Brazosport College’s Phi Theta Kappa and Honors Program will present a symposium on Autism from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on April 2. The event is open to parents, teachers, social workers, and others with an interest in the program.

The symposium will be at The Clarion at Brazosport College, located on the main campus grounds.

The symposium will feature three primary speakers, with Trena Rouse discussing sensory issues in the home and at school, Misty Terrell speaking about home behavior and transition and Lecia Cook looking at a parent’s perspective.
 
Brazosport College has been approved as a provider of continuing education credit for teachers and social workers, and there is no cost for this service. Area agencies will be available with information about services available throughout the community.

Onsite registration begins at 8:30 a.m., with presentations starting at 9 a.m. Cost is $12 and includes a lunch. Online registration available through The Clarion website.
 
For more information, contact Jo Greathouse at (979) 230-3343 or jo.greathouse@brazosport.edu.

More information about the speakers:

Trena Rouse
Speaking on “Sensory Issues: In the Home and at School”
Rouse currently advocates for multiple children within AISD and one student at UHCL. She is also a member of the Applied Behavior Analysis Student Organization. Rouse has a BA in Psychology and is currently a graduate psychology student at University of Houston – Clear Lake, with plans to graduate May 2013 with a degree in Applied Behavior Analysis. Her goal is to work with children on the Autism Spectrum focusing on what society states as “abnormal” behavior. She has three children: Tristan, Sianna and Kelly with Mitch, her husband of 12 years. Tristan, diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder, is her role model. One her favorite quotes by Tristan is, “It is too loud. I can’t hear my dreams.” It is because of this quote that she has learned that sometimes life can be loud and sometimes we need to carry earplugs, so that we can follow our dreams.

Misty Terrell
Speaking on “In Home Behavior and Transition”
Terrell has been a special education teacher for six years. She graduated from Northern Arizona University with a Bachelors of Science in Special Education and English education. She is currently attending Texas A&M, earning a Masters of Education in Low Incidence Disabilities. Terrell spent her first two years teaching as a resource teacher and has spent the last four years working with students with severe behavior disabilities and autism.

Lecia Cook
Speaking on “A Parent’s Perspective”
Cook is a single mother of three boys with special needs: Jordan 12, Kobe 11, and Zach 8. Jordan, a former 24-week micro-preemie, and Zachary both have diagnoses of an Autism Spectrum Disorder. Day to day, Cook juggles working as an assistant manager at the apartment complex where they live, as well as keeping her children focused and taking steps forward in life, learning to function in a world that is different from their own; all while struggling to find herself. She takes a humorous approach to the very serious subject of raising children on the spectrum and all that that entails.