South Carolina Partnerships for Inclusion is offering a FREE morning preconference session at the 2020 Annual SCCEC Conference.

The Meta-Play Method offers a systematic approach to fostering the development of imagination and play skills in young children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), intellectual disabilities, developmental delays, and social and emotional disabilities.

By creating meaningful and purposeful play for young learners with disabilities, the Meta-Play Method provides educators, practitioners, and families with a comprehensive play-based curriculum that systematically fosters the development of imaginative thinking, pretend play, and age-appropriate social skills. Individuals diagnosed with autism or who display characteristics of autism might experience meta-representational failure. Based on the Dynamic Behavior Theory of Autism (DBTA), early treatment should focus on interventions that promote object-to-person interest and focus on part-to-whole thinking, combined with meta-representational thinking and imagination.

Through video modeling, overview, and small group discussion, participants will learn how the Meta-Play Method is based on four pillars: object-to-person, the transition from part-to-whole, activities that foster imagination, and the absence of control and predictability. It is designed to shift attention and identification from objects to people, engage the child in activities that encourage meta-representational thinking, build tolerance for unpredictability, and increase understanding of whole versus parts.

**Child care training credit available!!**

Coffee & pastries will be available from 8:30am-9:00am. :)

About the Presenter

Dr. Cooper Woodard is a licensed clinical psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), who lives and works in Providence, RI. He worked in Charlotte, NC for 11 years serving adults and children with autism and other developmental disabilities before completing his PhD in 2002. He moved to Providence, RI where he became a Clinical Director and then the Vice President of Clinical Services and Training at the Groden Center. He also created the first hospital diversion program for persons with autism and developmental disabilities, the RITE program. The Groden Network is an internationally-known continuum of services that has been providing innovative and high-quality supports for children and adults with autism since 1976. Dr. Woodard is the creator of the Dynamic Behavior Theory of Autism (DBTA) and the Meta-play Method, which is derived from this theory. He is the author of a number of books on this topic, as well as book chapters on the treatment of self-injury, optimism and other positive traits, and the construct of courage in daily living. He was a visiting professor at Wheaton College for a number of years, and is currently a part-time professor at the University of Rhode Island. Dr. Woodard is a reviewer for the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (JADD) and other journals, and has published a wide range of articles not only in the areas DBTA and Meta-play, but also repetitive behavior treatments, sensory sensitivity, the construct of courage, a medication trial for Dextromethorphan, and measuring positive traits in persons with autism and developmental disability.