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Floreo is the first VR therapy solution in the metaverse for teaching social, communication, emotional regulation, and independent living skills. Through our library of research-backed, clinically designed lessons, parents, therapists, and teachers all over the world are using Floreo to help students with a wide range of skills in a fun and engaging way.
The platform empowers neurodiverse students by giving them an environment that is safe, controllable, repeatable, and dignified in which to practice the skills that will make their education more fulfilling and enriched.
Floreo’s vision is a world that is open and accessible for every neurodiverse person. Our mission is to create the first behavioral therapy metaverse, a virtual world that is safe for learners, equipping them with skills and tools they can apply in their everyday lives. We have developed a VR platform that teaches social, behavioral, communication, and life skills to individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD, Anxiety, and other neurodiverse conditions.
Free Immersive Learning Program for Schools: https://info.floreotech.com/immersive-learning-program
Sponsorde by https://www.floreotech.com/
Diagnosed with “Atypical Development and strong autistic tendencies” and “too sick” for outpatient treatment Dr. Shore was recommended for institutionalization.
Nonspeaking until 4, and with much support from his parents, teachers, wife, and others, Stephen is now a full-time professor at Adelphi University and adjunct at NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, focusing on aligning best practices in supporting autistic people to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
In addition to working with children and talking about life on the autism spectrum, Stephen is an internationally renowned educator, consultant, and author on lifespan issues pertinent to education, relationships, employment, and self-advocacy. His most recent book College for Students with Disabilities combines personal stories and research for promoting success in higher education.
A current board member of Autism Speaks, the Organization for Autism Research (OAR), the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF), president emeritus of the Asperger/Autism Network, and advisory board member of the Autism Society, Dr. Shore also serves on the boards of numerous other autism-related organizations.
Sergio Madrid-Aranda (he, him, his) is from Chihuahua, Mexico. He received his Bachelor of Arts in Physical Education from the University of Chihuahua and his Special Education Master’s degree Summa Cum Laude from the University of Juarez, in Mexico. Also, he obtained his doctorate in Special Bilingual Education with a certificate on Autism Spectrum Disorders from New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
As the special education faculty at Augsburg University. His efforts are focused on promoting and maintaining a multicultural, inclusive classroom that supports the development of each student, which in turn, hopefully, they carry outside of the school and apply throughout their communities.
Lucy Beadnell is the Director of Advocacy at The Arc of Northern Virginia where she oversees our region’s grassroots advocacy campaigns for people with developmental disabilities and creates informational resources for people with disabilities and their families. Lucy began volunteering with Arcs in college while studying vulnerable populations. She found her home on the mission of ensuring all human and civil rights for people with disabilities are respected. She has worked in residential settings for people with complex medical needs, as a case manager for individuals with public support, and as a public guardian focused on empowering individuals to grow their self-advocacy skills. She has worked closely with families whose loved ones are leaving institutions, state, and local legislators, and our community at large to share the mission of disability inclusion. Lucy is focusing a lot of efforts on Supported Decision Making, ensuring people with disabilities have independent and integrated housing, and reforming our justice system to better recognize and meet the needs of the disability community. She loves talking to people with disabilities and helping them share their stories to effect change. As a result of her efforts, she was selected as a 2018 40 Under 40 Awardee by the Leadership Center for Excellence and a 2020 40 Under 40 Awardee by the Washington Business Journal. Lucy is a mom of three adorable kids and lives with her family in South Arlington.
Janine is an award-winning entrepreneur, global business trainer, educator, and mindset coach. She is the Founder of Parents Empower Parents, an online educational platform for parents. Their latest course teaches parents how to start a successful business and shift their mindset to unlock their highest potential. Janine is the COO of Dad’s Organization and Co-Founder of Mom’s Organization, in-person and virtual communities for parents. She has helped thousands of people in business and personal – providing them with tools, guidance, and life-hacking solutions, unlocking their potential for success. Narrowing down the very best of her 20+ years of business expertise and experience as a single mum in a global lockdown, she built simple step-by-step life-hacking guides in the form of life-changing online courses and workshops.
