Pre-Recorded Webinar: This synchronous webinar presentation will explore ethical pitfalls that professionals continuously encounter when assisting people with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Specifically, we will address autonomy, beneficence, and justice as it relates to professional ethics in the VR process, referrals, and employment outcomes for people with ASD.

• This training counts as 1.5 CEU for UNT WISE

Upon completion of this webinar, participants will be able to

1. Describe developmentally and culturally appropriate communication with individuals with ASD. 
2. Explain how stereotypes about people with autism can impact the individuals autonomy in the rehabilitation process. 
3. Define and explain the use of person first and identity first language as they relate to persons with autism.

Presenter: Michelle McKnight Lizotte 

Dr. McKnight-Lizotte is an assistant professor in Rehabilitation Counseling at Utah State University. Dr. Lizotte has a Ph.D. in Rehabilitation Counselor Education from Michigan State University. She has been a Certified Rehabilitation Counselor (CRC) since 2010 and an Licensed Professional Counselor since 2017. Dr. Lizotte has experience working as a rehabilitation counselor for two state VR agencies (Colorado & Michigan) specifically with transition youth and individuals with autism. Her research interests relate to the post-secondary and employment experiences of individuals with autism, rural rehabilitation counseling practices, and inclusive post-secondary education programs for students with intellectual disabilities. Dr. Lizotte is a qualitative researcher who specializes in phenomenological methodology in order to obtain the first person lived experiences of individuals with disabilities.