 |
Program at a Glance
Wednesday Preconferences
Thursday Conferences
Thursday Evening
Friday Conferences
Travel Information
|
|
Thursday, May 5, 2011
CONFERENCE SESSION TFD
10:30 AM -These are full-day sessions
TFD 16 Beyond SKI -HI : Supporting Children who are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Their Families
TFD 17 Training on the Screen Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children
TFD 18 Childhood Sexuality and Child Sexual Abuse Prevention: Creating Healthy Perspectives
CONFERENCE SESSION A
10:30 AM
Sessions 1 through 4 end at 12:15 PM
Sessions 5 through 11 end at 12:30 PM
Session 12 through 15 ends at 12:45 PM
A1 Effective Services for Children with ASD
A2 Recognition & Response: RTI for Preschool in Bethel School District
A3 Explosions, Potions and Flying Objects
A4 Parent Networking
A5 Snack Talk: Increasing Communication and Social Interactions at Meal Times
A6 Developmental Screening: How Do You Know if a Child is on Track?
A7 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Module 1
A8 Sensory-Based Feeding and Mealtime Interventions for Children
A9 Integrating Outcomes Measurement with the IF SP Process
A10 Promoting Social Skills in the Preschool Classroom
A11 Using Visual Supports to Create Intuitive Classrooms
A12 Enhancing Oral Narrative Skills through Interactive Storytelling
A13 Immersing Children in Science and Math—It’s a Daily Thing!
A14 More “Ingredients” for Supporting the Social Emotional Competence of Young Children
A15 Written Word Work Using “Magic Squares” to Promote Beginning Literacy
CONFERENCE SESSION HD
1:30 - 5:30 PM
These are half-day sessions
HD 1 Using a Family-Centered IF SP Process for Developing Functional IF SP Outcomes
HD 2 Communication Interventions for Children with Severe Disabilities
HD 3 Strategies to Support Children Experiencing Complex Trauma
HD 4 Calming Ourselves in Stressful Times
CONFERENCE SESSION B
1:30 - 3:30 PM
B5 Babies, Brains and Relationships: Unlocking Your Parenting Superpowers!
B6 Elementary Handwriting: Making a Collaborative Curriculum
B7 Implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports
B8 Let’s Communicate Using Sign Language with Infants through PreK
B9 Finding the Right Communication Strategies for Every Child
B10 Nutrition and Feeding-Autism and Evidence Based Information
B11 Bridging the Gap: Effecting Change in the Most Challenging Families
B12 Creating Flannelboard Figures and Stories
B13 Effective Parenting Skills
B14 Using Visual Supports to Increase Engagement and Independence in Young Children
B15 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Module 2
CONFERENCE SESSION C
4:00 - 5:30 PM
C5 Grief and Loss: Guidance for the Parents of Differently Developing Children
C6 Community Collaboration: The Key to Children’s Success
C7 Improving the Quality of Early Literacy Experiences
C8 Making It Work: Supporting the ASD Child in the General Education Classroom
C9 Using Curriculum-Referenced Assessment in Early Intervention
C10 Making Nutrition and Fitness Fun
C11 Structuring Intervention for Preverbal Children with Developmental Disabilities
C12 Introduction to Infant Mental Health
C13 Challenging Behaviors and Positive Behavior Supports
C14 Strategies for Working with Meth-Affected Children and Families
C15 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Module 3 (this session will last 2 hours)
TFD16 Beyond SKI-HI: Supporting Infants and Toddlers who
are Deaf/Hard of Hearing and Their Families, presented by Dr.
Paula Pittman with Dr. Debra Lively
Nearly 50 early intervention service providers in Washington State
have graduated from the SKI-HI Curriculum training program in
2008 and 2009, and have been applying the knowledge and skills
they learned with families enrolled in their programs. This all-day
training session will address their requests for advanced topics, based
on results of a needs assessment survey conducted recently.
Topics to be addressed in this session all focus on teaming with
the family and include: conducting baseline assessments of
birth-to-three year olds with hearing loss; based on assessment
results, developing IFSP priorities and planning activities within
the context of a family’s daily routines; promoting development
of communication skills, including stimulating listening in daily
routines; assessing the child’s and family’s progress on an ongoing
basis and making adjustments accordingly. This is an advanced
training and is designed for professionals who have graduated from
the SKI-HI Curriculum Training. All registrants will be approved
by the instructors before registration for this session is confirmed.
For additional information contact Nancy Hatfield at nhatfield@
psesd.org.
About the Presenters: Dr. Paula Pittman, one of the authors of the
SKI-HI Curriculum, works for Utah School for the Deaf & Blind and
is affiliated with the SKI-HI Institute at Utah State University. Dr.
Debra Lively is a professor in the College of Education at Saginaw
Valley State University.
Note: There are scholarships to attend this session available to
SKI-HI graduates of 2008-2009.
This is a full-day session.
