María Serrano-López Ph.D
Autism, Asperger and other Developmental and Cognitive delays Consultant
Who am I?
My Philosophy
The child progress is my greatest commitment. My philosophy is based on the conviction that every child has the inherent capacity to learn and to move beyond their limited current circumstances. The key word for me is empowering: Empowering the child and the family.
I believe in the brain"s ability to change. I rest assure that the cognitive functions can be improved and that every child has every internal resource to its fullest potential. With tailor-made interventions, with the deepest respect for the child's capacity to learn and to connect to himself and to others with confidence, joy, self-esteem, and self-awareness, there is no limit.
I know from experience that a child improvement is a team effort. In that sense, I work closely with parents and the interdisciplinary team that seeks to empower him as I do.
My Training
CV
PhD in Second Language Acquisition and Teaching and Bilingual Special Education
Studies in Second Language Acquisition and first and second language learning problems.
University of Arizona (2003)
Autism Endorsement and Special Education related courses
Miami-Florida (2007-2009)
1- Autism Endorsement: Nature and Needs
2- Autism Endorsement: Assistive Technology
3- Autism Endorsement: Behavior Modification
4- Autism Endorsement: Capstone Experience
5- Professional ESE Conference TECCH
6- Teaching Social Skills
7- Using the IEP ELEMENTARY
8- Florida Alternate Assessment
9- Initial Safe Crisis Management
10- Functional Assessment of ESE Students
11- Web Interface for Special Education Students
Other Autism related training
Integrated Play Groups®
Basic course towards the IPG Certification
Autism Institute on Peer Socialization and Play -- San Francisco State University / North Dakota (2011)
About IPG.
"The IPG model is designed to promote socialization, communication, play and imagination in children with autism while building relationships with typical peers and siblings through mutually engaging experiences in natural settings.
DIR and the DIR Floortime Approach
Introduction to DIR and DIRFloortime Basic Certificate
Atlanta, GA (2011)
About the (DIR®) Model
"The DIR® Model is a framework that helps clinicians, parents and educators conduct a comprehensive assessment and develop an intervention program tailored to the unique challenges and strengths of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other developmental challenges. part of the Model describes the building blocks of this foundation. Understanding where the child is developmentally is critical to planning a treatment program. The Six Developmental Milestones describes the developmental milestones that every child must master for healthy emotional and intellectual growth. This includes helping children to develop capacities to attend and remain calm and regulated, engage and relate to others, initiate and respond to all types of communication beginning with emotional and social affect based gestures, engage in shared social problem-solving and intentional behavior involving a continuous flow of interactions in a row, use ideas to communicate needs and think and play creatively, and build bridges between ideas in logical ways which lead to higher level capacities to think in multicultural, grey area and reflective ways. These developmental capacities are essential for spontaneous and empathetic relationships as well as the mastery of academic skills.
My Story
Originally from Venezuela, I obtained my Ph.D. in Second Language Acquisition and Bilingual Special Education at the University of Arizona. I received my certification in autism and training to teach children with Autism and other developmental delays in Florida, USA. In FL, I worked not only as a University Professor but as a teacher of children with autism in a self-contained classroom. In such a setting I found children within the spectrum as well as children with other developmental problems that impacted their natural tendency to communicate and relate to others and the world around them.
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As a teacher and researcher, I am deeply committed to my work. I have worked in the United States, Venezuela and Japan and in Mexico, where I had a comprehensive center for socialization and connectivity for children with autism and other developmental delays. I also worked in the Department of Special Education at the University of Arizona.
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I had a small center in Miami-Florida on connectivity and socialization for very young children (2-4 years) with an interdisciplinary team of Physical and Occupational therapists.
My job is to understand each child and his potential empowering families and other service providers.
Developmental delays are not insurmountable but require hard work and perseverance. Admittedly, the work goes beyond the therapeutic session and should be continued at home almost 24 hours a day if one is to see real progress in the development of the children.
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My work is not limited to children with autism and with other developmental delays but to children with a variety of cognitive and behavioral problems that derive from genetic and physical conditions, as well as the significant emotional trauma of the most diverse nature. Most of these children have problems with connectivity and socialization. I have found that this intervention method has a strong impact on general development and it reaches areas that purely behavioral therapies can not.
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I have studied each of the established therapeutic techniques and have taken what the child needs most depending on his circumstances. I do not believe that a particular methodology or trend is the key to child development and all the others are useless. I think they all have something to contribute.
Although I base my treatment in the affect and social aspect of human interaction, I am well aware that every child is different and, depending on his individual characteristics, one must be flexible to access the natural tendency to learn and discover guided by the child itself. Experience has shown me that significant connections are powerful tools for the child to express his true potential.
Paying attention not only to the learning processes that normally tend to focus on behavior and intelligence but also to the affect and emotional factors that influence cognitive functions is key. I understand that behavior is the tip of the iceberg, the visible part, but the most important part is invisible. Thus, behaviors should not be the base of the diagnosis but the starting point for progress and everlasting and meaningful change.
Davis Dyslexia Correction®
Davis Dyslexia Association International
(2001-2004)
""Davis Dyslexia Correction® provides tools to overcome problems with reading, writing, and attention focus. The method enable children and adults to recognize and control the mental processes that cause distorted perceptions of letters and words. Once students can be sure that their perceptions are accurate, they can resolve the underlying cause of their learning difficulties through methods that build upon their creative and imaginative strengths.""
Davis Learning Strategies Basic Workshop for Primary Teachers -- San Francisco, USA.
Fundamentals of Davis Dyslexia Correction.
-- San Francisco, USA.
Publications
Poehner, M. and Serrano-Lopez, M. “Materializing linguistic concepts through 3-D clay modeling: a tool-and-result approach to mediating L2 Spanish Development“ Sociocultural Theory and the Teaching of Second Languages. Ed. James P. Lantolf, Matthew E. Poehner. Equinox: London, 2008. 321-346
Languages
Native language is important in Connection Therapy and Socialization. My first and second language acquisition, at different proficiency levels cover: Spanish, English, German, Portuguese, Italian and Japanese
