Program
Friday, April 9, 2010
8:30-9:45 Keynote Session and Presentation of the Fordham University, Graduate School of Education, Early Childhood Excellence Award presented to T. Berry Brazelton, MD by Dr. Stephen Freedman, Senior Vice President and Chief Academic Officer, Fordham University
Touchpoints and the Critical Importance of the Early Years: Investing in Infants, Young Children AND Their Parents
T. Berry Brazelton, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Emeritus Harvard Medical School, Founder, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Jayne Singer, PhD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Early Care and Education Initiative, Faculty, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Clinical Director, Child and Parent Program, Division of Developmental Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston
As healthcare and mental health care providers, we’ve all been taught to find out what’s wrong with the children and families we serve, rather than what’s right. While the skills we bring to solving problems certainly have their place, our focus on pathology can undermine vulnerable children and families’ confidence in themselves, and their hope for the future. It is easy to say but harder to practice a strengths-based approach that empowers families to discover and rely on their own inner resources. This paradigm shift requires a change within ourselves, in which we must give up power and control in order to arrive at a new kind of shared power – the power of the therapeutic relationship. Beyond these changes within ourselves, and within our practice, this paradigm shift demands a change within our systems of care, so that parents and other adult caregivers can become equal members of a partnership, a seamless web of relationships in which to support the nurturance and development of young children. The Touchpoints Approach is designed to help professionals and systems of care to look within, to dare to take the risk to change, and to learn from the expertise of parents, and from careful observation of children’s behavior.
10:00 – 10:45 Sessions
Play, Laughter and Problem-Solving: A Doctor and Mom of Multiples X 2’s Journey
Jennifer Canter MD, MPH, FAAP
Jennifer Canter, MD aka “Dr. Jen” is a board certified pediatrician with a specialty in child abuse and neglect. As if being the mother of two sets of twins and directing a regional child abuse medical evaluation program wasn’t enough, Dr. Jen embarked on a new adventure in 2008 – entrepreneur. Dr. Jen invented a new educational toy called the U-Play Mat and has brought it all the way from idea to the homes of children around the world. Dr. Jen will chronicle her journey as a mother of multiples, a child abuse and general pediatrician, a general and special needs toy creator and a safety expert. All this, and you’ll laugh, too.
10:00 – 11:45 Workshops
The Touchpoints Approach to Supporting Early Childhood Social and Emotional Health
Jayne Singer, PhD, Faculty, Brazelton Touchpoints Center, Clinical Director, Child and Parent Program, Division of Developmental Medicine, Children’s Hospital Boston
The Touchpoints model is based on 50 years of practice and research conducted by Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, in collaboration with his colleagues at the Children’s Hospital, Boston, and Harvard University. It is an outgrowth of his book Touchpoints (1992). In addition, the model stems from more than 25 years of experience with the Neonatal Behavioral Assessment Scale (NBAS; Brazelton, 1973) which emphasizes the professional’s observations of the newborn as a powerful means of connecting with parents. In this workshop participants will explore the Touchpoints theoretical framework. The focus will be the Touchpoints Developmental and Relational Frameworks, particularly the goals and elements of social and emotional development in the first five years of a child’s life. Participants will also discuss how practitioners can use Touchpoints to be more effective in empathically engaging parents, deepening their understanding of a child’s behavior, and establish a more successful system of relationships for all involved. The Brazelton Touchpoints Center (BTC) is a training program located at Children’s Hospital, Boston. The BTC offers a training model for practitioners that emphasizes the building of supportive alliances between parents and professionals around key points in the development of young children. “Touchpoints” are predictable periods in a child’s development that can disrupt family relations, but can also provide an opportunity for practitioners to connect more closely with parents. By understanding each of the Touchpoints and working together to anticipate and recognize them, parents and providers can collaborate on responses that will reduce or prevent stress and other problems within the family, and foster optimal child and family development.
Joint Attention and Autism: Implications for Assessment and Treatment
Joanne Gerenser, PhD, CCC-SLP, Executive Director, The Eden II/Genesis Programs
Children with autism demonstrate deficits in joint attention early in development and these deficits often remain persistent throughout development. Deficits in referential looking, declarative pointing as well as failure to respond to name and other social cues are common in early development. It has been well documented that joint attention plays a critical role in the development of language and social skills. This workshop will provide an overview of joint attention as well as the specific problems associated with autism. Implications for assessment and intervention for learners with ASD will be presented. This session is offered for .1 ASHA CEU’s
Effectively Motivating and Managing Youngsters with ADHD & Disruptive Behaviors in Classrooms
Steven M.S. Kurtz, PhD, ABPP, Clinical Director, Institute for ADHD & Disruptive Behavior Disorders, NYU Child Study Center, NYU Langone Medical Center
Youngsters who are aggressive, lack frustration tolerance, do not complete tasks, and have difficulty getting along with peers and adults often struggle as learners and interfere with the learning of others. This workshop provides practical, evidence-based skills to help these youngsters manage themselves better. Teacher-Child Interaction Therapy, an emerging adaptation of Parent-Child Interaction Therapy, provides tools that accentuate the positive, in order to reduce the negative! Specific skills are utilized to improve teacher-child interactions, reduce teacher stress, and improve outcomes. TCIT is currently being tested in numerous sites, including Astor Services for Children and League Center’s day treatment settings.