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 3
Who Should Attend: Graduates of the 2008 and 2009 SKI-HI
training
TFD17 Training on the Screen Tool for Autism in Toddlers and
Young Children (STAT™), presented by Wendy Stone, Ph.D.,
Director, UW Autism Center with Amy Swanson, STAT Training
Coordinator, Vanderbilt University
The Screening Tool for Autism in Toddlers and Young Children
(STAT™) is an empirically based, interactive measure used to screen
for autism in children between 24 and 36 months old. It consists
of 12 activities in the areas of play, imitation, and communication
that can be administered in 20 minutes by trained community
service providers. Participants will learn about the development
and psychometric properties of the STAT, will observe videotape
examples of STAT administration and scoring, and will obtain
hands on practice giving and scoring the STAT. Following the
workshop, participants will send in videotapes that illustrate their
administration and scoring of the STAT. Certification for the STAT
will be granted after reliability is attained.
This advanced training is designed for professionals who have
experience working daily with young children with autism. Space
is limited, and applications for STAT training will be reviewed by
the instructors before registration is confirmed.
The STAT Materials Kit costs $300 and is available from Vanderbilt
University. Information about ordering kits may be obtained by
contacting Amy Swanson at amy.r.swanson@vanderbilt.edu or
615-322-6533.
This is a full-day session.
Continuing Education Credit is available for physicians and
psychologists. Sponsored by Vanderbilt School of Medicine.
Vanderbilt School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing
medical education for physicians. Vanderbilt School of Medicine
designates this educational activity for a maximum of 6.5 AMA
PRA Category 1 Credit(s)TM. Physicians should only claim credit
commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Vanderbilt School of Medicine is approved by the American
Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education
for psychologists. Vanderbilt School of Medicine maintains
responsibility for this program and its content.
TFD18 Childhood Sexuality and Child Sexual Abuse
Prevention: Creating Healthy Perspectives, presented by Amy
Lang, MA and Kim Estes
A child’s safety is an adult’s job. Protecting children from sexual
abuse is an important part of your work as an early childhood
professional. In this day-long session we will explore childhood
sexual development; learn ways to keep the kids in your care safer;
and become true “Stewards of Children”. Amy and Kim use a lively
and interactive format to convey this empowering information.
Participants will learn the different phases of child sexual
development, common and uncommon behaviors, and how to
effectively talk to kids who are playing this way.
Participants will learn how to provide the children in their care with
the necessary life skills they will need to begin the foundation of
safety that will last a lifetime. You will receive easy to apply tips and
tools that will make safety lessons fun and non-scary for children
ages 2 through 8. Come and learn the valuable tools you need to
spot red flag behavior and how to respond to parents concerns about
abuse and abduction. Note:
This is a full-day session.
There is a $15.00 materials fee.
About the Presenters: Amy Lang has a MA in Applied Behavioral
Science and teaches parents and other folks how to talk to kids of
any age about sexuality. She is a Mom’s Choice Award® winning
author and created the lively and engaging video Birds + Bees +
Kids - The Basics, so parents can learn how to talk to their kids
about sex and values without leaving the couch!
This is a full-day session.
Age Group Addressed: Age 2 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
A1 Effective Services for Young Children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder: Blending Approaches to Meet Individual Needs,
presented by Noa Hannah, Ph.D., Seattle Children’s Hospital
- Autism Center with Ashley Berger, M.Ed., BCBA, Lake
Washington School District
The purpose of this class is to provide participants with an overview
of autism and pervasive developmental delay, and strategies that are
effective with young children with these diagnoses. An emphasis of
this class will be to blend the strengths of different evidence-based
approaches to create programs that are effective and appropriate for
young children. Issues that will be addressed in this class include:
functional assessment and evaluation strategies, curricular issues,
instructional strategies, the role of typical peers in programs for
children with autism, and strategies to program for the generalization
of behavior change. STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
A2 Recognition & Response: RTI for Preschool in Bethel
School District, presented by Mary Fischer, Community Early
Childhood Education Specialist, with Reba Bruner-Croft, Becky
Deckart, Sally Keeley, Ben McCracken, Teresa Hernandez, and
Jackie Putnam, Bethel School District
Bethel School District’s early childhood program includes ECEAP,
Head Start, Special Education Preschool, Pay-to-go Preschool,
and Blended programs that include typically developing students
and students on IEPs. During this school year, we have been
examining our practices to see what is in place to provide RTI for
our preschoolers and to identify areas that need to be added or
improved. During this session, Response to Intervention (RTI), from
the perspective of Recognition and Response, will be defined. Our
process of self assessment and actions planned for the next school
year will be shared. STARS Core Competency: OBS
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 5
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Administrators
A3 Explosions, Potions and Flying Objects, presented by Joy
Knight, The Creation Station, Private Consultant
Create hands-on examples of the intersection of art and science.
This is a make-and-take session. STARS Core Competency: CUR
There is a $5.00 materials fee.
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
A4 Parent Networking, facilitated by Debbie Jackson, State
Parent Participation Coordinator for DEL\ESIT, PAVE with
Special Guest Speakers
In this fun and engaging session, participants attending the
conference in their role as a parent or relative care giver will meet
and exchange ideas about resources and support available within the
State of Washington. This will be your opportunity to meet all the
other family members attending the conference. Parent scholarship
recipients will receive instructions and stipends during this session.
This class is designed specifically for parents (and other relative
care givers), STARS Core Competency: Fam
This session will be immediately followed by a Special
Luncheon.
