About the Annual ABAI Convention

Please visit the following link for more information about specific events at the ABAI convention in Minneapolis, Minnesota:

http://www.abainternational.org/Events/conv2013/index.asp

Our annual convention is a fairly large event and may feel overwhelming. You will need to choose from several simultaneous events throughout the duration of the convention and select events most aligned with your interests and needs. Although geared towards professionals in the field of behavior analysis (and not limited to autism), rest assured that parents have found this convention to be very helpful and informative and have availed themselves of opportunities to network with parents and professionals alike.

The ABAI Convention program book lists all presentations in chronological order. You will find that the ABAI Convention program book contains a large number of interesting presentations scheduled at the conference that are related to Autism. If you prefer the digital world you can search through conference events on the ABAI website (www.abainternational.org) prior to the conference and create a potential schedule with your interests.  Please note that there are literally hundreds of other presentations in areas outside of Autism (such as education,developmental disabilities, child development, or inclusion) that may have direct relevance to you and therefore should be considered.  Many of the events will include an abstract that summarizes the event. The ABAI Convention is made up of several different types of events. These are explained below.

General Convention Events and Opportunities

• Parent Professional Partnership (PPP) Special Interest Group and Autism Special Interest Group Business Meetings are brief meetings for those who share a specific interest.  We strongly encourage you to attend the PPP SIG and the Autism SIG meetings. The PPP SIG typically meets on Sunday morning and the Autism SIG typically meets on Saturday or Sunday evening. You may be interested in attending other special interest group meetings as well (e.g., Verbal Behavior SIG, Positive Behavior Support SIG.
• Parents, Professionals and Students: Welcome to the ABAI Annual Convention is an information session for newcomers which is typically held early on the Saturday morning. Within this session the presenters will give an overview of the conference and how to navigate the conference, provide a list of recommended presentations, and answer questions about the conference.
• Poster sessions showcase several dozen research-based projects. The posters include a written narrative describing the purpose, procedures, and findings of the research. Posters often display innovative approaches to the daily challenges many parents face on their autism journey.  There are typically over 100 posters presented at once in a large room and they are generally organized by area of focus.  Authors of the posters stand alongside their respective research and field questions by individuals such as parents or other professionals who walk around the room and read through the displayed posters.  Poster sessions enable you to meet and dialogue with both leaders in the field and individuals heavily involved in practice and to dialogue with them; however the poster sessions can be a bit crowded.  Considering the large number of posters, you may find it helpful to review the topics in this program book ahead of time and make note of those posters you wish to review.
• Paper Presentations are formal talks by one or more presenters on specific topics.  Presentations are usually 20 minutes in duration and three different papers can be presented during one session. Topics are not always related. Plan your schedule around the topics that are of most interest to you.  Attendees are free to enter or exit sessions while being respectful of ongoing presentations. There is typically time at the end for questions from the audience.
• Panel Discussions are structured or semi-structured dialogues around a particular theme or issue such as transition planning for young adults or criteria for including students with Autism in regular education classrooms.  Panels are moderated by a discussant. Often, there may be conflicting opinions expressed and/or lively dialogue reflecting different perspectives.  There may or may not be time for questions from the audience.  Panel discussions are usually 50 or 80 minutes in duration based in part on the number of panelists.
• Symposia are a series of 3-5 short paper presentations that revolve around a particular theme (see some sample topics below). Each paper is presented one at a time. At the end of the symposia, a discussant highlights the key themes and may provide a critique of each paper.  Unlike Panel Discussions there is no discussion between speakers.
• Invited Tutorials are presented by distinguished scholars who teach a specific topic. Tutorial presenters are invited by the Program Committee senior co-chair with the input from area coordinators. All may attend invited tutorials.
• Invited Speaker events feature presenters asked by the Program Committee to discuss information that is new, innovative, or otherwise important to the specialty area. All may attend these events.
• Pre-conference Workshops are more intensive presentations on a particular topic and range from 3 to 6 hours in duration. This is perhaps the most comprehensive of the various conference events and you will likely be provided with a handout that corresponds to the presentation.  Please be aware that an additional fee is charged for workshops.  These are the only conference events not included in the overall registration fee.
• The ABAI Expo is a social gathering featuring presentations of graduate training programs, internship and employment opportunities, affiliated ABAI chapters, ABA boards and committees, and behavioral associations from around the world.  Officers from the Autism SIG and the Parent-Professional Partnership SIG are typically on hand to answer questions.
• The ABAI Book Store is open throughout the conference with hundreds of books available for immediate purchase, many of which would be of interest to parents.  Conference attendees can skim through the books prior to purchase.

Some common presentation topics that may be of interest to parents include:

• Teaching language and communication skills
• Teaching play and social skills
• Promoting generalization of skills
• Toilet training
• Understanding and addressing challenging behaviors
• Applying behavioral models in public school settings
• Parent training
• Transition planning
• Increasing independence in home and community settings
• Workshops related to specific teaching techniques such as discrete trial instruction or fluency based instruction
• Incorporating the use of technology to increase communication and independence