South Carolina Autism Society Announces Valeska Gioia to Join Staff
July 29, 2015
WEST COLUMBIA, SC – The South Carolina Autism Society is happy to announce that Valeska Gioia is joining our staff. Valeska will be running our new software and enrichment lab (Paula’s Place) and consulting with school districts. She has expertise in the areas of communication, visual supports, behavioral modification, supports to the curriculum, as well as Universal Design for Learning in the classroom, and assisting with IEP goals and objectives. Since she is a certified Crisis Prevention Instructor, she can conduct workshops for parents of children that need assistance in the area of behavioral modification strategies.
Val Gioia began her career as a special education teacher in New York. Subsequently she became an Assistive Technology Specialist and Autism Consultant for the SC Department of Education, and an Accessibility Blogger for Microsoft. She presents nationally and internationally on various technologies that can improve student performance in all academic areas.
She received her Bachelors in Elementary Education and Special Education and has graduate degrees in Education Technology, Educational Administration, and Literacy and Language. She is a certified Autism Specialist, attended CSUN and obtained her certification (ATACP) in AT, and is a certified AT Professional (ATP) through the Rehabilitation Engineering and AT Society of North America (RESNA). Val is also a member of Microsoft Partners in Learning, and is a Certified Microsoft Instructor and a Google Certified Instructor.
Valeska will also be conducting workshops throughout the state on strategies for working with children and adults with autism. If you are interested in sponsoring a workshop or you would like for Valeska to come in and consult with educators, administration, therapists and paraprofessional, please contact Valeska at 803-316-3190, or Kim Thomas at 803-750-6988.
About the South Carolina Autism Society (SCAS)
The South Carolina Autism Society is the only state-wide organization advocating for children and adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and their families. SCAS provides assistance, education, services, and resources to improve the lives of individuals affected by autism. Every dollar that SCAS raises stays in South Carolina to ensure that the nearly 70,000 individuals living in South Carolina with autism spectrum disorder have opportunities to achieve a quality of life comparable to their peers. The organization was chartered by the State of South Carolina in 1972. For more information on autism or SCAS, and for our regular schedule of workshops, please visit www.scautism.org.