Who Should Attend: Parents, Foster-Parents, Relative Care Givers,
Parent Scholarship Recipients
A5 Snack Talk: Increasing Communication and Social
Interactions at Meal Times, presented by Ariane Gauvreau,
M.Ed., BCBA, with Lily Tharp, M.Ed., Federal Way School
District
In every culture, food and conversation are related. You can’t have
one without the other! However, students with disabilities often
need support to engage in these social interactions. In this workshop,
we will discuss ways to facilitate and promote conversation and
communication amongst students with varying abilities by creating
conversational supports and choice boards to be used during meal
times. We’ll discuss ways to modify materials for students who are
nonverbal, as well as how to create aids for complex multi-turn
conversations. We will also make our own ‘snack talk’ visuals and
supports for use in the classroom. STARS Core Competency: HS
Age Group Addressed: Age 2 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Students, Child Care Providers
A6 Developmental Screening: How Do You Know if a Child is
on Track? Presented by Dr. Katherine TeKolste, Developmental
Pediatrician, UW Center on Human Developmental and
Disability with Linda Barnhart, RN, MSN, Public Health
Nursing Consultant, CSHCN, Washington Department of
Health
How do you know if a child is developing normally? Do you suspect
a developmental delay but are unsure what to do about it? Would you
like to become more comfortable talking to parents about a potential
delay in their child’s growth and development? This session will help
participants identify potential red flags that would indicate a child is
not meeting expected developmental milestones at age-appropriate
times. Participants will also learn tips on how to talk to parents
about concerns over a child’s development and what to do if delays
are suspected. In addition, participants will learn about the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention’s “Learn the Signs. Act Early”
campaign. This program has free resource materials and screening
tools you can use in your community to identify children with delays
as early as possible. STARS Core Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
A7 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Introduction to
Inclusion, presented by Cheryl Iverson, Senior Early Learning
Manager, Child Care Resource & Referral
This is the first of a four-part training that focuses on building
and sustaining early learning programs and environments that are
welcoming to all children and all families. Each module is designed
to build on one another which benefits those who decide to take
all four classes yet each one is designed as a separate class for
individuals who may only want to attend one, two, or three.
Introduction to Inclusion (Module I) is an interactive workshop
which will provide an overview of inclusion, the history of support
for children with disabilities and the philosophy and benefits of
inclusion. STARS Core Competency: ENV
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care
Providers, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s, Students
A8 Sensory-Based Feeding and Mealtime Interventions for
Children, presented by Jennifer Nash, Occupational Therapist,
University of Washington
Feeding and eating problems occur for children with and without
disabilities, and the rate of children who experience feeding problems
is expected to increase. For children with developmental delays, up
to 80% encounter difficulties. Behavioral, sensory, and psychosocial
factors can greatly influence and complicate pediatric clinical cases.
For example, children with autism are known to present with a wide
variety of problematic and challenging feeding behaviors. Clinicians
who work with parents and children with special health care needs
must take a playful, thoughtful, and family-centered approach to
treatment. This presentation will provide information on sensorybased
feeding and mealtime interventions through a combination
of lecture and small group activities. The lecture portion will
provide an overview of pediatric feeding difficulties, factors that
influence feeding, common feeding myths, and parent training
materials specific to feeding challenges. Small group work will
involve sensory-based feeding activities, creating sensory themes
for a feeding group, and practicing the use of oral motor supplies.
STARS Core Competency: DEV
There is a $5.00 materials fee.
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s,
or SLP’s, Nurses, Public Health Workers, Child Care Providers,
Students
Download Session Handout
A9 Integrating Outcomes Measurement with the IFSP Process,
presented by Kathi Gillaspy, Project Coordinator, WA SIP,
Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute with Joicey
Hurth, Associate Director, NECTAC, Anne Lucas, Technical
Assistance Specialist, NECTAC and WRRC, and Kathy Grant-
Davis, Program Specialist, DEL\ESIT
The session will explore the potential and benefits of integrating
the child and family outcomes measurement process into the
ongoing IFSP process, efficiently gathering and using information
for both service planning (developing the IFSP) and completing
the Child Outcomes Measurement Form (COSF). A flow chart,
practice guide and other resources that can help people integrate
the processes will be provided. An interactive exercise will allow
participants to explore their practice and discuss the possibilities of
adopting an integrated approach. Representatives from WA’s Early
Support for Infants and Toddlers will share information from the
current Systems Improvement Project that includes the integration
of child and family outcomes into the IFSP process. STARS Core
Competency: OBS
This is an advanced session.
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 3
Who Should Attend: Early Childhood Special Educators,
Administrators, OT’s, PT’s, SLP’s and Family Resources
Coordinators
Download Session Handout
A10 Promoting Social Skills in the Preschool Classroom,
presented by Julie Ashmun, with Crista Scott, Continuing
Education Coordinators, University of Washington
A child’s social development is one of the crucial components to an
early childhood experience. Research indicates that successful peer
interactions lead to better academic and language skills, as well as
reducing challenging behaviors. This workshop will review play
and social skills in children ages two to six years. Additionally,
participants will learn how to create a social learning environment,
provide activities and materials that promote play and social
interactions among preschoolers, and identify ways to promote
peer interactions with buddy activities and through classroom wide
motivation systems. Last, participants will learn practical strategies
to implement intervention to support play and social development.
