Early literacy for children using alternative communication and insights on education from neuroscience will be the focus of March and June co-sponsored events of interest to educators, speech-language pathologists, families, and others. The Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) workshop offer hands-on opportunities for parents and educators and other professionals to learn more about assistive technology use in the home and at school. The Neuroscience & Education Symposium features plenary sessions and various breakout sessions throughout the 2-day conference that demonstrates how findings from neuroscience research can be put into practice in the classroom.
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Workshop, March 3-4
Assisting speech-language pathologists, special educators, and other professionals, as well as families, in the use of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is the aim of the annual AAC Workshop co-sponsored by the Vanderbilt Department of Special Education, Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson Center, Vanderbilt LEND, the VKC, and the Technology Access Center. A free Thursday event is provided for parents, while the Friday all-day workshop provides training for speech-language pathologists, special educators, other professionals, and students.
“Partnering with Families and Caregivers to Develop AAC Competencies in Children” will be held Thursday evening, March 3, 6:30-8 p.m., Room 241 VKC/One Magnolia Circle Bldg. A team of Vanderbilt Bill Wilkerson speech-language-pathologists will lead this event for parents and family members of school-age children with communication-related disabilities.
The Thursday evening event, provided without cost, is open to all. Guests can attend without attending the Friday workshop. To register, click here.
“Emergent Balanced Literacy for Pre-K and Early Elementary – Apps Included!” is the topic of the Friday, March 4 workshop, 8 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Rooms 235/237 Vanderbilt Commons. The workshop will be led by Caroline Musselwhite, Ph.D., an assistive technology specialist with more than 35 years of experience in the areas of AAC and literacy. She has authored many textbooks, “how-to” books, and software programs, and she has presented workshops locally, nationally and internationally.
The prospect of teaching students with significant disabilities to listen with comprehension and begin to write generatively can seem overwhelming. Musselwhite’s presentation will cover assessment for students who are difficult to assess; shared reading; emergent writing, self-selected story listening; and an introduction to phonics.
The Friday workshop is designed for speech-language pathologists, special educators, other professionals in related fields, students, parents, and family members. Registration fees for the all-day workshop are $175 for professionals; $125/person for two or more from the same school or agency who register at the same time; and $50 for students and parents. The Friday workshop fee includes lunch/breaks and instructional resources.
For more information about the March 4 AAC Workshop and to register, click here.
Neuroscience and Education Symposium 2016: The Connection, June 2-3
Connections between reading and math instruction and neuroscience will be among the featured topics at the third annual symposium, “Neuroscience and Education: The Connection.” Hosted by the Annette Eskind Institute of Learning at Currey Ingram Academy and the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (VKC UCEDD), the symposium will be held Thursday and Friday, June 2-3, at Currey Ingram Academy, 6544 Murray Lane, Brentwood.
This is a symposium for educators and other professionals to hear about the latest research as it relates to education and to learn the latest evidence-based strategies for implementing this research in the classroom.
This year’s plenary speakers are Jeanne Wanzek, Ph.D., and Steve Petrill, Ph.D. Wanzek is the Currey-Ingram Endowed Chair, associate professor of Special Education at Vanderbilt, and a VKC member. She conducts research examining effective reading instruction and intervention and focusing on prevention and remediation for students with reading difficulties and disabilities. She has a number of publications as well as national and international presentations in the areas of early reading, learning disability, response to intervention, and adolescent reading intervention.
Petrill, professor of Psychology at The Ohio State University, is leading efforts to examine the genetic and environmental contributions to the development of cognitive skills related to reading, mathematics, language, and attention. These efforts span several projects including the Biology of Language Study, the Western Reserve Reading and Math Projects, as well as newer studies involving neuroimaging and eye-tracking approaches.
Other Symposium co-sponsors include Peabody College, Vanderbilt University; and the Vanderbilt Brain Institute.
Registration is $200 for professionals, $175 each for groups of three or more, and $100 for students. Space is limited. Breakfast and lunch are included for both days. Participants will receive a professional development certificate. Note: there are no discounts for partial or one-day registration.
Registration will open mid-February 2016. Visit vkc.mc.vanderbilt.edu/events/ to register at that time.
Elizabeth Turner is VKC Communications coordinator.
Photo courtesy of Currey Ingram Academy.
