Agenda for Great Start
Tuesday, August 7
Best Practices when Assessing Young Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children: Putting It All Together for School Readiness (F, SLP, DHH)
8:15–11:30 a.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
This interactive presentation will share information about the assessment tools used by the Family Education and Early Childhood Department (FEECD) at the Maryland School for the Deaf (MSD). The Maryland State Department of Education rubric for selection of assessment tools will be shared. Assessment results are used to plan individualized instruction, both in the classroom and on home visits. This information is shared with parents, as well as in collaboration with outside agencies, and is used to discuss age expectations and completion of the child outcome summary data. The assessment toolbox includes assessments focusing on global development across all domains, as well as assessments focusing primarily on language development (ASL and/or spoken English). Participants will have an opportunity to review the tools used by MSD FEECD, as well as learn how to choose/modify appropriate assessment tools for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Outcomes
- Review the assessments utilized by MSD FEECD
- Gain understanding of the rubric used for selection of assessment tools
- Learn how MSD FEECD uses assessment results in planning individualized instruction for students (IFSP and IEP)
- Receive templates for reporting assessment results, portfolio development, the rubric decision-making tool, and child outcome summary data sheets to incorporate in their own work
Patricia Muldowney has been a teacher for the Family Education and Early Childhood Department at the Maryland School for the Deaf for four years. She holds a master’s degree in deaf education with an emphasis in family-centered early education from Gallaudet University. Five mornings a week, she teaches a classroom of 2-year-olds who are deaf/hard of hearing, as well as conducts home visits with children who are deaf/hard of hearing and their families through the child's fifth birthday.
Mary Ann Richmond is a deaf family education and early childhood teacher at the Maryland School for the Deaf. She has more than 18 years of experience working with families. She has had experience teaching a class of 2-year-olds, as well as a class of 3-year-olds. She facilitates parent group meetings. She teaches American Sign Language for the hearing parents of young children who are deaf or hard of hearing. She also works with families as their home visit teacher. She holds a master’s degree in deaf education with an emphasis in family-centered early education from Gallaudet University. She has served on many committees to support the school in its academic endeavors. She is a council member of the Maryland Universal Newborn Hearing and Screening Program's advisory council representing Maryland Association of the Deaf.
The Path to Success: Service Coordination and Supports for Children Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing (F, SLP, DHH)
8:15–11:30 a.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
When a child is diagnosed with a hearing loss, families’ initial reactions turn quickly to a search for information and services from professionals, parents, and others. The role of the service coordinator becomes vital in this search which, at times, can be difficult. This session will explore supports available to families in Pennsylvania, and offer strategies to service coordinators, family members, and educators to assist in planning for and providing Early Intervention (EI) services for the child. Various presenters will explore the EI resources and supports that are available to families as they work with other team members. A portion of this session will be devoted to a panel discussion by EI service coordinators from around Pennsylvania. They will focus on the successes, challenges, and best practice strategies they have encountered while coordinating services for infants and young children who are deaf or hard of hearing.
Outcomes
- Identify supports available in Pennsylvania for families who have a child who is deaf or hard of hearing and the professionals who serve them
- Explore services available within the EI Birth to Five system in Pennsylvania
- Explain successes and challenges in early intervention with young children who are deaf or hard of hearing
- Examine best practices in coordinating services for young children who are deaf or hard of hearing
EI Service Coordinators Panel:
Janet Baumann, Alliance for Toddlers and Infants, Allegheny County
Becky Kichman, Perry County
Sue Lang, Erie County Care Management
Kenny Smith, Delaware County
Terri Thomas, Upper Bucks County
Additional presenters will include representatives from Guide by Your Side, Office for the Deaf or Hard of Hearing, and educational consultants.
Educational Implications of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI): Overview, Assessment, and Intervention (OT, CSN, F, VI, DB, TBI)
Session 1: Causes and characteristics of CVI
Great Start and Low Incidence Session
8:15–11:30 a.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
(Sessions 2 and 3 will be continued on Tuesday afternoon and Wednesday morning.)
There will be three half-day sessions with separate content. Participants must attend Session 1 before attending the other sessions. Credit will be given individually for Session 1 (3
hours), or for all three half-day sessions (9 hours). Participants must choose one of those two options — no individual credit will be given for Sessions 2 or 3.
Session 1:
Cortical visual impairment (CVI) is the leading cause of visual impairment in the United States. This session includes risk factors and causes of CVI, and will provide a basic awareness
of CVI and resources that can help children with CVI. Families and other members of early intervention, educational, and BrainSTEPS teams are encouraged to attend.
Outcomes
- Define CVI
- Recognize that the development of vision is both neurological and physical
- List risk factors and causes of CVI
- Describe the ten characteristics of CVI
- Identify resources for information and support related to CVI
Dr. Christine Roman, a teacher of the blind and visually impaired and for more than 30 years, has been a research pioneer in the study of cortical visual impairment (CVI). She is the author of the book Cortical Visual Impairment — An Approach to Assessment and Intervention and a recipient of the prestigious C. Warren Bledsoe award. She is the CVI Project Leader for the American Printing House for the Blind, the director of a clinic for visual assessment for CVI at Pediatric View at West Penn Hospital, and special assistant to the Superintendent at the Western Pennsylvania School for Blind Children.
Lunch
11:30 a.m.–12:15 p.m.
