity throughout a class period to move around to take "brain breaks" to refocus their attention so they can learn new material.

Stress - Stress is simply a reaction to a stimulus that disturbs our physical or mental equilibrium. In other words, it's an omnipresent part of life. A stressful event can trigger the “fight-or-flight” response, causing hormones such as adrenaline and cortisol to surge through the body.

PTSD - Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), once called shell shock or battle fatigue syndrome, is a serious condition that can develop after a person has experienced or witnessed a traumatic or terrifying event in which serious physical harm occurred or was threatened. PTSD is a lasting consequence of traumatic ordeals that cause intense fear, helplessness, or horror, such as a sexual or physical assault, the unexpected death of a loved one, an accident, war, or natural disaster. Families of victims can also develop PTSD, as can emergency personnel and rescue workers.

Breathing - Deep breathing helps expand the lungs and forces better distribution of the air into all sections of the lung. The patient either sits in a chair or sits upright in bed and inhales, pushing the abdomen out to force maximum amounts of air into the lung. The abdomen is then contracted, and the patient exhales. Deep breathing exercises are done several times each day for short periods.

Cognitive Skills Training - Cognitive skills training for children can be a normal part of the educational experience. People use cognitive skills every day as cognitive skills come into play for learning, decision making and processing information. And everybody would benefit from having these skills trained and strengthened. Even the most gifted students stand to gain a great deal from properly designed and delivered cognitive skills training. However, children who struggle because of weak underlying skills find that their ability to learn can be greatly enhanced by cognitive skills training. Improving the health and function of our brains with the right mental workouts means: clearer and quicker thinking; improved memory for names, numbers, directions, etc; increased alertness and awareness; elevated mood; and better concentration at work or while driving.

Self-Regulation - Self-regulation is the ability to monitor and control our own behavior, emotions, or thoughts, altering them in accordance with the demands of the situation.

Learning Readiness - Learning readiness refers to how likely a person is to seek out knowledge and participate in behavior change. Individuals go through various stages in order to adopt or maintain a new health behavior. In the pre-contemplative stage, the person is generally not aware of a problem or not ready to act.

Foundation Skills for Learning - When the brain has been provided with a wide range of movement patterns, sensory activities and language, the brain will develop a rich network of nerve patterns and literally be ‘wired for learning’.

Language as Communication  - Language is the ability to acquire and use complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so, and a language is any specific example of such a system. The scientific study of language is called linguistics.

Adaptive Communication - Adaptive communication is a form of communication which is tailored to someone's needs and abilities. It is designed to provide people with the ability to communicate with others even if they cannot engage in spoken communication.

Single-Case Research Designs