NEWS ABOUT THE VISIT OF ASS. PROFESSOR BLAKE HANSEN PH.D., CONDUCTED RESEARCH, PARENTS TRAINING, TWO LECTURES HELD IN COOPERATION WITH MSSA

Abstract

Macedonian Scientific Society for Autism (MSSA) in cooperation with Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. and his team began conducting research and trainings that were held in Skopje, Republic of Macedonia.
Ph.D. Ass. Professor Blake Hansen is a lecturer in Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, USA in the Department for advice psychology and special education. He is also a visiting professor at the University for Medicine in Utah, in the Department of pediatrics. His main areas of expertise are evaluation of challenging behavior and early intervention, instructions for reading and speech and small size sample research. He has worked with graduates from the areas of special education, early intervention, school psychology, advice, experimental psychology and speech language pathology. His research is focused on evaluation and intervention with challenging behavior with persons with intellectual disability, the different kinds and function of repetitive behavior and anxiety disorders.
Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. has published articles in different journals such as the Journal for practical analysis in behavior, remedial and special education, child and family therapy in behavior and others.
After previous consultations, the team of MSSA started the research in March when the parents with children with autistic spectrum disorder were invited to take part of the research and trainings. At the call that we published in the public 18 parents expressed good will to take part in the research and the trainings. When the pre – research period ended, the research itself began with an informative session on the 07.04.2016 at the faculty of Philosophy in Skopje. During the informative session Prof. Vladimir Trajkovski Ph.D. welcomed all the participants and thanked them for taking part in the research. During the informative session the participants were fulfilling questionnaires and were informed about the activities that will be held during the research. Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. was connected on Skype and he presented himself to the participants and thanked them for their participation in the research. He was available during the entire informative session and he answered at the questions that were asked by the parents in regard of the behavior treatment with children with ASD. The participants were informed that they will be divided in three groups in each group six parents for a better execution of the second phase of the research or the trainings.
The trainings were held from 25.04.2016 to 27.04.2016. During each of the trainings there were six participants. The trainings were held by the MSSA team and the team of Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. Each training lasted in average about 2 hours. During these trainings we were discussing the ways and means in which we handle or cope with the challenging behavior with the children with ASD. Afterwards we discussed the ways and methods in which we may improve eye contact, how to use praise, how to reduce stereotypical behavior and to increase the level of obedience. Each of the trainings in the beginning started with a warm welcome by the president of the MSSA prof. Vladimir Trajkovski Ph.D and of Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. After the successfully conducted trainings the participants were informed about the activities that follow that will be held during the months of May and June.
Since the trainings were completed at 28.04.2016 in amphitheater 4 at the Faculty of Philosophy in Skopje starting at 10:00 hours. Ass. Professor Blake Hansen Ph.D. held two lectures on the subjects:

1. Evaluation and treatment in behavior disorders with people with autism and similar developmental disorders.
2. Small size sample research.

At the first lecture there were 55 participants present from different professions such as: special educators, psychologists, educators, as well parents with children with ASD and students from the Institute of Special Education and Rehabilitation. The lecture combined with the discussion lasted for 2 hours and it was an interactive lecture in which the public was actively involved in finding solutions for the challenging behavior in children with ASD.
The second lecture began at 13:00 on the same day and on this lecture the audience consisted of professors, ass. Professors, masters, Ph.D. and postgraduate students from different profiles. This lecture was intended to show how to create a better scientific article with a small sample size and to increase the chances of getting that article accepted in a scientific journal with impact factor. The audience was very interested in the topic. The lecture ended in 14:30 hours.
When the lectures ended Prof. Vladimir Trajkovski thanked Ass. Professor Blake Hansen and his team for their visit and gave him as a gift several issues of the Journal of Special Education and Rehabilitation and expressed his good intentions for further and deeper cooperation.