Strengthening Your Student’s Social Muscle
November 5 @ 9:00 am - 3:00 pm
$45 – $70
Date: November 5, 2025
Time: 9:00am – 3:00pm
Type: In-Person
Location: WRESA
200 Ridgefield Ct, Suite 206
Asheville, NC 28806
Fee: $45 WRESA Members
$70 Non-members
**NOTE: We have a No Refund policy for our WRESA courses. However, you
are welcome to send a colleague in your place. Contact LaDonna Sluder
at lsluder@wresa.org or 828-774-5681 (ext 102) if you need to change
the name of the person attending.
CEUs: 5 Contact Hours
Limit: 50 Participants
Audience: EC Teachers, K-5 General Ed teachers and counselors
What to Bring: Your own device
Description:
This full day training/workshop will focus on providing strategies for teachers and counselors to use with their Elementary students (K-5) in the general education and special education setting. When our young learners struggle with big emotions, it can be confusing and overwhelming for them to focus on academic tasks. This training will discuss proactive strategies utilizing visual sports, step by step problem solving techniques and address executive functioning skills to successfully navigate both the school and home environment.
Presenter: Marlou de Vera, M.Ed. – Autism Specialist
Marlou is an autism specialist with 29 years experience working in the educational setting. She is currently serving grades K-12 for Buncombe County schools in Asheville, North Carolina. As an autism/behavior specialist, Marlou coaches and trains instructional staff regarding pro-active programming and emotional/behavioral support in the classroom. In addition, she conducts and facilitates social groups for K-12 students with special needs, in collaboration with speech and occupational therapists as well as special education teachers. Prior to being an autism/behavior specialist, Marlou was an exceptional children’s curriculum specialist. She also worked as a middle school intensive intervention teacher for students with autism and was program director for a mainstreaming program for K-12 students with high functioning autism. Marlou is a certified TEACCH professional practitioner with University of North Carolina,Chapel Hill. She also received clinical training from Social Thinking (Michelle Garcia Winner– San Jose, California). Marlou holds a master’s degree in education (Curriculum and Instruction) from the University of the Philippines. Marlou has a passion for constantly improving the educational experience of her students as they reach their potential in school and be the best they can become. Most important of all, she is a mom of a consistently happy adult son (Vidal) with autism who currently works at a restaurant as a busboy and at an ice-cream shop. His positive cheerful attitude is what drives Marlou to advocate for all individuals with special needs.
Contact Candie Sellers at csellers@wresa.org with any questions.