TASH TECH Workshop sessions include a range of topic areas at a variety of educational levels.This year’s preconference program has TECHs for the experienced professional looking to gain insight, helpful strategies for parents and need-to know information for students looking to gain an edge by learning from leading experts.
TASH TECH Workshops are scheduled for Wednesday, December 3, 2008 and are offered in either full-day or half-day formats.
Please note: An additional registration fee is required for the TASH TECHs. Attendees may register for a TASH TECH only, or in addition to, the conference registration. Pre-registration is advised, as there will be no wait list for sold-out TECHs. Registration for TASH TECHs includes admission to one full-day or one to two half-day TASH TECHs, TECH handouts (if provided by the presenters), and a conference program. TASH TECH materials are not available for purchase.For a complete description on TASH TECH Workshops, go to www.tash.org/2008tash/TASHTECHWorkshops.htm.
Full day Workshops – 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
Half-Day Morning Workshops – 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
Half-day Afternoon Workshops – 12:30 P.M to 4:30 P.M.
Full day Workshops – 8:00 A.M. to 4:30 P.M.
TT1 – Designing Individualized Behavior Support Strategies: Applications for K-12 Students, Sharon Lohrmann, The Boggs Center – NJ Positive Behavior Supports in Schools Initiative
Each year, many students are needlessly placed in self-contained education settings because of behavior problems. However, with the proper behavioral supports, students can experience successful outcomes in general education programs. PBS offers a focused and flexible process for designing inclusive individualized behavior support
strategies. The purpose of this TASH TECH is to share a practical process for designing function-based supports for school age children and youth. Specific topics addressed in this session will include: the key types of information to gather, methods and tools for gathering information, considerations for developing meaningful statements of
function, and designing function-based intervention strategies. Session attendees will receive paper copies of tools and samples and will have access to electronic versions of materials. Session attendees will also receive an abbreviated version of the presentation that can be used in school staff meetings or as part of “mini” staff development sessions.
TT2 – Building Bridges to the Social World: Strategies for Developing Social Competence and Connections for Children and Youth with Autism Spectrum Disorders, Cathy Apfel, Institute on Disability/UCE at the University of New Hampshire and Carol Ann Edscorn
For children and youth with labels of Autism Spectrum Disorders(ASD), understanding and participating in the complex world of social interactions can be difficult and frustrating. In this workshop, the presenters team up to offer a personal, broad-based understanding of social competence, as well as strategies for supporting the skills necessary for social awareness and participation. Educators, parents of children with ASD, and individuals who experience ASD will all
benefit from attending this session.
TT3 – The Evolving Concept of Supported Living: Where it’s been, Where is it going? Lyle Romer, Total Living Concept; Hope Dittmeier, Realizations and Scott Shepard, Avenues Supported Living Services
Through the direct experiences of three agencies offering support to people with significant disabilities to establish and maintain homes of their own the possibilities of supported living will be explored. Most would agree progress has been made over the life of TASH with respect to helping people with disabilities live in our communities. But, has this
progress slowed? Why are some agencies, even whole states able to make greater progress than others? Do our practices match our values? If so, more people should be living in homes of their own choosing, with housemates, if any, of their own choosing and using those homes as their center in becoming community members. Learn along
with the presenters about the possibilities and practical examples of how some people have made this their norm for supported living.
TT4 – Inclusive Education: Global Perspectives, Organized by members of the TASH International Committee: Tara McLaughlin, Hyun-Sook Park, and Ashleigh Molloy
For the world’s 650 million people with disabilities, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities has helped to create a context for nations around the world to pursue policies and practices that promote full participation and equal opportunity of individuals with disabilities. As countries move toward inclusion, there are many complex questions to address in order to ensure that policy and practice are grounded in the needs and
desires of these individuals, such as: How do inclusive ideologies differ around the world? How do strategies to promote inclusion vary across cultural, social, and political contexts? How can we partner and support international networks to promote the participation of people with disabilities around the globe? This session offers an opportunity to explore these questions and more on a global scale.
Half-Day Morning Workshops – 8:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M.
TT5 – True Directions- an IEP Planning Process, Amy Childre, Georgia College & State University;
Cynthia R. Chambers, East Tennessee State University and Nitasha M. Clark, University of New Mexico
This workshop will teach participants to use True Directions — an IEP planning process that empowers families into playing vital roles in the planning process and gives professionals a means for facilitating collaborative partnerships with families to generate a framework for student learning. True Directions aims to place the student at the
center of the planning process. Through user-friendly forms developed for professionals, families, and students, True Directions guides the planning process accounting for input from key team members during the annually scheduled IEP or ITP meetings. The focus of the True Directions meeting is on the student’s strengths, abilities, and dreams
while looking across current and possible future environments.
