Powerful Inclusive Conference

I love to win things! In April there was a contest to win free entry to Creating the Future Conference at the University of British Columbia in August. I thought I would enter and I won! So last week for three days I attended the conference which was fabulous. It was fantastic to connect and learn with others that have a heart for inclusion. There was so many things I came away from the conference with but one unifying theme was 'Learning is for everyone and therefore the classroom is for everyone!'

Here are some photos that will give you a snapshot of the conference:

In the Education Faculty's courtyard:

'My darkness had been filled with the light of intelligence'

Helen Keller

 

Pat Mirenda speaking about Universal Design for Learning

Andrea Huston (Inclusion Teacher in Vancouver) speaking about friendships and inclusion in schools.

Kathy Bromley (mother and teacher) speaking about her daughter's journey through the school system (A side note: I was privileged to teach her daughter, in New Westminster).

Pat Mirenda on Inclusion in the classroom.

 

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Hand Holding through Apps and More Apps

I don't know about you but I find the whole App World so overwhelming… I need some handholding sometimes! So here are some apps (with a basic summary) that I have come across I thought I would share:

Nessy's Dyslexia App

– A very simple 'cartoon-based' app to use and easy to navigate through to learn about Dyslexia

– There are tips for parents and teachers that provides all the basic information one needs to support an individual with Dyslexia

– A child friendly quiz which can help you know if you have Dyslexia

-This App would be ideal in developing one's knowledge on Dyslexia in a kid friendly way

IEPS Checklist App

– This American designed app is help families, teachers and other support staff plan as well as implement Individual Educational Programs (IEP) for students with disabilities

– The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) has launched this which ambition is to help individuals be better-informed advocates by making IEP information easier to access

– The IEP app is set up by categories and sub-categories, color-coded and allows space for your notes. It is important to know that the app has American policies references throughout due to PEATC being an American organization

– This App would be ideal in developing knowledge about the 'details' about IEPs

Tricet App

– to strengthen ones spatial awareness and ability to identify differences

– simple images that make the visual appearance of the activities appeasing to the eye

– you can chose the level of difficulty

– This App would be ideal in developing visual awareness

Fun Farms

– to strengthen patterning and sequencing as well as fine motor co-ordination

– cute farm animals make the activity more interactive

– you could do further interaction by getting the child to say the sound of the animal

– This App would be ideal for developing coordination and sequencing

Doodle Buddy

– to strengthen artistic abilities

– various mediums for creating art from various stamps to backgrounds

– you could do further interaction by doing listening skill activities (ie. draw a sun in the center of the page)

– This App would be ideal for boasting child would enjoy being creative or artistic through the medium of an IPad

UPad App

– to record, upload and send visual data

– various 'notepads' to record information

– you could upload homework I child did at home or school and email it to the with your written comments on it

– This App is fantastically 'green' because you use less paper and its the way to share information between school and home

 

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Fingerspelling Bee!

 

So we have heard of Spelling Bees … How about Fingerspelling Bees?

There's a wonderful competition called 'Hot Fingers' in the UK where individuals can compete on how fast they can sign the alphabet. Click on the link below to watch this competition as well as read about the history of Sign Language in the United Kingdom.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-22294204

 

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Three Articles of a Fascinating Nature

 

The chain of articles that have recently come across my path are all of an interesting nature:

1) An article about curing Autism:

http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/22/new-study-suggests-autism-can-be-outgrown/

2) An article about bully proofing individuals with Autism:

http://www.autismfile.com/living-with-autism/bully-proof-your-child#.UP8rFWQu7V1.twitter

3) An article about the high rates of ADHD diagnoses:

http://healthland.time.com/2013/01/22/adhd-diagnoses-continue-to-climb/

 

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The Lonely Corner

 

I came across another WordPress blog that is catching on like wildfire! It’s a wonderful resource with lots of great ideas on how to develop Social Skills. Check it out… The lonely corner will be something of the past when you start implementing these brilliant ideas!

http://jillkuzma.wordpress.com/about/

 

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A Teacher of the Strong

I am a Teacher of the Strong.

The one who have endured the pains of needles, endless doctors’ appointments and weeks in the hospital.

The one who still smiles and says, ‘I forgive them’ after being bullied at recess for ‘being different’.

The one who can’t get through the doorway because people are too preoccupied with being somewhere else.

The one who screams and embraces himself because the world is too overstimulating for him.

