Agenda for Low Incidence Institute
Wednesday, August 10
Travel Skills in the Curriculum: Increasing Independence within the School (CSN, OT, PT, VI, DB, F)
8:45 a.m.–noon
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 3 hours; ASHA: 0.3 CEU; Psych: 3.25 CE hours
This presentation will address the wide range of skills associated with “travel,” and the ability to more independently negotiate an environment — whether in the home, school, or community at large. Travel is not merely about movement from “here” to “there,” and one does not simply follow a prescribed sequence of actions in order to move from “point a” to “point b.” Instead, travel is a dynamic experience made up of many nuances. The ability to safely negotiate a travel situation, whether it is from the classroom to the school cafeteria or from one side of town to the other, encompasses a wide range of skills. This presentation will focus on skills that can be introduced at home and in school (for children of various age and ability levels) to help students move more independently within the home and school environments.
Outcomes- Describe a range of concepts and skills associated with movement and safe travel within internal environments
- Identify ways to introduce these travel-related concepts within the home and on family trips or as part of classroom lessons and school-based experiences
- Explore ways to use natural opportunities and planned activities to encourage children and young adults to apply travel-related skills and concepts under supervision at home as part of their daily routine or within the school as part of the school day
- Explain strategies that can be used, where it is safe within the home or school, to facilitate independence
Michelle Holsopple (see bio from Tuesday's Great Start session)
Educational Implications of Cortical Visual Impairment (CVI): Overview, Assessment, and Intervention (OT, CSN, F, VI, DB, TBI)
8:45 a.m.–noon (continued from Tuesday)
The Tuesday morning session is a prerequisite.
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). No individual credit will be given for Sessions 2 or 3.
Act 48, Social Work, ACVREP, Infant/Toddler: 9 hours; ASHA: 0.9 CEU; Psych: 9.75 CE hours
Session 3: Accommodations and Instructional Considerations for Students with CVI
Assessment and intervention related to CVI are dynamically linked and must be delivered in critical periods of learning. Participants can learn how to provide accommodations and interact
with and teach children and youth with CVI. Families and other members of early intervention, educational, and BrainSTEPS teams are encouraged to attend.
- Recognize the contributions of multiple team members for intervention
- Describe the implications of CVI on communication, interaction, and learning
- Identify early intervention/instructional strategies based on assessment data
- Discuss strategies to coordinate services
Christine Roman (see bio from Tuesday's Great Start session)
Training and Technical Assistance Models for Building Communicative Competence (CSN, AT, F, OT, SLP)
8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m., Wednesday and Thursday
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 6 hours; ASHA: 0.6 CEU; Psych: 6.5 CE hours
Participants will explore and identify training and technical assistance models for building communication competence for students with complex support needs. This session is intended for attendees in a role of providing training and technical assistance for school-aged students with complex support needs.
Outcomes- Consider statewide data on communication
- Identify features of training and technical assistance models for building communicative competence in learners with significant cognitive disabilities
- Identify strategies for training and technical assistance
Jacqueline Kearns (see bio in Tuesday's Low Incidence session)
Jane Kleinert (see bio in Tuesday's Low Incidence session)
Using Assessment to Inform Literacy Goals and Instruction for Learners Who Are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH)
Wednesday, 8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Thursday, 8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 12 hours; ASHA: 1.2 CEU; Psych: 13 CE hours
In this two-day workshop, participants will first be introduced to a framework for understanding literacy (i.e., reading and writing) learning and assessment/evaluation of students who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH). Training in the administrative and scoring procedures of the Qualitative Reading Inventory-5 (QRI-5) will be provided, with a particular emphasis on maintaining the reliability and validity of this measure with a variety of learners (e.g., students using amplification, signed language). Participants can also learn how the results of the QRI-5 and other literacy assessments can be used to derive literacy goals and objectives, as well as inform instructional planning and appropriate interventions. Those attending this session will receive a copy of the QRI-5.
Outcomes- Describe a framework for literacy learning and assessment for DHH learners
- Demonstrate procedures for administering and scoring the QRI-5
- Derive literacy goals based on assessment results
- Discuss how assessment findings can inform instructional planning
- Delineate instructional strategies and interventions to address identified goals
Connie Mayer, EdD, is an associate professor in the faculty of education at York University in Toronto, Canada, where she works in the graduate programs in both education and linguistics, and in the teacher preparation program in the education of deaf and hard of hearing (D/HH) students. Prior to joining York, Mayer worked for more than 20 years in the field as a consultant, administrator, and teacher at both schools for the deaf and in school boards.