Practical strategies include use of prompting strategies such as visual
supports and guidelines for structured learning of social skills for
the whole class. STARS Core Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Age 2 through Age 6
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s,
SLP’s, Child Care Providers
Download Session Handout
A11 Using Visual Supports to Create Intuitive Classrooms,
presented by Courtney Ryan, Special Education Preschool
Teacher, with Debra Limon, Seattle Public Schools
Can a new student, parent, therapist, or volunteer walk into your
classroom and immediately gain an understanding of the rules,
expectations, schedule, and philosophy? Through video clips,
photographs, and discussion, we will explore a variety of visual
supports that will help make these things “intuitive” for adults and
children in early childhood settings including preschool classrooms,
playgroups, child care centers, and at home! Learn about visual
supports at circle time that will increase the engagement and
attention of children with and without disabilities. Learn how to use
visuals throughout the day to address children’s individual goals.
Discover ways to reduce challenging behaviors during transitions.
Leave the session with ideas and templates to easily increase
communication and collaboration between therapists, instructional
assistants, and teachers. This session will provide practical, powerful
tools to immediately help classrooms run more smoothly. STARS
Core Competency: GUID
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s,
Child Care Providers
Download Session Handout
A12 Enhancing Oral Narrative Skills through Interactive
Storytelling, presented by Lorraine Maida, Speech Language
Pathologist, Tacoma Public Schools
In this participatory session, you will receive new, fun ways to
develop vocabulary, language processing skills, and oral narrative
prerequisite skills in young children. Walk away with over 25 new
ways to sing, move and “act” your way through classic children’s
stories that will focus on basic language skills. Each participant
will receive materials and ideas for lively activities you can use
tomorrow to support communication growth in children. STARS
Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s,
Child Care Providers
A13 Immersing Children in Science and Math—It’s a Daily
Thing! Presented by Keith Pentz, National Education Advisor,
Kaplan Early Learning Company
Opportunities for science and math activities and lessons are
numerous and quite readily available to perform throughout a day.
The integration of science and math as basic curricular components
exists in literature, art, centers/interest areas, outdoor experiences,
mealtime, transitions, normal rituals and routines, conversations,
and other everyday experiences. Because math and science “looks
different” in a preschool setting versus time in later years, teachers,
caregivers, and parents can expect to apply and direct activities
in a fun yet informative manner. Concepts such as patterns,
similarities and differences, cause and effect, grouping, counting,
seriation, representations, hypotheses, inquiry, and analysis tend
to combine both science and math ideas. Participants will learn
how to incorporate those concepts into any curriculum while at the
same time using materials that tend to be already available in most
classrooms. STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 though Age 6
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care Providers,
Students
Early-Bird Registration Pricing Ends March 31.
www.ieccwa.
Download Session Handout
A14 More “Ingredients” for Supporting the Social Emotional
Competence of Young Children, presented by Tweety Yates,
Ph.D., University of Illinois
What are you currently doing to support the social emotional
competence of young children? This session will be a follow-up to
the keynote presentation and will share more resources and ideas for
promoting social emotional competence and preventing challenging
behavior. Strategies for being more intentional around nurturing
and responsive relationships; high quality supportive environments,
and targeted social emotional strategies and intervention swill be
discussed. STARS Core Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Birth though Age 4
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Parents, Students, Child Care
Providers
A15 Written Word Work Using “Magic Squares” to Promote
Beginning Literacy, presented by Lisa Liberty, Research
Assistant, with Roxanne Hudson, Associate Professor, and Talva
Kemper, Practicum Supervisor/Teaching Assistant, University
of Washington
Early literacy development is critical for success. One large area is
the alphabetic principle, an understanding that letters and sounds
work together systematically to form words. Once children learn
this relationship, they can use that system to read or spell written
text. Research provides evidence that explicit systematic phonics
instruction ensures beginning readers develop understanding of
the alphabetic principle. One method of instructing young students
in phonics is using a graphic organizer to support early spelling
and knowledge of letter-sound correspondences. Elkonin Boxes,
or Magic Squares (Elkonin, 1963), provide a structure to support
beginning readers that helps them segment the sounds in words
and then represent each sound with a letter. It has been found to be
effective in increasing phonological awareness and decoding with
first grade struggling readers and produced promising results in
phonemic awareness, word reading, and spelling with kindergarten
students with and without disabilities. STARS Core Competency:
CUR
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s,
SLP’s, Students
HD1 Using a Family-Centered IFSP Process for Developing
Functional IFSP Outcomes, presented by Kathi Gillaspy, Project
Coordinator, WA SIP, Frank Porter Graham Child Development
Institute with Joicey Hurth, Associate Director, NECTAC, Anne
Lucas, Technical Assistance Specialist, NECTAC and WRRC
The purpose of this session is to assist Part C early intervention
practitioners in developing functional and measurable IFSP
outcomes that enhance parent/caregiver capacity to support the
child’s learning and development through everyday routines and
activities in the home and community settings. The presenters
will use IDEA requirements and evidence-based practices to
describe how the steps in the IFSP process support the IFSP team
in developing functional IFSP outcomes. Participants will have an
opportunity to practice selecting and writing functional outcomes/
goals and strategies using a case study method. Resources will be
provided. STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 3
Who Should Attend: Early Childhood Special Educators, OT’s,
PT’s, SLP’s, Family Resources Coordinators
Download Session Handout
HD2 Communication Interventions for Children with Severe
Disabilities in the Classroom: If You Build It, They Will Come,
presented by Vanessa Tucker, Ph.D., Autism Educational
Specialist, Full-Time Lecturer, University of Washington
Children with moderate to severe disabilities often experience
communication delays. Problems with attaining adequate
communication affect all areas of learning and participation, and
these represent a tremendous challenge to educators in the classroom.
