Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "uc davis extension"

Transition Time for Teens with Autism

2012-01-12T20:42:32Z

Now that an autism diagnosis is 10 times more common than it was in the 1980s, more children than ever before are undergoing effective early interventions and treatment plans. However, one aspect of the disorder that has yet to garner attention is the scarcity of support for young adults transitioning out of high school and into adulthood.

“There is a severe lack of knowledge for educators and parents regarding available options after the public K-12 system,” says Rodger Stein, M.A., an instructor at UC Davis Extension and professor of psychology with the Los Rios Community College District who specializes in behavior supports for youth with high-functioning autism or Asperger syndrome. “We have to get to the point where our students are the ones driving their own transitions based on their own futures.”

Susan Bacalman, LCSW, a clinical social worker with the UC Davis MIND Institute, also understands the importance of preparing students for their transition to higher education or the workforce.

“In high school, many students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) had academic accommodations implemented by an Individual Education Plan team comprised of their parents, teachers, school counselors and resource-room specialists.” But once students leave high school or other district programs for young adults (through age 21), they are on their own.

To address this concern, Bacalman has spent the past few years co-leading a UC Davis group called STUDENTS INC. This group offers those who have self-identified as having ASD or Asperger syndrome an opportunity to meet other students on the spectrum and discuss common issues in a social environment.

“The biggest challenge for students with ASD is finding the right niche on campus,” says Bacalman. “A big campus like UC Davis can be a challenging environment for any student, but it is more so for students whose social interactions do not occur naturally and automatically.” In such a setting, says Bacalman, a student with ASD is at risk of becoming isolated and withdrawn, which could impact their schooling and mental health.

Yet owing to her experiences with teens at the MIND Institute, Bacalman recognizes that successful transitions can happen every day.
“I have met so many gifted people on the spectrum who, with the right backing—a peer support group, academic accommodations, assistance with managing stress and anxiety—can make immense contributions to our knowledge base and to our society.”

Preparing for a Successful Transition

Because Stein provides services to individuals diagnosed with autism or Asperger syndrome, he began to realize that the children who had undergone early interventions would soon become “a wave of ‘graduating’ students with basically nowhere to go.”

It was out of this concern that Stein worked with UC Davis Extension and the UC Davis MIND Institute to develop the course Supporting Transition for Youth (Ages 16-25). This course examines the transition process for students with ASD who are leaving K-12 education and entering higher education or the workforce.

“We created Supporting Transition in order to initiate a radical paradigm shift among educators, professionals and parents,” explains Stein, who is the head instructor. “Ongoing evaluations and assessments after high school have to become part of the planning process in order for these teens to become self-advocates.”

For parents whose teens will be leaving home come graduation, understanding the issues involved at transition time and the resources and support services available is essential. Students who do not enroll in a post-secondary program may have trouble finding meaningful work, and students who do pursue higher education may have difficulty identifying programs that meet both their academic and social needs.

“The best preparation for parents is to expect the same life for children with autism as children without ASD,” says Stein. Instead of fearing independence, parents should research options beforehand to make sure they identify the ideal placement for their teenager.

Regional Resources for Educators, Counselors and Parents

Alta California Regional Center
California Department of Rehabilitation
Los Rios Community College District
Sacramento County Regional Occupational Programs (ROP)
Sacramento Employment and Training Agency
UC Davis Extension Autism Spectrum Disorders courses
UC Davis MIND Institute
University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD)

Disclosure: Alicia K. Gonzales works as a writer and editor for UC Davis Extension. She is the principal media contact for the organization’s Autism Spectrum Disorders program. You can reach her at 530-752-9467.

Words in Bloom writers' conference coming to Midtown

2011-03-05T04:09:55Z

The UC Davis Extension Words in Bloom writers' conference is coming to Midtown for the first time this spring, and it promises a fertile writing environment for area wordsmiths.

“There’s great power in coming together with a group of people to set words on a page, words that you never thought you could or would write,” said Kate Asche, Words in Bloom program director and UC Davis Extension associate director of arts and humanities.

Words in Bloom will be held the weekend of April 29 to May 1. Writers who register by March 15 receive a $150 discount. Three persons registering for Words in Bloom together as a writing group each receive a further discount of $100. The full tuition before discounts is $745.

