The Pennsylvania Department of Education, Bureau of Special Education is pleased to announce the following training opportunity:
Title: Considering the Positive Aspects of Children’s Adaptive Behaviors Locations:
PaTTAN Pittsburgh – March 18, 2015 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PaTTAN Harrisburg – March 19, 2015 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
PaTTAN King of Prussia – March 20, 2015 – 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
REGISTRATION STARTS AT 8:00 A.M. AT ALL THREE SITES
Description: When the phrase “deaf-blind” is used to describe a child it obviously conveys the idea that there are difficulties with both vision and hearing. Unfortunately the phrase is misleading in two significant ways. First, it makes many people think that the child can’t see anything and can’t hear anything, but in fact most children with deaf-blindness do have some useful vision and/or hearing, even if they themselves don’t seem to be using it yet. Secondly, the majority of children with deaf-blindness today have significant medical issues which result in other sensory systems also not working properly, including perception of pain, smell, taste, touch, and balance. Because every one of our senses is designed to develop and work simultaneously with all the others, a problem with one sense may result in problems with the functioning of other, apparently unrelated, senses. Two of these ‘other’ senses, the proprioceptive sense and the vestibular sense, are particularly im portant but often ignored. Knowing about these senses, how they work, what might happen if they are not working properly, and what to do about it, can make a surprising difference to the development of functional vision and functional hearing. A consideration of the functions of ALL our senses can help us to understand why we self-stimulate, and also understand what any child’s self-stimulation behaviors tell about their difficulties and needs. As a result of this perspective many behaviors that are generally thought of as ‘bad’ begin to be seen as actually quite smart adaptive responses. Sometimes accepting, or re-channeling, or even encouraging these behaviors can be much more helpful than merely trying to stop them. Close analysis of a child’s self-stimulation behaviors can give me at least half of the information that I need in my assessment.
Presenter(s): David Brown
Credits offered: Act 48 and Infant/Toddler Training Hours
You may register directly on-line by visiting www.pattan.net and entering the Registration On-line page.
Content Related Information and Questions: Sue Ann Houser, (800) 441-3215 ext. 7243, shouser@pattan.net
Registration information and Questions: Karen Krissinger, 800-441-3215 ext. 7241, kkrissinger@pattan.net