In this training we will explore the effects of communication delay
on academic, social, and behavioral areas. We will discuss the need
for increased participation and will look at some basic assessments
that can be completed in the child’s natural environment in order to
effectively plan for functional communication intervention.
Participants will view video examples of communication
interventions representing children who are at various stages
of development, and strategies will be directly modeled. Low
and moderate to high technology devices will be discussed and
demonstrated/shown in this training. During the course of this
training, participants will gain information that can be used directly
in the classroom to increase communication and participation in
daily activities. STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers and Paraeducators, OTs,
PTs, or SLPs, Child Care Providers, Students
Download Session Handout
HD3 Strategies to Support Children Experiencing Complex
Trauma, presented by John Naegele, Early Head Start/Head
Start Director for Children’s Home Society.
In this session, there will be a brief overview of the ACE’s research
and complex trauma. YOU can make a difference. Using information
from the study and from a pilot project in Pierce County, we will
look at compassionate learning environments and family services
delivery. There will be discussion about how to use strategies
to address behaviors associated with complex trauma in your
classroom. Participants will develop an action plan for yourself
and your program.
The ACE Study is an ongoing collaboration between the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention and Kaiser Permanente. Led by
Co-principal Investigators Robert F. Anda, MD, MS, and Vincent
J. Felitti, MD, the ACE Study is perhaps the largest scientific
research study of its kind, analyzing the relationship between
multiple categories of childhood trauma (ACEs), and health and
behavioral outcomes later in life. See: http://www.acestudy.org/ - it’s
intention is to bridge the gap between childhood trauma and negative
consequences later in life. STARS Core Competency: FAM
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
HD4 Calming Ourselves in Stressful Times, presented by Joy
Knight, Private Consultant
Stress is a natural part of life which acts as both a motivator and an
inhibitor. Participants attending this interactive, hands-on session
will explore how stress affects the lives of young children, their
ability to learn, and the effects on their social/emotional and brain
development. We will use the curriculum from Comprehensive
Health Education Foundation (CHEF).
Come and relax, have fun, and learn to make at least six hands-on
projects to take with you. These activities are specifically developed
to help calm ourselves (and the children we work with) during
stressful times. They include “shaking like a puppy,” “melting like
a snowman,” “floating like a feather,” and “playing barefoot in the
sand.” Participants will receive an extended resource list including
books, music, websites and materials for developing a “calming
area” in their home or school settings. STARS Core Competency:
CUR
There is a $10.00 materials fee.
Age Group Addressed: Preschool
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, Students,
Child Care Providers
B5 Babies, Brains, and Relationships: Unlocking Your Parenting
Superpowers! Presented by Sheri L. Hill, Ph.D., Early Childhood
Policy Specialist, Seattle, WA
This multi-media workshop is designed specifically for those
parenting young children both with and without developmental
challenges. In this interactive session, Dr. Hill will address several
basic questions about young children, brains and relationships.
Together we will explore: Why is early brain development so
important? How does my relationship with my child impact his/her
brain development? What do we know about what babies remember?
What are the essentials when I am running out of money, energy, and
time? What are things I can do every day to support healthy brain
development? How does my personal history impact my parenting?
STARS Core Competency: FAM
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 3 emphasis plus
Preschoolers
Who Should Attend: This session is specifically designed to be
attended by individuals attending the conference in their role as a
parent or relative caregiver.
Download Session Handout
B6 Elementary Handwriting: Making a Collaborative
Curriculum. Presented by Cyndi Cooley, MS, OTR/L, with
Angie Ferrier, BSS, Health Specialist- Lewis County Special
Education Cooperative
How is handwriting taught at your school or in your classroom?
Do all the teachers in your building talk about handwriting (e.g.
formation, placement) in the same way? More often than not, teachers
are introducing letters and referencing writing lines differently grade
level to grade level.
For students learning to handwrite, especially those with disabilities,
this can delay handwriting automaticity and increase frustration. In
an effort to support solid handwriting and literacy skill development,
this handwriting curriculum was developed by occupational
therapy (OT) staff and general education teachers for building-wide
implementation. You will learn the steps taken by the presenters to
develop a handwriting curriculum in their elementary school; how
research was linked to support optimum writing skill development
and instruction; data collection methods for tracking whole class
quarterly progress; thematic activities developed to enhance literacy
and fine/visual motor skill development; and hands-on opportunities
to explore materials and activities used within classrooms right
now. Though focusing primarily on the Kindergarten curriculum,
the presenters will briefly describe the curriculums to follow (1st,
2nd, and 3rd grade). STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Kindergarten through Grade 3
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Administrators, OT’s,
PT’s, SLP’s, Child Care Providers
Download Session Handout
B7 Implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and
Supports, presented by Carol Moore, Special Education
Coordinator, with Colleen Nolan, School Psychologist,
Northwest Regional ESD, in Oregon
Implementing any new initiative is challenging, especially one that
requires change throughout the system. A few years ago, Northwest
Regional ESD, which serves over two thousand children with
developmental delays and disabilities from birth to Kindergarten
in four Oregon counties, launched a sustained effort to bring PBIS
into practice throughout the entire program. A carefully planned,
embedded professional development and coaching model is now
in its fifth year and yielding beneficial outcomes for children
and staff. Along the way, much has been learned about practical
implementation strategies, roadblocks and barriers, and ways to
navigate the terrain. Come hear about our journey and leave with
some ideas about ways to map out your own path to implementation.
