Optometric Care of Patients Diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder - Online course

Online course to be offered in Spring 2023
3 ECTS Credits

To register for Optometric Care of Patients Diagnosed with ASD, click here

Introduction

Optometrists can work together with other disciplines for the benefit of their patients on the autism spectrum. This course provides background about the diagnosis and daily lives of patients on the spectrum from a variety of guest lecturers: a developmental psychologist, speech pathologist, special education teacher and mother of a child on the autism spectrum. This course covers visual assessment and treatment of patients on the autism spectrum, when to refer the patients to other disciplines, and the relative timing of the interventions.

The course includes lecturers from the fields of psychology and communication disorders provide an interdisciplinary approach, as well as a firsthand account by the mother of a child on the autism spectrum.

Course Structure

13 hours of recorded online lectures
4 live sessions on zoom

Course Dates

March 28th - Zoom
15:00-16:00 Paul's lecture
16:00-17:00 Dr. Anna Remington's lecture

May 09th
14:15-15:30 Dr. Oranit Klein Shagrir's lecture
15:30-17:00 Dr. Ariela Jokel's lecture

May 30th (Tuesday)
9:30-11:00 Mr. Perri Segal's lecture
11:10-12:45 Paul's lecture

June 06th (Tuesday)
9:30-11:00 Dr. Anna Remington's lecture
11:00-12:45 Paul's lecture

Learning Outcomes

After successfully completing the course, participants will be able to:

Adapt optometric exams for patients on the autism spectrum
Explain the value of synergistic diagnosis and treatments of varying disciplines working together in treating patients on the autism spectrum
Identify when to refer patients to other disciplines, specifically with regard to the relative timing of different interventions in an overall coordinated approach to helping those on the autism spectrum
Describe how the common pathway hypothesis links together very different phenomena associated with the autism spectrum and gain insight into how treatment in one domain directly impacts others

Topics Covered

Optometric assessment and management of patients with ASD
Tools and modifications of vision therapy protocols for patients with ASD
Prescription of optical aids to patients with ASD

Assessment

Final exam for students seeking academic credit

Instructors

Anna Remington, PhD is a cognitive scientist with a PhD in developmental science from the University College London (2009), who was a postdoctoral research fellow at the Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience and a research fellow at the University college in Oxford. She has been the director of the center for research in autism and education since 2017 where she researches what people with autism see, hear and feel, their superior capabilities, and how those can translate into practical every-day tasks. She has published close to 100 manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journals.

Ariela Jokel, PhD, CCC-SLP is a speech-language pathologist with extensive experience working at child development centers in the USa and Israel. She completed her undergrad degree in psychology with a minor in Spanish at York University in Toronto, Canada and her Masters and Doctoral degrees in communication sciences and disorders at the University of Texas at Dallas (UTD Callier Center). She served as the head SLP at the Weinberg Child Development Center at Safra Children's Hospital, Tel-Hashomer Sheba Medical Center for 10 years. She is currently a lecturer at the Department of Communication Disorders, Sackler Faculty of Medicine, at Tel Aviv University where she teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on language and autism. She owns a private practice in Kochav Ya’ir, Israel where she consults and works with individuals with communication challenges across all ages, from birth to adulthood, as well as with their families. Ariela’s research and clinical work focus on the cognitive and language profiles of patients with autism spectrum disorder. Dr. Jokel published a number of manuscripts in peer-reviewed scientific journal and provides workshops and guest lectures in the field. She is an advocate of Social Thinking® training families and practitioners on the social thinking methodology. She serves as a board committee member of the Israeli Speech Hearing and Language Association (ISHLA) since 2012.

Oranit Klein Shagrir, PhD is a senior lecturer at the Politics and Communication Department. She is also an Academic Course Coordinator at the Open University of Israel. Oranit received her PhD. in Communications from the Hebrew University. Prior to her academic career, she worked for the Israeli public television in various production roles. As a mother to an adult child on the autism spectrum, she has been active in establishing academic and post- academic institutions for children with autism spectrum disorder, and speaks to practitioners from various fields of health about challenges facing people with autism spectrum disorders and their families.

Nancy G. Torgerson, OD, is a behavioral optometrist, adjunct professor at Pacific University College of Optometry, past president of the International College of Optometrists in Vision Development (COVD), and past chairperson of the Washington State Board of Optometry (WSBO). In her practice, Dr. Torgerson treats patients struggling with school because of visual difficulties, and children and adults with special needs or learning related vision problems.

Mr. Peri Segal holds a BA and MA in Psychology (Hebrew University, Israel) and is a rehabilitative psychologist with experience treating patients dealing with head injuries, post-trauma, depression or anxiety, and autism-spectrum disorder. Mr. Segal has experience in treating patients in community-based clinics including the Tel Hashomer hospital child development center, and is currently the director of early childhood education in the Israeli Society for Children and Adults with Autism.

To register for Optometric Care of Patients Diagnosed with ASD, click here

For more information, please contact: international@hac.ac.il

Program Director: Dr. Liat Gantz
Program Administrator: Ms. Alisa Gania
Department Chairperson: Prof. Ariela Gordon-Shaag