Last Thursday and Friday, I attended a professional seminar, at the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Special Education and Research, on the ADOS-2 (Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule, second edition.) I'm a School Psychologist by trade, but I'm not currently practicing due to my health, and a host of other factors - mainly children and my husband's military career - which we shall refer to as "life." I am certified by NASP (the National Organization of School Psychologists) as an NCSP (Nationally Certified School Psychologist) and am coming up against my certification renewal. I attended this training for my own personal edification, as a test to see if my health has improved enough to try and go back to work (not even close - blarg,) and to accrue continuing education credits needed to renew my certification in December.
The training was great. The instructor was very professional, engaging, organized and interesting. The group provided wonderful questions and informative discussion. I'm glad I went. I can't discuss the ADOS in much detail other than to say that I have my personal and professional reservations about its efficacy with minority populations, and/or test subjects from diverse cultural backgrounds. The test is in its second incarnation, which usually indicates better research into its previous areas of weakness. While I feel that some of theses areas were indeed addressed, I (who can usually tell my ass from a hole in the ground - but not always, so take this for what it's worth) still saw some gaping areas where reliability, specificity, and cultural relevance could be greatly improved. Your milage may vary. As long as it's not used as a stand alone diagnostic measure - and no single test should ever be - it can certainly provide some very valuable and descriptive information about individuals with autism, and shouldn't be discounted out of hand.
The above blurb is going to count as validation for this activity to be thrust into one of our categories. I think I'll go with...Every Day and In Every Way, I'm Getting Better and Better. Even six months ago, I would not have had the processing skills or reading comprehension to get much at all out of this training. And, I will admit that, by the end of the second day, my brain was ditching me and I had to take some of the material home to read later. The physical aspects of sitting in a chair for 8 hours a day just about did me in, and having to ask for even a small accommodation (getting up to pace and stretch in the back of the room during the presentation) was beyond frustrating. I don't want to need accommodation, dammit. But, on the whole, I feel like I'm finally making progress toward someday soon being able to return to work, or go back to school.
Also! I brought socks-in-progress both days! I do NOT knit during presentations or during seminars as I find it unbelievably rude. But, I had to get there pretty early so that I wouldn't get caught in traffic, and I wanted something to do besides fill my gob with pastries and bad coffee as I waited for the seminar to begin.
Sock #1 - This didn't go as well as hoped as I was talking a mile a minute with the other early arrivals and messed up part of the pattern. The conversation was completely worth it.
Hence, Sock #2 - This went MUCH better as the pattern is easier and requires very little attention. I got more talking AND more knitting done this way. It was so nice to be surrounded by other professionals, and feeding the psych(o) part of my brain. Boy, have I been starving it!! Sorry for the glare, I really am a crap photographer.
I'll come back with finished pictures of both pairs of socks and then add them to their own categories later. For now, Cheers! And continue with your Summers of Creativity!
- Rubiy
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