STARS Core Competency: GUID
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Administrators
Download Session Handout
B8 Let’s Communicate Using Sign Language with Infants
through PreK, presented by Lillian Hubler, President, Time
To Sign, Inc.
Lillian Hubler, founder of Time to Sign, Inc. is a dynamic educator
who has taught over 20,000 early childhood educators sign language.
In this session, participants will learn how to teach and use sign
language to enhance language and literacy through the use of stories,
play, songs, games, and mnemonics. Participants will learn how to
use sign language as a language bridge for communications with
infant through preschool aged children.
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 6
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care Providers,
Parents, Students
Download Session Handout
B9 Finding the Right Communication Strategies for Every
Child, presented by Noa Hannah, PhD, Seattle Children’s
Hospital - Autism Center
This workshop will focus on intentional teaching strategies for
children with moderate to severe communication disorders,
including children with autism spectrum disorders. Strategies for
children who need more support and direct intervention will include
visual supports, low-tech AAC systems, and environmental supports
to increase positive communication. This workshop will include
a brief overview of typical language development, delayed and
disordered language acquisition, and specific strategies to increase
receptive and expressive language development in integrated
classrooms. Participants will be able to identify and implement
specific communication strategies for children with moderate
to severe communication disorders. STARS Core Competency:
DEV
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 5
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s,
Students
B10 Nutrition and Feeding-Autism and Evidence Based
Information, presented by Sharon Feucht, MA, RD, CD,
Nutritionist, Center on Human Development and Disability
(CHDD), Editor, Nutrition Focus Newsletter for Children with
Special Health Care Needs, University of Washington
Do you have concerns and questions regarding the feeding behaviors
and nutritional condition of your children with ASD? What are the
myths and facts about some common diet interventions such as
Gluten-free/casein-free diet? How can families get help and find
more nutrition information and resources in Washington?
In this session, Sharon will describe some common feeding
behaviors of children with ASD and how their behaviors affect
eating and their nutrition. Many children with ASD are sensitive to
certain tastes, food textures, smells or new settings. You will learn
some suggestions to help your children enjoy new foods. Sharon
will cover some common diet-based interventions, their theories,
and whether there are scientific evidence for these diets. Sharon
will show you how to find a registered dietitian or a feeding team
in Washington to help you with your child’s diet and nutrition. You
will also learn some useful websites and nutrition resources for
children with ASD. A panel of parents’ will share their experience
and perspectives related to feeding behaviors and diets. STARS
Core Competency: HS
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
B11 Bridging the Gap: Effecting Change in the Most Challenging
Families, presented by Tim Andrews, Early Childhood Positive
Behavior Support Specialist/Adjunct Faculty, Multnomah
Education Service District/Portland State University
Families are a critical component for partnering within early
childhood, and are particularly important when faced with
challenging behaviors. Families have unique challenges. This
may make it difficult for the professional to effect positive change.
In this session, participants will learn some powerful strategies
and techniques to effect positive change in families. STARS Core
Competency: FAM
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care Providers,
Home Visitors, Head Start Family Workers, Family Resources
Coordinators, Students
Download Session Handout
B12 Creating Flannelboard Figures and Stories, presented
by Susan Anderson-Newham, Early Learning Supervising
Librarian, Pierce County Library System
Flannelboard figures can be a wonderful, textural way to develop
early literacy skills, teach concepts, and tell stories. This workshop
will demonstrate a method of creating felt figures that is surprisingly
easy but with beautiful results. Samples of completed figures will
inspire caregivers with the range of what can be created. Participants
will leave with detailed instructions, and a myriad of stories, patterns
and ideas. STARS Core Competency: CUR
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 though Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
B13 Effective Parenting Skills, presented by Cristi Heitschmidt,
Program Manager/Parent Educator and Amie Davis, Parent
Educator. Both presenters are from Centralia College.
What are the foundations of effective parenting? How do we increase
positive parenting practices? In this workshop session research
supported parenting competencies developed by Centralia College
will be taught. These concrete tools will help professionals in their
work with families and evaluating parent-child interactions.
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Child Care Providers, Home
Visitors, Family Resources Coordinators
Download Session Handout
B14 Using Visual Supports to Increase Engagement and
Independence in Young Children, presented by Beth Younger,
with Carolyn Cottam and Tara Godinho, Haring Center,
University of Washington
Pictures, objects, photographs, symbols, drawings, words. Any
and all of these can be used to support young children’s successful
participation in play groups, in the classroom and at home. Many
children learn best when information is presented visually as
well as orally. This session will provide a host of “tried and true”
visual supports for toddlers and preschoolers, including those
with significant disabilities. Learn how teachers (and parents!)
can use visuals to support transitions, build new skills, enhance
communication, and promote social interaction. Learn to use visuals
in a variety of ways to elicit child responses, increase independence
and engagement, and reduce challenging behaviors. You’ll leave
this session with ideas you can put to use right away. STARS Core
Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
B15 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Respectful
Accommodations, presented by Cheryl Iverson, Senior Early
Learning Manager, Child Care Resource & Referral
This is the second of a four-part training that focuses on building
and sustaining early learning programs and environments that are
welcoming to all children and all families. Each module is designed
to build on one another which benefits those who decide to take
all four classes, yet each one is designed as a separate class for
individuals who may only want to attend one, two, or three.
