Workshops for Family Engagement

Young children with multiple disabilities often lack the opportunity to actively explore their environment. They also have limited opportunities to develop independent play skills and to fully explore objects. For any child, critical learning takes place through play. Children must have the opportunity to experience the properties of objects, to compare different objects, and try out different things to do with the object on their own without adults interpreting that experience for them. Dr. Nielsen researched and developed many “perceptualizing aids” to facilitate this type of learning, among them the “Little Room”. Information will be shared about Dr. Nielsen’s Active Learning theory and strategies, the types of objects to use with a child, and guidelines for use and possible benefits of using a “Little Room” with a young child.

Evelyn Guyer, RN, BSN developed BART (Bonding and Relaxation Techniques) in the late 1980s. It is based on Vimala McClure’s parent education program on Infant Massage. BART is specifically designed to address the needs of infants and children with special needs. The BART Instructors Training is for professionals who work with families of children with developmental disabilities. A desired outcome of BART is parent/child bonding, so parents are the ones who use the BART strokes on the child. The professional attending this event learns how to teach the practice to families. Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to conduct parent education courses within his/her current agency, school, or hospital that serves individuals who are developmentally disabled, or work individually with families in the home.

Information will be shared about the implications of vision and hearing loss on a child’s development. Some of the teaching strategies that will be shared include use of hand-under-hand, the importance of using real objects to facilitate concept development, the importance of bonding, ways to facilitate movement, “tummy time”, exploration of the environment, and transitional movements. Teachers and others can learn how to include activities to provide vestibular and proprioceptive input into the child’s day. Presenters will emphasize the importance of routines and having a child practice skills with a wide variety of objects, with different people, in different locations, and in different positions to facilitate generalization of basic concepts and skills.

Babies with visual impairments and additional disabilities such as hearing loss or motor problems may have delays in developing formal language. Nevertheless they come into this world communicating. The focus of this workshop is to help parents identify how their child is communicating currently and how to help them achieve the next level in their language development. They will also learn ideas for sharing that information with professionals in a way that can guide the educational programming.