Volunteers who helped make the workshop possible include (front row, l. to r.) Dr. Jocelyn Stokes, WVU Medicine Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry; Tara Davis, clinical instructor/PBS trainer, West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University; Cathy Lee Irizarry-Barron, Daily Companions, Inc.; Corinne Shaw, high school student volunteer; and Dr. Janine Scott, Shepherd assistant professor of business administration; second row, Jack Shaw, Shepherd interim vice president for campus services; Rachel Sherman, WVU Medicine Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry graduate student; Dan Boyden, EPIC; Brad Davis, volunteer; Dr. Heidi Dobish, Shepherd associate professor of psychology; Laura Turman, Legal Aid of West Virginia regional family advocate; and Matt Seidle, WVU Medicine Department of Behavioral Medicine and Psychiatry graduate student.
Shepherd University, along with the West Virginia Autism Training Center at Marshall University and Eastern Panhandle Indigo Children (EPIC), hosted a Back to School Strategies workshop on August 4. The workshop offered advice to help students who are on the autism spectrum and their parents prepare for the coming year. Thirty-one people from Berkeley and Jefferson counties attended the workshop, which had several stations set up with activities for students.
The workshop offered strategies for keeping learning materials organized, completing schoolwork at school and home, promoting more independent learning, and addressing sensory needs. The workshop also provided information that students can share with their schools that will help teachers and staff have a better understanding of autism.