Faherty, Catherine

Catherine Faherty, one of the pioneers in the University of North Carolina’s TEACCH Program, first created a model TEACCH classroom in the mid-1980’s, and has served individuals with autism, their families, and professionals, as a TEACCH autism specialist and teacher trainer from 1990 to 2012. She has written training manuals, including the TEACCH Structured Teaching Self- Assessment: Guides to Individualizing the Schedule and Work System. Catherine’s first groundbreaking book Asperger’s…What Does It Mean To Me? promotes self-understanding for children and youth, encouraging mutual understanding within their families, schools, and communities. Her book, Understanding Death and Illness and What They Teach About Life, was awarded The 2009 Book of the Year by the Autism Society of America, is an interactive guide for individuals with ASD and their loved ones. Her most recent book is Communication…What Does It Mean to Me? which offers the unique, user-friendly “Contract for Communication” featuring easy-to-follow “agreements” for both young people on the spectrum and the adults in their lives—parents, teachers, therapists—so they can better understand one another.

From Asking for Help…to Self-Advocacy…to Self- Determination

Self-determination, the process by which a person makes his or her own decisions, is a popular subject in educational programs and in disability services. Professionals and families who value self-determination, wholeheartedly desire to have their students, children, and clients engage in making decisions for themselves. The problem is that most support people – usually being nonautistic, may not realize that they have unconscious assumptions about communication based on their non-autistic experiences of self-determination. These assumptions may not take into account the underlying communication uniqueness of autistic individuals. Features inherent in an autistic style of thinking and learning must be acknowledged and proactively planned for when expecting children and adults to speak up for themselves – to self-advocate – to become fully engaged in self-determination. It is so much more than simply giving a child the freedom to say what she wants – and expecting her to automatically respond in way that’s true for her; or routinely extending an invitation to a teenager to participate in his I.E.P. meeting; or waiting for an adult to express a particular need for a change in his life. This workshop will break down some of the basic skills needed for true self-determination, and evaluate them according to how to teach these skills to your ASD students over time, covering a wide range of functioning levels and ages. Catherine’s presentations are known for generous practical ideas and useful strategies.