One of the chief aims of Words in Bloom is to provide a conference experience for writers without the time or money to attend UC Davis Extension’s other writing conference, the Tomales Bay Workshops, Asche said.

“I’ve seen Tomales Bay change so many people’s writing lives and their lives in general,” she said. “I wanted to bring a conference of that quality to Sacramento.”

Tomales Bay is twice as long as Words in Bloom. Before early bird or other discounts full tuition for Tomales Bay is more than double that of full tuition for Words in Bloom.

Asche coordinates both events, and she noted key differences between Words in Bloom and Tomales Bay, which is in its seventh year.

“Words in Bloom is expressly focused on creating new projects,” Asche said.

Another important goal of the conference is networking.

The new conference was kept to two weekend days, so local writers would not need to take time off work, Asche said. They can rejoin their families in the evening and avoid paying for lodging.

In contrast, faculty at Tomales Bay provide critique for writers with working manuscripts within a retreat setting. There is some networking.

Words in Bloom features the same high-caliber faculty as Tomales Bay.

“Our reputation is built upon the quality of what we deliver,” Asche said. “I wanted to make sure that that same extremely high quality is observed.”

Words in Bloom faculty include Dana Levin (poetry), Pam Houston (fiction), Ehud Havazelet (fiction) and Brenda Miller (creative nonfiction). Levin has previously spoken at Tomales Bay. Houston is director of creative writing at UC Davis and program director for Tomales Bay.

UC Davis Extension instructors recommended Havazelet and Miller, Asche said.

Words in Bloom participants select the writer of their choice and attend that writer’s workshop on both Saturday and Sunday mornings. Afternoon and evening sessions will feature readings and panel discussions with local authors, emerging writers and agents. There also will be an opportunity to meet with publishing professionals for an additional fee.

The conference will take place at Time Tested Books in Midtown. Parking is available at the UC Davis Extension Sutter Square Galleria parking garage on 29th and K Streets. From there it is about a 10-block walk to Time Tested Books.

Several restaurants are located in the vicinity of the bookstore.

“One of our hopes is that (students) would be able to continue the conversations by going to lunch and seeing where it leads,” Asche said.

Both Words in Bloom and Tomales Bay fulfill a portion of the elective requirements for the UC Davis Extension Creative Writing Certificate Program. For Words in Bloom, payment for units of academic credit is included in the conference fee, whereas there is an additional fee for academic credit for Tomales Bay.

“This is my way of getting a UC education,” said Brenda Nakamoto, who is pursuing the Specialized Studies Program in Nonfiction Writing at UC Davis Extension.

Nakamoto said she was attracted to Words in Bloom because of its lower cost and closer proximity than Tomales Bay.

“I thought I’d give myself two days to just be creative,” Nakamoto said.

Nakamoto has admired Miller’s work and said Miller was another draw to Words in Bloom.

She said the description of Miller’s workshop in the Words in Bloom program appealed to her: “Be prepared to check your critical mind at the door, and put on your play clothes instead.”

Nakamoto received a fellowship to attend Tomales Bay in October 2009. Roan Press will release her creative nonfiction book “The Peach Farmer’s Daughter” in April.

Words in Bloom is the only writers’ conference with offerings for writers in different genres in Sacramento, Asche said.

“As of right now we have an eye to the future for it,” Asche said. “We want to see this year’s conference succeed, but it’s a longer-term vision than that.”

The Northern California Publishers and Authors conference will not be happening this year, said Ken Umbach, NCPA communications director.

“(Words in Bloom) looks like a very promising conference for writers,” Umbach said. He said the NCPA conference focused more on the publishing side of the business.

Another Midtown writing conference is Our Life Stories, which focuses on memoir writing. The Ethel MacLeod Hart Senior Center will host Our Life Stories at Cosumnes River College on May 7.

UC Davis Extension is holding a free information session about its writing programs Monday night from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the UC Davis Extension Sutter Square Galleria branch at 2901 K Street. Topics will include Words in Bloom, the Tomales Bay Workshops, the Nonfiction Writing Specialized Studies Program and the Creative Writing Certificate Program. The information session will conclude with a panel discussion entitled “Marketing Yourself as a Writer.”

Attendees will receive a $50 coupon which can be used toward a spring class, but not Words in Bloom.

The early bird registration deadline for Tomales Bay, which will be held October 19 through 23, is May 6.