AAC with Momentum: What We Can Do to Provide Real Communication Power, Not Just a Device (OT, PT, AT, CSN, F, SLP)
8:15–11:30 a.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
Regardless of which role you play, IEP team members share responsibility for addressing the communication needs of students who are nonverbal. Yet, identifying an Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) system and providing it is never enough. Teachers, parents, OTs, PTs, SLPs, and other specialized team members need to know how to support students who use AAC so that the student learns to communicate and communicates to learn. This means that everybody on the team needs to know how to support the student’s continued (and measurable) communication progress by modeling AAC use, expanding vocabulary, and increasing communicative opportunities across a variety of contexts. How do you do that? This session will provide insight into language learning, strategies for all team members, and discussion of the barriers and opportunities that students who need and/or use AAC.
Outcomes
- Describe two barriers that students who use/need AAC face in the classroom, and two strategies that adults can use to address these communication barriers
- Given a sample lesson, identify both academic and “core” vocabulary that a student using AAC may use to participate
Elizabeth Panek, MS, is a speech language pathologist and assistive technology consultant with experience working with individuals from birth to age 101 as an SLP in a school district, hospital, and outpatient clinics, and as an IU consultant. Panek holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in communication sciences and disorders from Penn State, where she conducted graduate work in the AAC-RERC lab. She joined PaTTAN as a consultant in 2013.
A Primer of Special Education Law for Students with Low-Incidence Disabilities (OT, PT, AT, CSN, DHH, Fam, VI, TBI, DB, SLP)
8:15–11:30 a.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
This session will provide an overview of key terms and concepts, IDEA/§ 504 framework, landmark court decisions, and legal dispute resolution options for parents. It will also provide a sampling of recent court decisions under the IDEA and, to a much lesser extent, § 504 will be presented in which the child has an IDEA classification of: 1) hearing impairment, 2) visual impairment; 3) orthopedic impairment; 4) autism or 5) multiple disabilities.
Outcomes
- Acquire basic legal literacy in special education law
- Update case law familiarity for students with specified low-incidence disabilities
Perry A. Zirkel, PhD, JD, LLM, is a university professor of education and law at Lehigh University, where he formerly was dean of the College of Education and more recently held the Iacocca Chair in Education for its five-year term. He holds a doctorate in educational administration, a juris doctorate from the University of Connecticut, and a master of laws degree from Yale University. He has written more than 1,300 publications on various aspects of school law, with an emphasis on legal issues in special education. A past president of the Education Law Association and co-chair of the Pennsylvania special education appeals panel from 1990 to 2007, he is the author of the CEC monograph The Legal Meaning of Specific Learning Disability; the recently published books A Digest of Supreme Court Decisions Affecting Education and Student Teaching and the Law; and the two-volume reference Section 504, the ADA and the Schools, now in its third edition. He recently received the Research into Practice Award from the American Educational Research Association (AERA) and the Excellence in Research Award from AERA’s Division A (Administration, Organization, and Leadership).
Focus on Strengths: Imagine the Possibilities (OT, PT, AT, CSN, F)
Tuesday: 8:15 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Wednesday: 8:00 a.m.–2:15 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 11 hours; ASHA: 1.1 CEU; Psych: 11.5 CE hours
Professionals consider many factors when designing ways to support children to participate successfully in their daily lives. In this course, we will explore knowledge about strengths-based approaches, evidence, and how to apply these concepts in children’s everyday lives. We will review evidence which validates core concepts, and will link this evidence to the demands of daily life. We will also discuss assessments, including skilled observation, interviewing, and other measures that provide evidence to support problem solving and planning from a strengths perspective.
We will also practice planning evidence-based interventions in community settings with case material; discuss how to reframe current knowledge and practices based on the evidence available; and learn how to monitor an individual child’s progress to ensure that strategies are having a positive impact on participation.
Finally, we will consider a long-range view, including how a strengths-based approach contributes to successful participation, how a strengths-based approach is both evidence-based and a person-centered way to practice, and what we can do to contribute to a strong vision for the future.