Making your program accessible to children with disabilities
will require creative and responsive accommodations. The ADA
addresses the necessity of making accommodations for children
with disabilities so they may participate in community programs.
This workshop provides insight into what constitutes “respectful
accommodation” and specific examples of accommodations
for children who have various types of disabilities. Respectful
Accommodations (Module II) is the second of four modules. STARS
Core Competency: ENV
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care
Providers, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s, Students
C5 Grief and Loss: Guidance for the Parents of Children who
are Differently Developing, presented by Gretchen Savage,
LMHCA, Counselor, Private Practice with Christine Griffin,
Guide By Your Side Coordinator, Guide By Your Side
In this workshop parents will have an opportunity to share current
grief and loss issues in their own lives. This workshop, led by a
Counselor who specializes in grief and loss and a mother of two
children who experience hearing loss will offer life stories, current
resources and information about grief and loss. This workshop
will explore cultural differences and grief and loss, as well as
best practice for self-care and for supporting others. STARS Core
Competency: FAM
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents
Download Session Handout
C6 Community Collaboration: The Key to Children’s Success,
presented by Jackie Brock, Early Childhood School Readiness
Specialist, with Hilary Berry, Early Childhood Coordinator,
ESD #112
Ready Families + Ready Schools + Ready Communities = Ready
Children
The experiences children and their families have help to lay the
foundation for later academic and social success in school and life.
Because children develop within the context of their families, their
neighborhoods and their communities, promoting school readiness is
a community issue. Families need access to high quality educational
programs and support that are culturally responsive and connected
- ensuring that each opportunity builds on what came before and
leads to what will follow.
While the state continues to build its vision for an aligned and
integrated education system, leaders in local communities can
promote best practices through collaboration and partnerships that
promote student success - including children with special needs.
Promoting effective partnerships require a paradigm shift in how
we view our respective roles with young children, their families,
community-based organizations and school districts.
Please join us for an informative, interactive presentation and come
away with strategies you can implement in your program. STARS
Core Competency: FAM
Age Group: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators,
Administrators, Family Resources Coordinators, Students
Download Session Handout
C7 Improving the Quality of Early Literacy Experiences
for Young Children with Autism and Other Developmental
Disabilities, presented by Veronica Pamparo-Fleury, Doctoral
Student, with Talya Kemper, Doctoral Student, University of
Washington
In early childhood, toddlers and preschoolers can develop important
skills that prepare them for reading success by participating in
informal literacy activities. However, research has shown that
children with disabilities have fewer opportunities to engage in
quality literacy experiences that support the development of critical
early literacy skills. One activity that is highly valued by teachers,
early childhood professionals, and parents is reading aloud to
children. We recently examined the effectiveness of dialogic reading
strategies on measures of engagement and participation during
book reading in preschool students (ages 3-5) with autism spectrum
disorder. Compared to traditional book reading, students showed
improved engagement and increased number of communicative
exchanges during dialogic reading sessions. These preliminary
results suggest that dialogic reading is a promising strategy that
parents and teachers can use with students with autism spectrum
disorders to improve their quality of early literacy experiences
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 5
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
C8 Making it work: Supporting the ASD Child in the General
Education Classroom, presented by Rachel Reese Axtelle, M.Ed,
with Sarah Stevens, CCC/SLP, Bremerton School District
Strategies, materials and ideas to support a preschooler or primary
age student with ASD in the general education classroom. This
sessions provides evidence based best practices that can be used by
parents, general education teachers, special education teachers and
therapists to ensure success for students with ASD. This session
will include take home materials and resources for participants.
STARS Core Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, Administers,
OT’s, PT’s, SLP’s
Download Session Handout
C9 Using Curriculum-Referenced Assessment in Early
Intervention, presented by Crista Scott, M.Ed, Haring Center,
University of Washington
Good assessments are designed for specific purposes. Curriculum
referenced assessments are designed to measure an individual child’s
performance within a sequence of curricular objectives. Such
assessment tools can be used to identify individual child outcomes,
monitor a child’s progress, and, thus, inform intervention for
individual children. This session will focus on the use of curriculumreferenced
assessments in early intervention programs. We will
examine the value of using such assessments, share examples of
currently available assessments, and provide guidance for selecting
a curriculum-referenced assessment for your program.