She is currently an associate editor for the Volta Review and serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education and the American Annals of the Deaf. Her current research focuses on written language and literacy development in D/HH learners, early literacy and early intervention, cochlear implantation, bilingualism, and models of teacher education. She has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on these topics, and presented at more than 90 national and international conferences. In 2007, her article "Can the Linguistic Interdependence Theory Support a Bilingual-Bicultural Model of Literacy Education for Deaf Students?" published in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education was selected by Oxford University Press as one of the seminal papers published in the past century.
Beverly Trezek, PhD, is an associate professor of special education and the director of the Reading Specialist: Reading and Learning Disabilities program at DePaul University. Trezek has more than 12 years of experience working as a cross-categorical special education teacher and a teacher of the deaf and hard of hearing in the K–12 public school setting. Her research interests focus on reading instruction for beginning and struggling readers with a particular emphasis on investigating the role that phonemic awareness and phonics play in the development of literacy skills for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Trezek has recently published articles in the Journal of Deaf Studies and Deaf Education, American Annals of the Deaf, Behavioral Disorders, The Clearing House, Theory Into Practice, Journal of Balanced Reading Instruction, and International Journal of Inclusive Education, and is the lead author of the book Reading and Deafness: Theory, Research and Practice.
Using iOS Devices with Students Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired (VI, F, DB, AT)
Wednesday, 1:00–4:15 p.m.
Thursday, 8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Act 48; Social Work; ACVREP: 9 hours; ASHA: 0.9 CEU; Psych: 9.75 CE hours
This hands-on session will address how iOS devices can be used with students who are blind or visually impaired. It will address built-in accessibility features, including AssistiveTouch, VoiceOver, Zoom, and Large Text; selection, access, and navigational gestures specific to the features; specific applications for users who are blind or visually impaired; apps that are UDL friendly; as well as the peripherals that provide access. Data and app management will also be covered, along with resources.
Outcomes- Demonstrate at least five designated settings for effective student use of iOS devices
- Select and demonstrate appropriate use of accessibility features, given at least five specific tasks
- Discuss effective strategies for both data and app management
Frank Irzyk is an educational consultant with the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He has more than 35 years of experience in the field of teaching students who are blind or visually impaired including student with dual sensory impairments.
Teaching Self-Regulation Skills in Children: A Course for Professionals and Parents (OT, PT, F, SLP, CSN)
8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m.
Act 48; ACVREP; Social Work: 6 hours; Infant/ Toddler: 6 hours; ASHA: 0.6 CEU; Psych: 6.5 CE hours
Self-regulation skills are those multifaceted behavioral and social abilities children must display to match the demands of the home, school, and community. Children with regulatory disorders frequently experience sensory, social, and behavioral challenges in daily life. Parents of children with regulatory disorders are often advised to seek additional supports, such as counseling, psychotherapy, and/or pharmacological methods to help their children acquire the desired self-regulation skills. In many cases, however, these services alone do not target the specific self-regulation skills that children need to learn in order to improve their daily performance. This session will review the theoretical frames of reference for acquiring self-regulation skills in children, with primary emphasis upon how to teach, reinforce, and practice self-regulation skills in home and school settings. Video review of the actual components will be utilized and another essential component, parent/teacher education and support, will be discussed in depth. Methods used for progress monitoring methods and outcome data will also be discussed.
Outcomes- Identify the common sensory, social, and behavioral challenges in children with regulatory disorders
- Describe the essential features of self-regulation skills that children need to succeed in school, home, and community settings
- Identify the key elements for parent/teacher education and support for self-regulation skill development in children
Tammy Sarracino, MEd, OTR/L, has been practicing occupational therapy for 29 years, specializing in pediatrics, sensory-related disorders, and school systems. She graduated from Elizabethtown College with a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy in 1983, and earned her master’s degree in education from Penn State in 1995. Sarracino is co-owner and director of TherAbilities, a Harrisburg-based pediatric therapy practice, and is currently doing doctoral work in occupational therapy at the University of Kansas.
Her professional career includes extensive experience evaluating and treating children with a wide range of diagnoses, including autism spectrum, traumatic brain injury, learning disabilities, mental retardation, visual impairment, hearing impairment, neurological disorders, cerebral palsy, developmental delay, attention deficit disorder. She has been published in national occupational therapy periodicals, and is the primary author of the Pennsylvania Occupational Therapy Association’s position paper on Guidelines for Occupational Therapy Practice in Pennsylvania’s Public Schools.