Outcomes
- Articulate the core constructs of a strengths-based approach to practice
- Construct plans based on a strengths model
- Design interventions within authentic contexts and activities
- Employ interdisciplinary evidence-based strategies in the school, home, and community
- Design effective interventions that emphasize participation in areas of need and interest
Dr. Winifred Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, is professor and chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy Education at the University of Kansas. She is internationally known as an expert for her studies about sensory processing in everyday life. She has published more than 100 research articles, book chapters and books, and has spoken around the world about her work. She is the author/coauthor of all of the Sensory Profile measures, which capture people’s responses to sensory events in everyday life; these assessments have been translated into dozens of languages and are used for both professional practice and in research programs. She has received the top honors in her field, including the Award of Merit for outstanding overall contributions, and the Eleanor Clark Slagle Lectureship for outstanding academic contributions; she is a member of the Academy of Research for the American Occupational Therapy Foundation and has received the A. Jean Ayres research award. Dr. Dunn has also received awards for innovative and engaging teaching, including the Chancellor’s Excellence in Teaching Award, the Kemper Teaching Fellowship, and in 2011 she received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Professorship from the University of Kansas. Most recently she has written a book for the public about her research entitled Living Sensationally: Understanding Your Senses, which has been featured in Time, Cosmopolitan, Canadian Public Radio, and the London Times, among others. In July 2009, Living Sensationally: Understanding Your Senses received the Seal of Excellence from the Children of the New Earth magazine for parents, professionals, and other caregivers.
Lunch and Keynote Presentation
11:30 a.m.–1:15 p.m.
The Blind Advantage: How Going Blind Made Me a Stronger Principal and How Including Children with Disabilities Made Our School Better for Everyone
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 1 hour; ASHA: 0.1 CEU; Psych: 1 CE hour
Dr. William Henderson transformed a Boston public school. In his book, The Blind Advantage, Dr. Henderson describes how losing his sight helped him think about learning and teaching in a new way. In his 30s, fit, and a father of three, he was going blind due to a degenerative disease. His doctor told him to stop teaching, as he would qualify for disability coverage. Instead, Henderson pursued a doctorate in education. He learned how to read Braille and use a cane. In knowing that a disability wouldn’t stop him, Henderson understood that all kids with disabilities could thrive in a rigorous academic setting. He went on to use his leadership skills and insight to transform the Patrick O’Hearn Elementary School in Dorchester, now known as the Henderson School.
Outcomes
- Gain knowledge about living and working with a disability
- Become familiar with examples of inclusionary practices in one school setting
- Understand the importance of all children receiving a rigorous academic education
Students with Traumatic and Acquired Brain Injury: A Legal Update (OT, PT, AT, CSN, F, TBI, SLP)
1:30–4:45 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
This session will present a review and update of the comprehensive compilation of the regulations and case law concerning students with traumatic brain injury (TBI) or acquired brain injury (ABI), with special attention to students with concussive syndromes under the IDEA and § 504.
Outcomes
- Improve legal knowledge of federal and state law specific to students with TBI and ABI
- Explore the eligibility and entitlement of students with concussive syndromes under § 504 and the IDEA
Perry Zirkel (see bio from earlier session)
PA Common Core, Instruction and Statewide Assessment (OT, PT, AT, Fam, VI, TBI, DB, SLP, CSN)
1:30–4:45 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 3 hours, ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
As Pennsylvania transitions to the PA Common Core (PACC), it is important to understand what students with complex support needs will be expected to know and be able to do. This session will provide participants an opportunity to learn about resources that provide access to grade level content aligned to the PA Common Core for students with the most complex needs. Implications for the statewide alternate assessment will also be discussed.
Outcomes
- Define PA Core Content Connectors and how they connect to the PACC
- Identify 2 to 3 instructional resources to support learning aligned to the PACC
- Identify when changes will occur with the PASA
Christine Bunce, PhD, provides technical assistance to school districts through the Pennsylvania Department of Education Bureau of Special Education. She is experienced as a classroom teacher, school counselor, Central Office Supervisor of Special Education, ESL, and Student Services, and served in the Pennsylvania Distinguished Educator program supporting struggling schools. Her additional experience includes teaching in the Penn State Great Valley Educational Leadership Program and consulting with schools and districts in several states on teacher effectiveness.
Sharon Leonard is an educational consultant at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, working with Pennsylvania’s Inclusive Practices initiative with a focus on effective educational practices for students with complex support needs. She is currently a member of the state’s transition team for aligning the PASA to the Common Core. Leonard works closely with Pennsylvania leadership in the area of Common Core State Standards, representing Pennsylvania as a member of its educator cadre to the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) collaborative and serving as a state team leader for instruction representing Pennsylvania with the National Center and State Collaborative (NCSC). She has a total of 33 years of experience in education.