Age Group Addressed: Age 2 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care Providers,
Students
Download Session Handout
C10 Making Nutrition and Fitness Fun, presented by Keith
Pentz, National Education Advisor, Kaplan Early Learning
Company
Nutrition and fitness are a vital part of any quality early childhood
program. Without good nutrition and fitness, children will not have
the stamina, cognitive stimulation, and general health with which to
learn. Nutrition and fitness also revolve around more than just the
food provided and simple exercise. By utilizing specific literature,
music and movement, experimentation, choices, and a variety of
opportunities, nutrition and fitness can and will be fun and truly
benefit every child in a program. STARS Core Competency: HS
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 though Age 6
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care Providers,
Students
Download Session Handout
C11 Structuring Intervention for Preverbal Children with
Developmental Disabilities, presented by Julie Stratton,
M.S. CCC/SLP with Kathryn Greenslade, M.S. CCC/SLP,
Department of Speech and Hearing Sciences, University
of Washington, with Gay Lloyd Pinder, Ph.D., CCC/SLP,
Children’s Therapy Center
Structuring early communication intervention for preverbal children
with developmental disabilities is a challenging clinical endeavor.
Research at the Child Language Laboratory at the University of
Washington is currently examining the efficacy of a treatment
paradigm for teaching clear signals of communication, specifically,
eye gaze, gestures, and vocalizations, in children with developmental
disabilities.
This intervention applies a framework designed to maximize
social interaction and create rich communication opportunities.
Components of this framework include: creating an appropriate
learning environment, establishing supportive seating and
positioning, recruiting and maintaining child engagement, and
shaping the child’s early behaviors into clear communicative signals.
We will explore this framework through case examples for teaching
eye gaze, gestures, and vocalizations as intentional communicative
signals. These examples will: demonstrate a systematic approach for
evaluating the appropriate environmental supports to meet a child’s
unique needs, discuss techniques for recruiting and maintaining
child engagement within the social interaction, and explore specific
strategies for shaping early behaviors into communicative signals.
This session will describe how intervention can be tailored to match
individual child characteristics. Clinicians will learn how to apply
this framework when structuring early communication intervention
for preverbal children with developmental disabilities. STARS Core
Competency: DEV
Age Group Addressed: Birth to Age 5 and beyond
Who Should Attend: Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s,
Parents, Students
Download Session Handout
C12 Introduction to Infant Mental Health, presented by Jennifer
Nash, Occupational Therapist, University of Washington
The quality of attachment between mother and infant is of utmost
significance, both for children who are typically developing and
for children with special health care needs (CSHCN). Researchers
have found that secure attachments in infancy are directly related to
competency in the areas of social and emotional development later
in life. CSHCN, for example premature infants, children with Down
syndrome, and children with autism have been shown to develop
insecure attachments with their parents more frequently than their
typically developing peers. Bonding with CSHCN is challenging,
as their cues are often more difficult to interpret. Brain development
occurs rapidly in the first years of life, and environment can impact
brain development either positively or negatively. Because of these
factors, a unique approach is needed during this vulnerable and
crucial time in the lives of families. Infant Mental Health (IMH)
focuses on the relationship between the infant and parent and
their reciprocal impact on one another. To improve the quality of
attachment between parents and infants, health care professionals
within the field of early intervention could benefit by incorporating
an IMH approach when working with parents and CSHCN.
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 2
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, OT’s, PT’s,
or SLP’s, Nurses/Public Health Workers, Child Care Providers,
Students
Download Session Handout
C13 Challenging Behaviors and Positive Behavior Supports,
presented by Sharon McLaughlin, Special Education Teacher,
Battle Ground School District with Kelly Gorby, Autism
Consultant
This workshop will provide participants with specific information
and pro-active strategies on how to best support young students on
the autism spectrum who engage in potentially harmful and disruptive
behaviors, at home and in community settings. Participants will
leave this workshop with tools they can immediately implement to
help children develop coping strategies and skills to navigate their
daily environment.
Age Group Addressed: Age 3 through Age 8
Who Should Attend: All
Download Session Handout
C14 Strategies for Working with Meth-Affected Children and
Families, presented by Jackie McReynolds, Senior Instructor,
Washington State University
Methamphetamine abuse creates many opportunities for severe
family dysfunction, child maltreatment, specific challenges for
those professionals who work with the children and families, and
neighborhoods and communities who struggle with the crime and
the costs associated with production and use of the drug.
This session is designed to create a higher level of understanding of
what the drug is, how it works, why it’s so addictive, how it impacts
users, and the direct and indirect impact it has on families, children,
communities, and society. Particular attention will be paid to
addressing the developmental impacts on children, and best practices
for working with children who are meth-affected. Additionally, we
will address the safety concerns for professionals who work with
meth-impacted families and will brainstorm strategies for interacting
with families.
Age Group Addressed: All
Who Should Attend: All
C15 Opening Doors to Inclusive Programs: Supporting Positive
Behavior, presented by Cheryl Iverson, Senior Early Learning
Manager, Child Care Resource & Referral
This is the third of a four-part training that focuses on building
and sustaining early learning programs and environments that
are welcoming to all children and all families. Each module is
designed to build on one another which benefits those who decide
to take all four classes, yet each one is designed as a separate class
for individuals who may only want to attend one, two, or three.
All children display some type of behavioral challenge and some
children experience an even more difficult time of managing their
behavior. Learn ways to prevent negative behaviors before they
occur and how to create environments that offer positive behavior
support to children with behavioral challenges. Supporting Positive
Behavior (Module III) is the third of four modules. STARS Core
Competency: ENV
Age Group Addressed: Birth through Age 8
Who Should Attend: Parents, Teachers, Paraeducators, Child Care
Providers, OT’s, PT’s, or SLP’s, Students
|
|
