Presented By:
Heather MacKenzie, Ph.D., CCC-SLP
CEUs: This program is
offered for .5 CEUs (Introductory level; Professional area).
Date: Friday, October 2nd, 2009, 8:30 am-3:30 pm at Dickinson
Center, Livonia.
Course Objectives: As a result of this activity, the
participants will be able to:
1.
Determine book level and suitability of books for particular children.
2.
Analyze books for possible goal areas.
3.
Implement and monitor appropriate reading styles and strategies.
HEATHER MACKENZIE, Ph.D
is a
speech-language pathologist and educator who has spent a large part of
her career developing and implementing approaches for enhancing learning
in children with special needs. She has a special interest in
understanding the enigma of Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). A major
focus of her work with children has been on understanding them and how
they approach learning and using this knowledge to optimize their
development.
She has developed the
Learning Preferences and Strengths model designed to determine
each child’s learning preferences and strengths and then ‘harness’them
to improve the child’s learning and development. Heather established a
preschool program for children with ASD based on this model. The program
used a shared storybook reading approach which was both well-received
and highly productive for the children and their families.
Heather has provided workshops and presentations all over North America
and in the U.K. Her workshop on shared storybook reading at the Chicago
ASHA convention in 2008 was very positively received.
Heather has published two books since 2008. The first, Reaching and
Teaching the Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder, concentrates on
planning and implementing the Learning Preferences and Strengths model
with children with ASD. The second, One Story at a Time, is about
how to plan, implement, and evaluate shared storybook-based intervention
with children. She has two more books in progress, one on how to
determine and engage learning preferences and strengths in children with
special needs and one on developing mindfulness in children with ASD and
related conditions.
Workshop #2
Incorporating the Concepts of Sensory Integration into Speech Therapy”
All
learning is actually rooted in complex neurology. On the surface, using
sensory systems in daily life might seem to be a simple concept.
However, the fast-paced world in which we live offers fewer
opportunities for sensory development. Increased difficulty with
learning, poor attention span, hyperactivity, tactile deficits, eating
challenges, increased diagnosis of Autism and Asperger's Syndrome and
general inability for children to be their best are on the rise. The
need for movement and the quantity and type of stimulation to the
sensory systems differs among children. The differing needs are based
on a range of factors including gender, sensory preference, level of
introversion/extroversion and thinking style. Nevertheless, there are
general principles related to moving the body through space and
stimulation of the sensory systems that are critical to performance.
Children from infancy onward can benefit immensely from their
professional caregivers', parents' and teachers' understanding of
Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)/Disorder of Sensory Integration (DSI)
and the need for facilitation and intervention to help develop a firm
foundation for learning.
This high energy and exciting workshop will aid in understanding and
applying the principles of sensory processing to assist in the
application of the material to meet your individual needs. The
Foundational Skills Inventory is highlighted as a tool to help
"pinpoint" areas of concern and can be done with minimal effort by
parents and/or team members who know or have observed the child. This
document immediately starts working for you to assist in formulating
goals. After attending this workshop, you will be able to understand
and apply this information (based on your level of expertise) and will
use it to motivate others to become more aware of SPD/DSI and the
possibility of documenting small increments of progress that may have
been missed in the past.
Presented
By:
Chemin Schneider, OTR
CEUs: This program is offered for .5 CEUs
(Introductory level; Professional area).
Date: Wednesday, December 9th, 2009, 8:30 am-3:30 pm at Dickinson
Center, Livonia.
Course Objectives: As a result of this activity, the
participants will be able to:
1.
Recognize the implications; use and become motivated with the concept of
sensory motor processing/sensory integration to improve all areas of
life.
2.
Learn how to maximize a child’s potential for learning from infancy on.
3.
Examine and become empowered with the practical understanding of trade
words to describe the systems and processes.
4.
Determine how to increase power and efficiency in the workplace and in
your own personal life.
5.
Discover how to help neurotypical children develop a foundation that
will affect learning by enhancing the sensory systems.
6.
Discuss implementation of suggestions into speech therapy frame of
reference
CATHERINE
CHEMIN SCHNEIDER, OTR,
is a Registered/Certified Occupational Therapist
with over 35 years’ experience. She received her Bachelor of Science in
Occupational Therapy from Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan
and is a Dale Carnegie Graduate. Ms. Schneider is the CEO and founder of
The Positive Difference, LLC, a company committed to making a positive
difference in your perception of any situation in which you may find
yourself. Ms. Schneider has worked in clinical settings, extensively in
schools, is a business, educational and personal consultant and has done
numerous local and national seminars. She is the author of Sensory
Secrets: How to Jump-Start Learning in Children, which has
information that parallels her sensory workshops. She, along with Carol
Poltorak, has written the adult sequel to Sensory Secrets which
is currently under publication. Ms. Schneider’s experience, emphasis on
practical application of the information presented and energetic
speaking style (sprinkled with humor) delights audiences throughout the
United States. Visit her website at
www.sensorysecrets.com.
Workshop#3 “Implementing
Social Thinking Concepts and Vocabulary into our School and Home Day: A
Day to Develop Team Creativity”
LOCATION CHANGE:
Schoolcraft College in the VisTaTech center
This workshop allows parents and educators to learn
more about teaching social thinking and related skills to students. We
will explore how social thinking concepts develop the infrastructure for
students to meet the educational standards, demonstrating how key these
concepts are to reading comprehension, written expression, etc.
We will define many social thinking concepts and
how to apply the “social thinking vocabulary” across the school and home
day. Workshop participants work in teams to develop new creative social
thinking lessons to fit their teaching environment. The focus of the
day will be on making the teaching realizable across a variety of
environments with the focus on helping students to carry the concepts
out of the treatment room and into their real lives.
Presented By: Michelle Garcia Winner, MA, CCC-SLP
CEUs: This program is offered for .5 CEUs (Introductory level;
Professional area).
Date: Friday, May 7th, 2010, 8:30 am-3:30 pm at Dickinson Center, Livonia
Course Objectives: As a result of this activity, the
participants will be able to:
1.
Describe how teaching social thinking and related skills can be
done in the classroom during academic and social tasks.
2.
Define 5 different social thinking vocabulary concepts.
3.
Describe how social thinking vocabulary concepts facilitate
generalization across settings.
4.
Create a lesson plan to teach students they are part of a
group.
5.
Create a lesson plan to teach students how to be more aware of
non-verbal or verbal communication information.
6.
Describe how visual teaching strategies reinforce teaching
social thinking and related skills (e.g. comic strip
conversations/graphic organizers).
MICHELLE GARCIA WINNER, MA, CCC-SLP is
an SLP who specializes in students with social cognitive deficits. She
runs a clinic; authored numerous books and speaks internationally.
Michelle’s goal is to help educators and parents appreciate how social
thinking and social skills is an integral part of students academic,
vocational, and community success. She was honored with a “Congressional
Special Recognition Award” in 2008.
During this
workshop there will be small group and individual activities which focus
on the application of the book selection process, planning with
storybooks and on developing your reading style and strategies. Special
Note:**Because Heather wants to make sure that you are able to leave the
workshop with goals, materials, activities and strategies you can
implement immediately, please bring one (1) children’s storybook that
you wish to use in therapy with children.