11:00 – 11:45 Sessions
Novel therapeutics in autism spectrum disorders: From model systems to clinical trials
Joseph Buxbaum, PhD, G. Harold and Leila Y. Mathers Professor, Seaver Autism Center, Mt. Sinai School of Medicine
Dr. Buxbaum will discuss ongoing autism-related basic research and clinical studies and how they are being used to improve treatment for individuals with autism-spectrum disorders.
11:45 – 1:00 Lunch and Expo
1:00 – 1:45 Keynote Session
Sesame Street: Four Decades of Helping Kids Learn and Grow Around the Globe
Gary E. Knell, President & CEO, Sesame Workshop, Introduced by Dr. William F. Baker, President Emeritus of Educational Broadcasting Corporation (EBC), licensee of Thirteen/WNET and WLIW21 NY
A movement called Sesame Street that started in the 1960’s has grown to reach children in over 140 countries– using the magnetic appeal of television to improve their lives. Forty years later, Sesame Street stands out as the most thoroughly developed and researched preschool program. Beyond television, the Workshop produces content for multiple media platforms and initiatives to help children and families develop critical skills, acquire healthy habits and build emotional strength. Gary E. Knell, President and CEO, will share how Sesame Workshop continues to create media worldwide that meets the needs of today’s child.
1:00 – 1:45 Sessions
Understanding Special Education Law
Betty Crea Davidson, Esq, Executive Director, Navigating the Spectrum
Parents strive to be the best advocates they can be for their child, but understanding complex and ever-changing special education laws and regulations can be challenging. This presentation provides participants with an overview of the rights afforded by the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and complementary state laws, and ways to secure appropriate and meaningful special education and related service plans for children with autism and other developmental disabilities.
1:00 – 3:45 Workshops
Assessing Infants and Toddlers: What’s Important
Molly Nozyce, PhD, Director, Neurodevelopmental Services, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Jacobi Medical Center, Albert Einstein College of Medicine
Evaluating typical and atypical development in infants and toddlers is a difficult task. It requires evaluators to have an understanding of the underlying precursors of development, as well as the ability to administer a standardized assessment tools. Evaluators cannot rely solely on the information provided by standardized developmental tests of development since these assessments do not provide sufficient information regarding the child’s developmental trajectory. This Workshop will focus on those factors that evaluators need to know in order to form an appropriate understanding of the child’s development and to interpret test results within a developmental context.
2:00 – 2:45 Sessions
Putting Children on the City’s Health Policy Agenda: Take Care New York 2012
Cynthia Summers, DrPH, Executive Director, Take Care New York, NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
Take Care New York 2012: A Policy for a Healthier New York City is New York City’s comprehensive health policy. Launched in September 2009, Take Care New York 2012 aims to improve the health and lives of all New Yorkers through policy changes, increasing access to quality health care, and education. Take Care New York 2012 includes a specific focus on children’s health because of children’s unique and important health needs and the opportunity to promote life-long healthy behaviors. A variety of children’s health issues are addressed by Take Care New York 2012, including breastfeeding, vaccinations, developmental disorders, asthma, lead poisoning, and reproductive health care.
Opportunity Knocks: Early Identification and Intervention of Hearing Loss A to Z
Pnina Bravmann, AuD,CCC/SLP-A,TSHH,SAS, CERT AVT, Founder and Director, Auditory Oral School of New York, Genevieve Davitt, MS, F-AAA, Clinical/Educational Audiologist, Auditory Oral School of New York
Early identification and specialized early intervention are the keys to a child’s success with hearing loss. This session will provide an overview of the key milestones and red flags to determine when to refer for an evaluation within the first year of life. Then participants will be guided on the journey through the evaluation process and the key instruments and procedures used. Finally, the key intervention options will be presented with the key benefits and options. Particular attention will be given to the language enriched auditory oral approach which the presenters advocate as the most conducive to the child’s educational growth.
2:00 – 3:45 Sessions
Behavior Management for the Pre-K Classroom
Betty Crea Davidson, Esq, Executive Director, Navigating the Spectrum
For those students who do not easily meet the behavioral expectations of the classroom, addressing their unique needs can be challenging. This session provides a basic overview of some of the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis and its practical application in the school environment. Participants will understand why some children “behave” as they do and discover ways to increase desirable behaviors and reduce interfering behaviors by learning effective management strategies appropriate for both individual learners and the entire classroom.
