Westfield Special Ed Committee Presents 'The Role of a Behaviorist in a Public School'

Come join the Westfield Community for an evening of education and insightful conversation on Thursday, November 29th, 2012 at 7:30 p.m., at the Edison Intermediate School Library, located at 800 Rahway Ave. in Westfield, NJ.

Have you ever wondered if your child's behavior in school can be specifically addressed? The study of Behavioral Psychology has been around for almost 100 years and is a very effective tool in helping children learn new skills and overcome maladaptive behaviors.  Techniques, such as applied behavior analysis, behavioral modification and token economies can be utilized in the school environment as well. In a public school, such as Westfield, a behaviorist has a variety of roles and responsibilities.  During this presentation we will review and discuss these roles and responsibilities and how it impacts individual students, the classroom, and the school. We will also define and discuss Applied Behavior Analysis and the principles that encompass this science.

Sponsored by both the PTC-Special Ed. Committee & Westfield Special Services Dept., we are pleased to present Shakira Czapla and Ann-Marie Kuba, behaviorists for Westfield Public Schools. Shakira Czapla received her Master’s in Education from Rutgers University in 2010 and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in 2011. She previously worked at the Douglass Developmental Disabilities Center at Rutgers University as a Special Education Teacher.  

Ann-Marie Kuba has worked in the field of Autism for over 20 years.  Her experience has included being a classroom teacher, co-teacher, camp night director,  home programmer, early intervention therapist, social skills instructor and behavior specialist.  She has presented on numerous topics at such conferences as Autism NJ and Bucks County Autism Services Coalition. She has received Autism NJ's Teacher of the Year Award as well as a Distinguished Service Award from OAR. She has a Certificate in Autism from Penn State. Currently she has completed her course work towards her BCBA and is completing her Master's degree in Applied Psychology at Rider University.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. with the Business component. CEU’S (1.5 CREDITS) WILL BE OFFERED FREE OF CHARGE for the presentation. This program is free and all parents, teachers, and therapists are invited to attend. Pre-registration is not required. For further information, email us at specialedparents@westfieldnjk12.org or visit our website:www.westfieldnjk12.org/specialedparents.