Consultation Services > Workshops & Training

May Institute's approach to training and consultation is based upon competency development, research-based practices, time-effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness. Many of the school districts we have worked with have achieved substantial savings in the cost of specialized out-of-district placements.

We offer a wide variety of workshops including:

Collecting and Analyzing Behavioral Data
(For special education teachers, classroom aides, and student support personnel)

Curriculum-based Measurement
(For special and regular education teachers, and student support personnel)

Early Intervention for Children with PDD
(For special education teachers, classroom aides, and parents)

Effective Disciplinary Practices
(For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, and administrators)

Functional Behavior Assessment
(For special education teachers and student support personnel)

Inclusion Strategies for Children with PDD
(For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, administrators, and parents)

Individual Social Skills Assessment
(For special education teachers and student support personnel)

Overview of Mental Health Disorders
(For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, administrators, and parents)

Preventing Bullying
(For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators)

Preventing School Violence
(For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators)

Preventing Substance Abuse
(For special and regular education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators)

School-wide Social Skills Screening
(For student support personnel and administrators)

Social Skills Training
(For special and regular education teachers, classroom aides, student support personnel, and parents)

Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives
(For special education teachers, student support personnel, and administrators)


Collecting and Analyzing Behavioral Data
Participants in this workshop will learn how to:

• Identify the target behavior
• Define the target behavior so it can be measured objectively
• Choose the most appropriate parameter of measurement
• Choose an appropriate collection strategy
• Analyze trends across various time intervals
• Use the data analysis to design and evaluate effective interventions.

Curriculum-based Measurement
This workshop provides an overview of curriculum-based measurement (CBM) strategies used to monitor the effective development of basic skills. CBM refers to a set of simple, short, standard measures of reading, spelling, written expression, and mathematical computation. CBM was developed to serve as a general outcome indicator of student achievement in the important areas of basic skills or literacy.

Early Intervention for Children with PDD
This workshop is designed to introduce pre-school and kindergarten staff to the characteristics of pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), and to the educational practices that are considered most effective with these students (e.g., discrete trial training, applied behavior analysis). Using a case study approach, as well as informal exercises, participants will gain a hands-on exposure to current best practices for pre-school children with PDD.

Effective Disciplinary Practices
In this workshop, participants will learn about:

• The nature of student antisocial behavior in the school setting
• The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent student disciplinary problems
• Research-based strategies in the establishment of effective school disciplinary practices that are both cost-effective and efficient

Functional Behavior Assessment
The reauthorization of IDEA requires schools to conduct Functional Behavior Assessments on students who have disciplinary problems. Participants in this workshop will learn how to conduct a functional behavioral assessment, using structured interviews and classroom observation tools. They will also learn how to use this information to develop an effective behavior support plan.

Inclusion Strategies for Children with PDD
Participants will learn best practices for:

• Effective inclusion of children with PDD
• Generalization and maintenance of skills in the natural environment
• Increasing on-task behaviors and independent study skills
• Collecting behavioral data

• Administer and interpret research-based assessment tools (e.g., the Walker-McConnell Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment)
• Use the results of such assessments to design individual interventions and to monitor their effectiveness
• Incorporate social skills assessment data into the student's Individualized Education Plan

• The nature of bullying and its impact on the bully and the victim
• The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent the occurrence of bullying
• Effective strategies in the assessment and prevention of bullying

• The causes of youth violence
• The direct and indirect school-related factors that can increase or prevent the occurrence of school violence
• Research-based, effective strategies in the prevention of school violence

• Select an appropriate, empirically-validated screening
• Design and implement a school-wide social screening program
• Develop a protocol for further evaluation of at-risk children

• Normal social skills development from infancy through adolescence
• Empirically based social skills assessment tools
• Effective curriculum materials (e.g., Skillstreaming, ACCESS) and instructional practices for enhancing the development of social skills