3:00 – 3:45 Sessions
Prioritizing Achievement for Diverse Learners in New York City
Angelica Infante, Executive Director of English Language Learners & Accountability Team Leader, Chief Achievement Office, Students with Disabilities and ELLS, NYC Department of Education, Yuqing Hong, Knowledge Management Specialist for ELL, Chief Achievement Office, Students with Disabilities and ELLS, NYC Department of Education
Join representatives from the New York City Department of Education’s Chief Achievement Office, the office charged with raising the achievement of students with disabilities and English Language Learners (ELLs). Learn how school communities ensure the multilingual needs of parents, especially through school-based services (e.g., translation and interpretation). Learn more about the program choices available, the latest supporting research, and what parents can do to ensure the optimal instructional program for their children. Finally, presenters will share a variety of effective strategies to help children with disabilities and English Language Learners learn and grow well.
Bolstering the Child’s Sense of Self- Why Its Important
Georgina Ngozi, President, Brooklyn Children’s Museum
Infancy through five years of age is the most critical period of a child’s development. It is during this period that children explore and discover their unique relationship to the world and its relationship to them. For most children these years are filled with attention, approval and celebration by the key caretakers in their lives, for far too many others the non-verbal messages received are a sense of unworthiness, disapproval and neglect. This session will focus on how interactions with children color the view they have of themselves and how educators can combat the negative messages. Having worked in children’s museums in Brooklyn, NY Houston, TX and Charleston SC, and as an advocate for children all of her life Ms. Ngozi will share insights from these experiences and the value of making personal connections with the children who enter museums and other places of learning.
3:45 – 5:00 Expo Raffle and Expo
Saturday, April 10, 2010
8:30-9:45 Keynote
Some Contributions of Applied Behavior Analysis to the Teaching of Language to Children with Autism
Vincent J. Carbone, EdD, BCBA-D, Director, The Carbone Clinic
Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) methodology has proven to be one of the most effective forms of treatment for children with autism. This method involves the application of science-based procedures to the learning needs of children. The application of behavior analytic principles to the development of language was thoroughly described in a book titled Verbal Behavior written by B.F. Skinner in 1957. During the last 25 years a line of research that tests Skinner’s basic assumptions of language development is on-going with persons with developmental disabilities and autism. As a result of this research a technology for teaching verbal behavior to persons who do not acquire it typically is emerging. The purpose of this presentation is to provide an overview of this approach and to highlight several of the contributions and benefits of this analysis to the language development of children with autism. Video illustrations of the benefits of the approach will be provided.
10:00 – 3:45 All Day Workshop
Teaching Nonvocal Learners with Autism to Talk
Vincent J. Carbone, EdD, BCBA-D, Director, The Carbone Clinic
A substantial number of children with autism do not develop functional vocal verbal behavior. For these individuals alternative methods of communication are often taught in the form of manual sign language or picture/ icon selection or exchange systems. This workshop will provide a behavioral analysis of alternative methods of communication. The issue of selection and topography based verbal behavior will be discussed. Science based methods for increasing vocal responding will be presented along with video demonstrations of clinical applications of these procedures. This session is offered for .4 ASHA CEU’s.
10:00 – 10:45 Sessions
“Sleep Talking” – About Sleep (and the lack of) in Children and Their Parents.
Michel Cohen, MD, Founder of Tribeca Pediatrics
In his presentation , Dr Michel Cohen reviews all the leading theories on sleep in babies and children and will give you his own down to earth step by step approach on how to get kids of all ages to sleep like “angels”.
10:00 – 11:45 Workshops
How to Obtain Health Insurance Coverage for Autism-Related Therapies From A Legal and Coding Perspective.
Jodi F. Bouer, Esq, Member, The Law Office of Jodi F. Bouer, LLC, Yvonne McNamee, The Law Office of Jodi F. Bouer, LLC
Learn how to compel your health insurance carrier to cover your child’s medical or mental health conditions. This session will provide practical tips on how to obtain health insurance coverage for children with disabilities, medical and mental health conditions, including autism spectrum disorder (“ASD”). The speakers will focus on how you should review and interpret your insurance policy and present claims to maximize the potential for reimbursement. Bring your coverage questions and expect a lively question and answer period at the conclusion of the formal presentation.
Developmentally Appropriate Discipline: Minimizing Power Struggles with Children
Jean Schreiber, MSEd, Early Childhood Educational Consultant
Do power struggles define the relationship between you and your child? How can adults teach children to gain self-control, respect the rights of others, accept responsibility for their own behavior, and learn from their mistakes? This workshop will explore discipline from a developmental perspective and focus on teaching and learning — rather than on punishing.
