Agenda for Low Incidence Institute

Wednesday, August 5

Digging In: More Tools for Accessible Instructional Materials with a Focus on Students with Visual Impairments (continued from Monday through Friday)
8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m.

 

"Mild" Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): School Assessment and Intervention
8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m., Act 48 and/or ACVREP: 6 hours; ASHA: 0.6 CEU, Psych: 6.5 CE hours

Mild traumatic brain injury (concussion) is very much in the news these days. From concussions in sports-related injuries to wounds suffered by our servicemen and women in time of war, to children falling from their bikes or skateboards, these insults can have significant impacts on the lives of children. We now know that there is nothing "mild" about concussions. With medical technology advancing in this domain, educational professionals are seeing a new generation of students who are being identified medically and sent back to school exhibiting effects that can sometimes last a lifetime.

This presentation will focus on the information that teachers, parents, consultants, and therapists, who monitor and support the lives of our children, ought to know about mild traumatic brain injury: how to recognize the signs and symptoms in the school environment and how to intervene appropriately. The participants can acquire a greater understanding of identification, education, and facilitation of students in their school districts who have suffered from concussions and who may be experiencing impaired cognitive functions as a direct result. School accommodations and modifications will be thoroughly discussed to ensure that students are receiving appropriate educations.

Outcomes

  • Identify current state of knowledge regarding mild TBI/concussion
  • Recognize clinical symptoms and recovery patterns
  • Identify appropriate approaches to assess and manage mild TBI in the schools
  • Compare and contrast special circumstances of mild TBI, including sports concussions

Gerard A. Gioia, Ph.D., is a pediatric neuropsychologist and the director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) Program, and chief of the Division of Pediatric Neuropsychology at Children's National Medical Center. He is an associate professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine. He has an active clinical practice, sees a wide variety of children, adolescents, and young adults, and runs an active sports concussions program. He is a major contributing author to the updated 2006 edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Physician Toolkit for Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, "Heads Up: Brain Injury in Your Practice," and to the toolkit for parents and younger athletes, "Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports."  

 

Principles and Practical Strategies for Promoting Students’ Inclusion within the General Education Classroom
8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m., Act 48 and/or ACVREP: 6 hours; ASHA: 0.6 CEU, Psych: 6.5 CE hours

When students with significant disabilities were first integrated in general education classrooms, the goal was primarily to enhance their social relationships. Much has been learned in the last twenty years about how to move students beyond simply having access to "real inclusion," which is defined by membership, participation, relationships, and learning. The participants will examine the six core principles of inclusive education and practice, using an instructional planning process that focuses on the design of individualized supports, and be provided with strategies for ensuring that teams have the supports they need in order to make inclusion successful for all. Stories and video examples of K–12 students will be provided.

Outcomes

  • Describe what defines authentic inclusive education
  • Describe the importance and characteristics of six core concepts of inclusive education: presuming students' competence, full membership, reciprocal social relationships, active participation, learning to high standards within the general education curriculum, and collaborative teaming
  • Practice an instructional planning process that is tied to general education instruction and provides individualized supports for students with significant disabilities

Cheryl M. Jorgensen, Ph.D., is a project director and assistant research professor with the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Since 1985 she has worked on state and national projects related to the inclusion of students with intellectual and other developmental disabilities. She is the author of several books including The Beyond Access Model: Promoting Membership, Participation, and Learning for Students with Disabilities in the General Education Classroom; The Inclusion Facilitator's Guide; and Restructuring High Schools for All Students: Taking Inclusion to the Next Level, as well as numerous book chapters, research papers, and policy briefs. Dr. Jorgensen presumes that all students are competent to learn the general education curriculum and that their full membership in an inclusive classroom enhances learning for all students.  

 

How Do You Sign "Onomatopoeia"? "Photosynthesis"? Navigating Content Vocabulary Using American Sign Language (ASL)
8:45 a.m.–4:15 p.m., Act 48: 6 hours; ASHA: 0.6 CEU

This workshop will focus on sign language vocabulary skill development that is specific to content in the educational setting. Participants will explore the Pennsylvania standards to review the depth and breadth of content vocabulary. They will discuss past practices, approaches, and new techniques in sign negotiation; briefly touch on expansion techniques; and review the importance of fingerspelling in conjunction with negotiated, technical signs and classifiers. Throughout the workshop, participants will analyze specific vocabulary and academic content to ensure message equivalence when using ASL in K–12 classrooms. In addition, there will be practice activities utilizing vocabulary from the Pennsylvania standards to apply techniques and refine skills. It is strongly suggested that participants have intermediate to advanced ASL skills in order to benefit from this session.

Outcomes

  • Recognize vocabulary negotiation patterns as they appear in the academic content of the Pennsylvania standards
  • List various techniques for addressing English content vocabulary through the use of ASL technical signs, classifiers, fingerspelling, and/or negotiated sign use
  • Practice and use newly acquired ASL vocabulary when signing in the classroom

Jennifer Sabo, a 2002 graduate of Kent State University, has a bachelor of science degree in educational interpreting. She has worked as an educational interpreter in the K–12 and postsecondary settings and is currently the coordinator of interpreting and communication access services for the Allegheny Intermediate Unit. She holds 4.5 and 5.0 advanced levels, respectively, on the elementary and secondary Educational Interpreter Performance Assessment®, and also holds National Interpreter Certification from the Registry of Interpreters for the Deaf. Ms. Sabo has presented at statewide conferences and also serves as a mentor through PaTTAN’s Educational Interpreting Mentor Program.