Keynote Presentation
Positive Exposure: The Spirit of Difference
12:15–1:15 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP and/or Infant/Toddler: 1 hour; ASHA: 0.1 CEU; Psych: 1 CE hours
Rick Guidotti’s photographs investigate the social and psychological experiences of people living with genetic, physical, and mental health conditions of all ages and ethnocultural heritages. This session will help you discover how to best meet the needs of children and families with, or at risk for, genetic disorders. Ways to see each individual living with a genetic difference first and foremost as a human being with his/her own special needs, rather than as a specific diagnosis/disease entity, will be explored.
Outcomes- Describe the social and psychological experiences of people of all ages and ethnocultural heritages living with genetic, physical, and mental health conditions
- Discuss ways to best meet the needs of children and families with, or at risk for, genetic disorder
Rick Guidotti,
an award-winning former fashion photographer, has spent the past fourteen years working internationally with advocacy organizations/NGOs, medical schools, universities, and other
educational institutions to effect a sea-change in societal attitudes towards individuals living with genetic difference. His work has been published in newspapers, magazines, and
journals as diverse as Elle, GQ, People, American Journal of Medical Genetics, The Lancet, Spirituality and Health, The Washington Post, Atlantic Monthly, and Life
Magazine.
Guidotti is the founder and director of Positive Exposure, an innovative arts, education, and advocacy organization working with individuals living with genetic difference. Positive Exposure utilizes the visual arts to significantly impact the fields of genetics, mental health, and human rights. Positive Exposure photographic exhibition premiered at the June 2001 People’s Genome Celebration, the Smithsonian’s National Museum of Natural History in DC, and continues to exhibit in galleries, museums, and public arenas internationally
Evidence-Based Practice: Making It Work for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers, and Their Families (F, DHH)
1:30–4:45 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
The sky is the limit for children who are deaf and hard-of-hearing whose families are engaged in comprehensive and effective early intervention. An ever-expanding body of research and
best-practice guidelines are available to guide the early-intervention team. This workshop will focus on what we need to know to implement evidence-based practices in our work with young
children who are deaf and hard of hearing and their families.
Outcomes
- Explain developmental possibilities as well as challenges for infants and toddlers who are deaf and hard-of-hearing
- Examine evidence-based practices that can guide our work with infants, toddlers, and their families
- Explore new strategies and resources participants can use to boost outcomes during the early years
Marilyn Sass-Lehrer is a professor at Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C. She is the co-director of the new interdisciplinary graduate certificate program Deaf and Hard of Hearing Infants, Toddlers, and their Families. Her research and writing include professional competencies, guidelines for best practice, and family involvement. Sass-Lehrer is actively involved in national organizations and initiatives that address programs and policies for infants, toddlers, and their families. She is a co-author of Parents and their Deaf Children: The Early Years (2003), and co-editor of The Young Deaf or Hard of Hearing Child: A Family-Centered Approach to Early Education (2003).
Hearing Technology: Beyond the Basics (F, SLP, DHH)
1:30–4:45 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
A variety of technology options exist to assist children with hearing loss. This course will focus on the options currently available, based on degree and type of hearing loss, for
fitting hearing aids, FM systems, and cochlear implants.
Outcomes
- Describe the appropriate technology available based on degree and type of hearing loss
- Understand how a hearing aid is set and why certain features should be activated or deactivated for children
- Be familiar with mapping options for cochlear implant patients and recognize when mapping changes are needed
- Understand the decision matrix for bimodal candidacy versus bilateral implantation
- Recognize the role of FM systems and connectivity options (e.g., Bluetooth, iPod) that are available for hearing aid and cochlear implant recipients
Carmen Hayman, AuD, CCC-A, is a pediatric audiologist and coordinator of the Cochlear Implant Program at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP). She has worked at CHOP for 21 years and in the field of cochlear implants for 18 years. Hayman has presented at regional, national, and international conferences. She received her doctorate of audiology in 2006 and is one of 60 audiologists in North America to hold specialty certification in cochlear implants from the American Board of Audiology.
Safe Travel for Preschool Children (CSN, OT, PT, VI, DB, F)
1:30–4:45 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP; Infant/Toddler: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
This presentation will address safe travel for preschool children, and will focus on the development of preschool curriculum and parent education that can assist families in keeping young
children safe around traffic.
Outcomes
- Identify those characteristics of young children's cognitive and physical development that put them at increased risk in traffic situations
- Examine safety messages (used to educate the public in how to prevent pedestrian crashes) that address pedestrian dangers most closely associated with the children of preschool age
- Describe basic guidelines associated with safe transportation of preschool children in school buses
- Explore age-appropriate travel safety concepts that can be introduced to children of preschool age
- Describe the means by which pedestrian and travel safety concepts can be incorporated into teacher-directed activities and curriculum, play centers, and child-initiated play, established guidelines for class walking trips in the community, and parent education activities
Michelle Holsopple has been employed as a travel instructor at the Allegheny Intermediate Unit for the past 14 years. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education from Slippery Rock University in 1989. Holsopple is certified to teach special education and elementary education in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and has completed additional, competency-based training as a travel instructor. As a travel instructor, she provides instruction in pedestrian and other safe travel skills for youth and young adults with disabilities. Holsopple has also worked with early childhood programs to develop curriculum to introduce concepts related to safe travel for young children.
