This is the place!

We now have our location and we are excited to move forward.

If you are interested in attending please leave your e-mail address and I will send you the registration information. The cost per person is $15. This includes lunch.

The location is the American Fork Hospital Education Center in Utah County. We have limited space, so please RSVP ASAP!

I will try to keep you updated as we move forward.

What will be presented?
There will be a parent presentation of what Fragile X Syndrome is and a documentary video presentation. There will be a discussion of the two core challenges of Fragile X Syndrome (FXS) that can also be seen in Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD): hyperarousal and motor planning issues. This will be followed by a compendium of strategies for managing these two issues throughout the person’s day: both at home and at school. The strategies discussed will fall into several categories: sensory-based strategies, routine-based strategies, and language-based strategies. The strategies are based on best practice in Occupational Therapy (OT) and Speech and Language Therapy (SLT).

Hyperarousal and associated sensory over-responsiveness are core deficits for children and adults with FXS and ASD. Reactions to sensory stimuli can range from mild avoidances and refusals to severe behavioral outbursts including aggression. This hands-on workshop will help you understand what it feels like to be in the body of a person who is “hyperaroused.”

Participants will
• understand what Fragile X Syndrome is
• learn to identify and communicate with others about the core issues of hyperarousal and motor planning.
• understand the components of managing hyperarousal across daily environments using evidence-based strategies from the
disciplines of OT and SLT.
• understand the components of managing motor planning across daily environments with strategies pulled from best practice
in OT and SLT.
• actively develop, through discussion, specific strategies as well as problem solve how to incorporate the new strategies they
have learned after attending this workshop.

Who should attend?
Families, educators, and providers who care for children & adults with Fragile X Syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Speakers:
Sarah K. Scharfenaker, MA, CCC-SLP, fondly known as “Mouse,” has worked in the fields of FXS and neurodevelopmental disorders for more than 20 years. She provided speech pathology services to the Denver Fragile X Treatment and Research Center at The Children’s Hospital and accompanied Dr. Randi Hagerman to the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute. She is well-known as a leader in speech language pathology for individuals with FXS. She returned to Denver in 2001 to found “Developmental FX – The Developmental & Fragile X Resource Centre,” a non-profit organization dedicated to assessment, research, resource development, and treatment in the Fragile X and neurodevelopmental areas.

Tracy Murnan Stackhouse, MS, OTR is president and co-founder of “Developmental FX – The Developmental & Fragile X Resource Centre” in Denver, Colorado. She is a distinguished pediatric occupational therapist involved in clinical treatment, research, mentoring, and training regarding OT interventions for persons with neurodevelopmental disorders, especially FXS and ASD. Tracy has a master’s degree in developmental psychology from the University of Denver. She received her NDT training with Lois Bly. She is SIPT Certified and was the Clinical Specialist in Sensory Integration at The Children’s Hospital in Denver as well as the occupational therapist for the Fragile X Research and Treatment Center. Tracy continued her clinical and research work with Dr. Randi Hagerman at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute during its start-up year. She has published papers on the role of sensory processing and of imitation in autism and Fragile X and has written several book chapters on sensory integration and neurodevelopmental disorders. She teaches nationally and internationally on sensory integration, Fragile X, autism and related topics.

Documentary Presentation of “Living with Fragile X"
by Producer/Directors Kathy Elder and Greg Mishey

If you are interested in attending and/or would like more information as it comes please comment here and I will get back to you.