Brief Biography
Sally Fuhrmeister, M.S. CCC-SLP is a community interventionist at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Sally received her Master’s in speech-language pathology at Vanderbilt University and completed her clinical externship work at the Autism Institute in Tallahassee, Florida. Before working at the Marcus Autism Center, Sally worked as a speech-language pathologist, providing early intervention and outpatient therapy services for four years through United Cerebral Palsy of Greater Birmingham. At the Marcus Autism Center, Sally has worked to collaboratively develop and implement a coach-the-coach model for early childhood professionals supporting children at risk for autism spectrum disorders in early childcare settings.
Sonja Ziegler is a Clinical Child Psychologist with ten years of international clinical and research experience in the fields of Autism and developmental disability. Sonja began her career in Autism at Emory University’s Walden Laboratory School, and continued on to gain valuable clinical experience not only in the US, but also in Thailand and Germany. Since completing her graduate studies at the Universität des Saarlandes in Saarbrücken, Sonja has worked in Germany, Australia, and most recently Chile, providing behavioral therapy, support and intervention, and psycho-education to individuals with ASD and their families. In her current role as Community Interventionist at the Marcus Autism Center in Atlanta, Sonja conducts Autism research in communities throughout the state of Georgia, implementing community viable interventions supporting children at risk of developing ASD.
Highest Degree of Presenter(s)
Sally Fuhrmeister, M.S., CCC-SLP
Sonja Ziegler, M.S., Dipl.-Psych.
Presentation Abstract
As professionals in the area of child development, we share the common goal that every child is supported in obtaining his or her fullest developmental potential. This can be achieved by empowering our front-line caregivers and teachers with expert knowledge and skills via communication, internalization, and practice through collaborative learning experiences with other specialists in the field. Though each team member brings a specific level of knowledge and experience to collaboration, there are important processes that must occur to ensure all tools are consolidated into appropriate support of the utmost quality for each child. These include understanding the process of adult learning, reflection, and how to effectively communicate accordingly. As each team member develops and hones their skills, each is able to coach others: other specialists, professionals, teachers, and even parents, multiplying the number of children who receive the highest level of developmental support exponentially. An example of practical implementation is seen in the Marcus Autism Center / DECAL Collaborative Coaching Project, whose goal is to train front-line caregivers to identify red flags for Autism as early as possible, and developmentally support accordingly.
Recommended Citation
Fuhrmeister, Sally and Ziegler, Sonja, "Fortifying the Front Line: The Marcus Collaborative Coaching Project" (2014). Georgia Association for Positive Behavior Support Conference. 56.
https://digitalcommons.georgiasouthern.edu/gapbs/2014/2014/56
Fortifying the Front Line: The Marcus Collaborative Coaching Project
As professionals in the area of child development, we share the common goal that every child is supported in obtaining his or her fullest developmental potential. This can be achieved by empowering our front-line caregivers and teachers with expert knowledge and skills via communication, internalization, and practice through collaborative learning experiences with other specialists in the field. Though each team member brings a specific level of knowledge and experience to collaboration, there are important processes that must occur to ensure all tools are consolidated into appropriate support of the utmost quality for each child. These include understanding the process of adult learning, reflection, and how to effectively communicate accordingly. As each team member develops and hones their skills, each is able to coach others: other specialists, professionals, teachers, and even parents, multiplying the number of children who receive the highest level of developmental support exponentially. An example of practical implementation is seen in the Marcus Autism Center / DECAL Collaborative Coaching Project, whose goal is to train front-line caregivers to identify red flags for Autism as early as possible, and developmentally support accordingly.