Over the past decade, Janine has gained extensive experience as a business mentor, trainer, and coach.
Prior to and alongside her role as a global business trainer and coach, Janine was the Founder and CEO of Gutsii (Global Functional Gut Health Snacks), as well as the Founder of Simply Raw (natural energy bars).
Originally from Germany, Janine’s superpower of discipline and organizational skills, gift for marketing & business strategy coupled with her food & nutrition knowledge, skill to build communities and drive to make a difference in the health of people’s lives, as well as being a single mom, led her to step out as an entrepreneur. Her journey as a trainer over the past decade has strengthened her business mastery.
Dr. Laura Bassette is an Associate Professor and Program Director of Applied Behavior Analysis/Autism in the Special Education Department at Ball State University. Prior to Ball State, Dr. Bassette earned her Ph.D. in Special Education from Purdue University and completed a post-doctoral fellowship with an emphasis on severe disabilities at the University of Illinois, Champaign-Urbana. Dr. Bassette previously worked as a behavior analyst for adolescents and adults with autism and other developmental disabilities. Dr. Bassette’s research explores animal-assisted interventions and technologies to support academic and life skills in individuals with disabilities.
Amanda is a licensed and internationally Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She is a certified elementary education and special education teacher and earned her second Master’s Degree in Public Administration grounded in leadership, ethics, and cultural awareness.
Combined, she has over 20 years of experience in educational, clinical, and administrative practice. Amanda is an active member and presenter of local and international professional associations and has been involved in legislative efforts. In her personal life, Amanda is passionate about public service through volunteering and disseminating ABA in other professional fields. In her leisure time, she enjoys the beach, boating, and exploring new places. Amanda and her husband, along with their 3 children reside in Sarasota, FL.
Faraz is a co-founder of Ascent Autism, which provides group therapy for individuals with autism. Ascent Autism uses artificial intelligence to understand social skills metrics and provide personalized care plans for each participant. Faraz was also a co-founder of Vetspire, an electronic medical record system that utilizes AI to help predict and write doctor’s notes for them. Vetspire was acquired by Private Equity. Faraz holds an MBA, MS, and BS in Computer Science with Honors from Stanford University. In his free time, Faraz enjoys pursuing his passion for adventure, often found scuba diving or skiing.
More is coming soon. Just hang in there. We are updating this website every day.
More is coming soon. Just hang in there. We are updating this website every day.
Parents have high hopes for their children. Parent’s hope and dreams for their children begin even before a child is born. They also have fears. Thus, when a parent, teacher, or other person notices that something does not seem right with a child’s development it is understandable that this realization can be upsetting for the parent. Parents may have different fears and questions about their child’s development and they want the best for their child. However, fears can get in the way of a parent getting their young child help when they have developmental needs. Here are the most common 10 fears and questions parents have when they are concerned that their child may have autism or other special needs and answers and an approach to these parent fears. The conversation a professional has with a parent can make the difference between a parent helping their child early when it can make a big difference and the child not receiving the services they need. Answers will be provided to common questions such as those below:
Hannah is the Program Director at Care Parent Network, a family resource & empowerment center serving Contra Costa County in the San Francisco East Bay. Hannah first received support from Care when her son was first diagnosed with autism, almost 18 years ago. She is passionate about making sure her agency can serve families and pay forward the support she received. Hannah has a Master’s in Public Administration from Brigham Young University. She lives with her husband and two children in the Bay Area. In her spare time, she enjoys dancing the hula, studying Hawaiian, and seeing Broadway shows.
Steven Zipkes, proud Educational Practitioner currently holds several positions as the Founder and President of Advanced Reasoning in Education: Think Global PBL Academies and Founding Principal of Cedars International Next Generation High School in Austin, Texas where he designed and opened his next 100% PBL, STEM school in 2016 and notably he is the former Founding Principal of Manor New Technology High School.
Zipkes’ design of a 100% Project Based Learning school that focuses on STEM integrated curriculum and 21st-century essential skills has been recognized globally, distinguishing his school design in many arenas.