11:00 – 11:45 Sessions
Implementing a Response-to-Intervention (RTI) Approach in Early Childhood (Pk-3)
Christopher Camacho, PhD, Director of Research, Children’s Progress, Myriah Rosengarten, MA, Fordham University
Research suggests that a response-to-intervention (RTI) approach can significantly impact student learning. RTI is guided by three principles: (1) the delivery of evidence-based instruction to address students’ needs, (2) the measurement of learning through quality formative assessment, and (3) the integration of this information to differentiate instruction. Educators are beginning to move from an IQ-achievement discrepancy (“wait to fail”) model to an RTI (prevention) model; however, insufficient time and personnel limit RTI’s widespread use. This session will focus on how technology can support teachers and administrators in implementing an RTI model practically and efficiently in the earliest grades.
11:45 – 1:00 Lunch and Expo
1:00 – 1:45 Sessions
Managing the Difficult Child: Effective Strategies for Professionals and Parents
Stanley Turecki, MD, Attending Psychiatrist, Lenox Hill Hospital, Beth Israel Medical Center
The concept of Temperament is introduced as an important consideration in understanding the behavior of children. Temperamentally difficult behavior can bewilder parents, teachers or mental health providers, causing them to lose effectiveness. Adult authority can easily become undermined with resulting parent-child conflict. The various difficult traits are described with special emphasis on hyperactivity and impulsiveness. Various strategies of management and discipline are helpful in dealing with temperamentally difficult children, both at home and in school. Valuable practical guidance can be offered by professionals.
How Parents and Educators Can Help Keep Children Safe from Sexual Abuse
Jill Starishevsky, JD, Author, Prosecutor of child abuse and sex crimes
Jill Starishevsky will provide guidance on how to talk to children ages 3-10 about their bodies and the fact that they are private. Evidence that a child has been sexually abused is not always obvious, and many children do not report that they have been abused. Many parents do not know when or how to have this conversation and Jill will describe how to have it and the discussion that should follow.
How Public Policy Affects You and What You Can Do to Affect Public Policy
Nancy Kolben, MSW, Executive Director, Center for Children’s Initiatives
As practitioners and parents we each have an important story to tell to inform public officials. The session will provide a forum for participants to increase their understanding of current policy priorities , provide an overview of the strategies of becoming an effective advocate introducing participants to the work of Winning BeginningNY, a statewide advocacy coalition committed to improving early care and learning opportunities for New York’s youngest children.
2:00 – 2:45 Sessions
The Emotions of Childhood: New Understanding and New Help for Parents
Kenneth Barish, PhD, Clinical Associate Professor of Psychology, Weill Medical College, Cornell University
Emotional health in childhood – and throughout life – depends on our ability to hold onto positive emotions and positive expectations. Children with positive expectations are open to learning – and to caring. In this session, Dr. Barish will discuss the special importance of positive emotions – the child’s expressions of interest, pride, and joy – in the lives of children. He will describe recent advances in the psychology and neuroscience of emotions and offer practical strategies to strengthen the child’s optimism and resilience – how we can help children repair emotional injuries and bounce back from moments of sadness, disappointment, and defeat.
2:00 – 3:45 Sessions
Teaching Young English Learners: Building on Cultural and Linguistic Strengths
Mariana Souto-Manning, PhD, Associate Professor, Teachers College, Columbia University
As English Learners enter U.S. schools in larger numbers, it is pedagogically beneficial and intellectually stimulating to ask: How can teachers come to understand the rich linguistic and cultural resources that students bring to classrooms? To address this question, Dr. Souto-Manning will present the case study of a Head Start teacher who used discourse analysis as a tool to negotiate linguistic borders in his classroom to move towards pedagogical third spaces.
Including Samuel: Navigating the Inclusion Maze for a Child with Special Needs
Dan Habib, Filmmaker in Residence, University of New Hampshire (UNH) Institute on Disability (IOD)
Before his son Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Habib’s nationally broadcast documentary film, Including Samuel, honestly chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film also features four other families with varied inclusion experiences, plus interviews with dozens of teachers, young people, parents, and disability rights experts. Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion. Habib will introduce Including Samuel. Following the 58-minute film screening, Habib will facilitate a group discussion about the benefits and challenges of the educational and social inclusion of children with disabilities.
3:00 – 3:45 Sessions
Making The Transition from Infertility Treatment to Adoption
Becky Fawcett, Cofounder & Executive Director, Helpusadopt.org
Meet Becky Fawcett, An Infertile Blonde, co-founder of Helpusaodpt.org, and adoptive mother. Becky will share details of how she chased the dream of motherhood for years. First through five rounds of IVF (including three miscarriages) and then through two domestic adoptions. She’ll share her pain, her fears, her successes, her realizations, the mistakes she made along the way and how she now is striving to change the world of adoption for the better.
3:45 – 5:00 Expo Raffle and Expo Close
Navigating the Spectrum