The one who took years to walk as a child and has never taken that gift for granted!

The one who never could say ‘Mommy’ until he was five and his determination inspired all who heard his trembling voice.

The one who was told he was to die before the age of ten and now is celebrating his sixteenth birthday.

The one who was given cynical stares when she joined the high school dance class but truly taught others how to dance from the heart.

The one who knows the bitterness of chronic pain but daily continues to show deep empathy for others.

I know the true Strong because my vocation is to teach them.

But ironically, they teach me far more than my heart could ever hold.

For they are the Strong that are forgotten by weak.

I am a Teacher of the Strong!

I am a Teacher of Special Needs!

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Moving and Not Going Anywhere

I saw this old play pony in a playground the other day. It was a classic little beauty but needed so much tender loving care. Seems like some children I work with need that kind of care too. They are stuck. Not going anywhere.

Well, I came across an Australian educational psychologist blog which I found inspirational and exciting. Maybe the little ponies in our lives might start to move with a little bit of inspiration from our Australian colleague.

http://www.schoolpsychologyblog.com/

 

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There are Patterns in the News

I thought this image was a good representation of what I am going to blog about today. Do you ever have it where there is flood of information that comes to you? Where the news in your life circulate around a specific theme? There somehow is a beautiful arrangement of information surrounding you. Well, recently there has been some insightful writings on Autism surrounding me. Kinda like finding puzzle pieces and then realising they are all falling into their right places. The titles of the articles speak for themselves, hope they are insightful to you. All were jaw-dropping to me…

Autism: Why Some Children Bloom and Overcome Disability

France’s Autism Shame Treatment

New Genetic Link to Autism

 

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United Nations Stepping Up on March 21st

http://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/

Mark your calendars… World Down Syndrome Day is March 21! With great excitement the United Nations is publically acknowledging Downs Syndrome this year.

A fellow blogger from her blog ‘A Primer For Special Needs and Law‘ states it well:

The United Nations is on track to officially recognize an annual World Down Syndrome Day starting in 2012.

A resolution to establish the awareness day on March 21 of each year cleared a U.N. committee by consensus last week. Officials say it will be adopted by the international body’s General Assembly in December.

The United States is one of 78 countries supporting the effort, which is spearheaded by Brazil.

Supporters said the date — March 21, or 3/21 — is significant because Down syndrome occurs when a person has three copies of the 21st chromosome.

Advocates from around the world have honored Down syndrome awareness on March 21 for the last six years. Earlier this fall, more than 12,000 people signed a petition to request U.N. recognition in an effort to bring extra meaning to the day. Per the resolution, member nations and private groups would be asked to promote Down syndrome awareness on the special day.

A similar U.N.-sanctioned day already exists to honor autism. In 2007, the international body named April 2 World Autism Awareness Day. Correction: This article has been modified to reflect that 78 countries sponsored the U.N. resolution to establish World Down Syndrome Day.

 

 

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The Unfortunate Research on the Youngest in the Class

 

Were you the youngest in your class?

Was your time at school littered with memories of restlessness?

Were you diagnosed with ADHD or ADD?

Were you medicated?

Well, a shocking study has come out of the University of British Columbia where:

… researchers focused on 937,943 students who were six to 12 years old between Dec. 1, 1997, and Nov. 30, 2008 in a province where the cutoff age for entry to school is Dec. 31. The study, published in Monday’s Canadian Medical Association Journal, found children born in December were 39 per cent more likely to be diagnosed and 48 per cent more likely to be treated with medication for ADHD, compared to children with a January birthday.

The background and concerns are clearly expressed in the summary of the research:

The annual cut-off date of birth for entry to school in British Columbia, Canada, is December 31. Thus, children born in December are typically the youngest in their grade. We sought to determine the influence of relative age within a grade on the diagnosis and pharmacologic treatment of attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

The results of our analyses show a relative-age effect in the diagnosis and treatment of ADHD in children aged 6–12 years in British Columbia. These findings raise concerns about the potential harms of overdiagnosis and overprescribing. These harms include adverse effects on sleep, appetite and growth, in addition to increased risk of cardiovascular events.

This study will hopefully have positive ramifications where educators, doctors, parents and students will have the knowledge and wisdom to know the these student may just be immature compared to their classmates and that there are serious implications in jumping into medication too quickly.

To read more click on the following links:

• CBC Health
• CMAJ

 

 

 

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