TT6 – PBS Goes to Preschool: Implementing the Teaching Pyramid Model in Preschool Settings, Mary Louise Hemmeter, Vanderbilt University; Pat Snyder, University of Florida and Lise Fox, University of South Florida
The Teaching Pyramid is a model of practices for supporting social emotional development and addressing challenging behavior in young children. The model includes practices at the universal (nurturing relationships, supportive environments), secondary (targeted social emotional supports) and tertiary levels (intensive, individualized
interventions). In this session, we will provide an overview of the model and how it would be implemented in inclusive preschool classrooms. A case study of the individualized planning approach for children with the most persistently challenging behaviors will be presented. Handouts and videotaped examples will be used.
TT7 – Response to Intervention for ALL Students, Wayne Sailor, Amy McCart and Hoon Choi, University of Kansas
Response to Intervention (RTI) is commonly recognized as a means to prevent inappropriate identification of students with specific learning disabilities. There are other applications of RTI that can benefit the inclusion of students with more significant disabilities. This half-day session will describe an emerging model of RTI that is for all students. Model sites that are implementing RTI along with other state, district and local educational initiatives will describe their successes and challenges.
TT8 – Navigating Multiple Systems and Supports for Adult Transition: Integrating Research, Experience, and Policy for Wisdom-Based Settings, Ann Turnbull and Martha Blue-Banning, University of Kansas
This interactive workshop will focus on a process called “wisdombased action” that integrates research, experience-based knowledge, and policy for the purpose of achieving the support needed to create a life of participation in and contribution to the community for individuals with intellectual disabilities transitioning from school to adulthood. Issues addressed include navigating multiple service systems (e.g., long-term care systems such as Medicaid and Social Security), creation of “funding packages” through merging of funding streams, asset development, person-centered planning, individual budgets, and inclusive supports/services.
Half-day Afternoon Workshops – 12:30 P.M to 4:30 P.M.
TT9 – Creating Inclusive Environments and Changing Attitudes in Mainstream Youth Programs, Torrie Dunlap, National Training Center on Inclusion, Kids Included Together; Marvin B. Laster, Boys & Girls Clubs of America; Greg Lais, Wilderness Inquiry; Kate Gottlieb, Girl Scouts of the USA and Kevin R. Webb, Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation
How can truly inclusive environments be created for kids with and without disabilities in after school programs? Representatives from the Boys & Girls Clubs and Girl Scouts will share approaches to inclusion developed by working collaboratively with inclusion training organizations Kids Included Together and Wilderness Inquiry. The four
organizations are partners in the Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation-funded Inclusion Initiative, which promotes the full participation of youth with disabilities in mainstream organizations. Through interactive workshops and experiential activities, participants will learn how these organizations are not only making programmatic adjustments to include people with disabilities, but are also working to change organizational culture and individual attitudes.
TT10 – Lessons Learned from Instructional Practice Research inPreschool Classrooms, Mark Wolery and Matthew Busick, Vanderbilt University
This presentation will describe a series of studies focusing on instructional practices with young children who have disabilities in classrooms. A variety of skills (goals) with several instructional practices were studied using single subject experimental designs. The implications of these studies will be stated, and recommendations for using the practices in preschool classrooms will be emphasized.
TT11 – Effective Strategies for Emergent Literacy Across the Lifespan, Liz Keefe and Susan Copeland, University of New Mexico
This half-day interactive workshop teaches participants researchbased strategies to assess and teach literacy skills to individuals with significant disabilities, including persons with intellectual disabilities, multiple disabilities, or autism spectrum disorders. It includes discussion, demonstration, and hands-on learning activities related to
literacy assessment and instructional strategies designed to address emergent literacy for individuals with significant disabilities across the lifespan in inclusive school and community settings.
TT12 – THE NEXT STEP: Post-Secondary Educational Options in Inclusive Settings, Lynne Sommerstein, Buffalo State College and others
Age-appropriate, inclusive educational settings, lacking for many years for students with disabilities between the ages of 18–21, are developing on numerous college campuses. This session will explore models for college campus-based transition services that will help students with significant disabilities develop the skills to live, learn, work and play in their communities. The session will identify: Process of identifying appropriate community or four-year colleges, admission requirements, models of supports for the students on campus, funding sources, outcomes for the transitioning students with disabilities and matriculated college students. Participants will be encouraged to share proposals and materials with others.