One of Mr. Zipkes’ greatest professional honors was a visit by The President of the United States, Barrack Obama, to Manor New Tech who highlighted the successful PBL STEM practices and the positive impact the school’s design had on student achievement.
Steven was invited to present at the Achievement Gap Initiative at Harvard University in response to his contribution and recognition for closing the Achievement Gap and in 2014 was awarded the National STEM Visionary Award by the International Association for STEM Leaders.
He has been featured at many STEM events, including the US News and World Report’s STEM Solution Conference, and was the opening Keynote Speaker at the 2018 International Lean In STEM Conference in Warsaw, Poland. He is a contributing author in both Design, Make, Play: Growing the Next Generation of STEM Innovators and Deeper Learning: Beyond 21st Century Skills.
His schools have had numerous case studies conducted on his innovative PBL STEM approach, including the OSPrI study, a research collaboration between George Washington University, George Mason University, and SRI International, and the S3 STEM School Study out of The University of Chicago.
Mr. Zipkes hails from The University of Texas at Austin and holds Mid-Management Principal and Superintendent Certifications and has served in both of those roles throughout his career.
Kortney West, MD, is a board-certified pediatrician who has dedicated her career to caring for children and adolescents with neurodevelopmental and behavioral health conditions. Her passion is advocating for early autism identification and intervention, as well as spreading awareness of PANS/PANDAS, and has worked in multiple positions to further these goals.
Most recently, Dr. West founded Precise Pediatrics, which focuses on integrative management of behavioral and mental health disorders utilizing precision medicine along with nutrition and lifestyle changes to not only treat symptoms, but also determine and treat the root causes of illness.
Dr. West is the proud mother to four children, two of whom are neurodivergent and the inspiration for diving headfirst into the world of integrative psychiatry. She writes about her personal experience with healing inflammatory brain conditions and chronicling her family’s journey in switching from the typical American diet to one that nourishes the body and mind.
More is coming soon. Just hang in there. We are updating this website every day.
Andrew Arboe is a self-advocate who has over five years of professional autism/special education experience. Andrew has job coaching, public speaking, outreach, and even self-employment experiences that showcase his work on the transition to adulthood for individuals. Andrew is also a public speaker who is known for talking throughout the New England area about autism and his personal experiences. His specialty topics on autism include driving, employment/self-employment, sensory needs, and transition to adulthood. Andrew spoke for various organizations like AANE, YAI: Seeing Beyond Disability, Autism Services & Resources Connecticut, and US Autism Association. Andrew graduated from Manchester Community College with an associate degree as a Disability Specialist. Andrew is attending Charter Oak State College for a bachelor’s degree in psychology. His future plans include becoming certified in autism, special education, and coaching fields.
Many people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle with social communication skills, and research is needed to show that interventions can have long-lasting effects. This study aims to investigate whether weekly online peer group sessions can help individuals with ASD practice and improve their social skills.
The study created personalized online peer groups for 40 participants with ASD based on their communication level, and each group completed 5-8 online peer group sessions over 8 weeks. Each session was led by a trained facilitator and included 3-6 participants, some of whom were neurotypical. The conversations and activities were recorded, and individual analyses were conducted to assess social engagement and emotional health.
The study used a new method, Balanced Speech Production (BSP), to measure changes in social communication skills. BSP is measured by the total talk time throughout the peer group sessions. Participants who historically had difficulty communicating showed a 13.44% improvement in BSP, while those who were typically over-communicated showed a 44% improvement.
The results suggest that online peer groups can provide an effective way for individuals with ASD to practice and apply social skills learned in interventions. By using BSP to measure changes in social communication skills, this study provides a novel approach to objectively evaluate the effectiveness of such interventions.
More is coming soon. Just hang in there. We are updating this website every day.
Can I combine my social work with further education and travel?
How does it work?
4 minute video with experiences
Apex Social is a non-profit organization that promotes international and interdisciplinary exchange for social professionals through continuing education programs in Germany, USA & Australia.
