The Family Resource Group
Fall Happenings
Fall is arriving. There are some wonderful things happening for family engagement and information. Take advantage of some opportunities: webinars or conferences and enjoy the resources! If you have any other questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time. To be sure that you continue to receive all future updates, or information, directly to your email address, sign up on the Family Resource Group mailing list.
Erin Campion
Family Resource Group Editor
"Vocabulary is all around us! Join our next Parent Chat focused on a new strategy of teaching vocabulary to children who are DHH on Thursday, October 19, 8:00 PM ET! Don't miss "Learning Vocabulary: What, Where, Why, & How"
A robust vocabulary is necessary to succeed in all areas of life: academically, socially, and emotionally. Children who are deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) tend to have smaller vocabularies, learn vocabulary at a slower rate, and are poorer word learners than their peers who have typical hearing. Yet, there are few ways to help increase their vocabulary.
Join us as we discuss a centuries-old learning strategy that recently has been shown to improve vocabulary in young children who are DHH. The best part is that it requires just a simple change to the strategies you already use at home or in the classroom!
A Q&A will follow this presentation as well as an opportunity to connect with other parents.
Casey Reimer, Ph.D.
Casey Reimer, Ph.D., is the director of the Deaf Education Teacher Preparation Graduate Program at Washington University in St. Louis. She received her Ph.D. and MSDE from Washington University.
All Parent Chat sessions will be conducted in English. Register here today!
Parent Chats are designed and intended for parents/family members; we kindly ask that only parent/family members attend. "
"Calling All Parents
Please join us for the October Parent Power (Half) Hour with Teri Urban, our VP of Advocacy and Parent Outreach. Sign up here for FREE and Teri will help you find answers to your questions. Happening Wednesday, October 25th at 12 p.m. EST on Zoom. Register Here. We will be hosting a 30-minute live Zoom session on Wednesday, October 25 at 12pm EST to help you navigate around our trove of resources and answer questions. Teri Urban, Vice President of Advocacy and Parent Outreach will share a live demonstration of Teacher Tools Takeout and examples of resources to help you support your DHH child. Please RSVP to let us know your coming – and don’t forget to bring your questions! "
Parent Scholarships Available
Scholarship application deadline is October 31, 2023
Conference Dates/Times:
November 15, 2023: 1:00 PM to 4:45 PM
November 16, 2023: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
November 17, 2023: 8:00 AM to 12:15 PM
Location Options: In Person at the Lancaster County Convention Center OR Online via ZOOM
The Pennsylvania Department of Education’s Bureau of Special Education (BSE) and the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) are pleased to offer a limited number of parent scholarships to attend the 2023 HELIX Conference, in person or virtually. This conference provides information to educators and families who support students who have low-incidence disabilities. Specifically, content focuses on hearing loss, blind or visual impairments, deaf-blind, traumatic brain injury, intellectual disabilities, and complex communication needs. Pennsylvania residents who have school-age children or preschoolers planning on transitioning to an elementary school program within the next year, with a current IEP, are encouraged to apply.
A full scholarship covers the cost of registration and lodging for those attending in-person and traveling 50 miles or more one-way. A partial scholarship covers the cost of registration for either virtual or in-person attendance not requiring lodging.
CLICK HERE FOR SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATION
SCHOOL TEAM INCENTIVE/SCHOLARSHIPS
Bring your team, the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is providing a financial incentive to Intermediate Units (IUs), Chartered Approved Private School (APS), and Local Education Agencies (LEAs) to attend this year's HELIX Conference! The intention of the financial incentive is to support professionals working with students with complex learning needs.
The first 20 teams to apply will be eligible for financial incentive to participate!
TEAMS MUST INCLUDE At Least: One special education teacher and One general education teacher
AND MAY INCLUDE: Up to three additional team members and Members from multiple entities
Apply Today HELIX Conference Team Application
GENERAL INFORMATION
The 2023 HELIX Conference arrives in Lancaster, PA in November with a full schedule of high-quality professional development! Local, state, and national speakers will present on topics and strategies to support the access, engagement, instruction, and belonging of students with visual impairments, who are Deaf-Blind, with hearing loss, with intellectual disabilities, who have an acquired brain injury, and/or with complex communication needs. From tools for general education teachers to orientation and mobility strategies; from autonomy and self-determination to accessibility resources, attendees will be engaged in sessions that provide reflection, resources, and a challenge to achieve high expectations for every student.
All presenters will be in person in Lancaster, but registrants will have the choice of attending in person or virtually via ZOOM. Before registering, decide which option meets your needs. Our registration system will ask you to choose one conference for registration, in-person only or virtual only. Once you choose your conference, you will see the sessions that are available under that option.
Additionally, exhibitors representing communication, literacy, vision, and other solutions will be present all day on Thursday, November 16th. A poster session celebrating educators’ creativity and problem solving in the classroom will be held on Thursday, November 16th at 4:30 pm. The Exhibit Hall and Poster Sessions will be available to IN PERSON ATTENDEES ONLY.
Making Sense of Research – A New Resource for Parents
“What is Research?” “How can I tell what is good or bad research?” “Can research be biased…how would I know?” These are some questions that parents often ask when their child is newly diagnosed with a hearing loss. As a parent, you are faced with many decisions to make and a short amount of time in which to understand what hearing loss is and the best way forward for your child.
Join us as we answer commonly asked questions about research, the good and the bad, and discuss how you as a parent can navigate the complex world of research and scientific study. The goal is for you to have the tools you need to make the best decisions possible for your child and your family.
Resources for School Personnel, Families, Students, and Content Creators
DCMP provides a streaming library of accessible education videos, teaching tools, and professional development opportunities. We partner with educational content creators to provide high-quality captioning, audio description, and American Sign Language (ASL) translation.
Family Engagement Matters
The Flamboyan Foundation has collected research from various studies that confirms:
"Students do better in school and in life when their families are engaged. A strong body of evidence is clear that family engagement, from birth through adolescence, contributes to a range of positive student outcomes:
Family engagement is associated with reduced drop-out rates and higher graduation rates.
Family engagement leads to increased student achievement.
Family engagement can reduce absenteeism.
Family engagement encourages students to have better attitudes towards learning.
Family engagement leads to better social skills and less conduct problems.
Schools benefit from family engagement. Emerging evidence suggests that family engagement can have important benefits for the inner-functioning of schools:
Family engagement is associated with higher expectations.
Family engagement can lead to better student-teacher relationships.
Family engagement helps improve trust in schools.
Family enagement leads to more cultural competence."
5 Ways to Build Bridges with Parents
"Decades of research shows that parent/guardian engagement in children’s education is closely connected with improved academic performance, behavior and well-being.1 That’s why some federal and state funding programs actually require schools to have family engagement plans. But it has become more important than ever for schools to work together with families." Click here to read the full article by Pearson.
There is a newly revised Communication Plan that is part of the IEP process for students who are deaf/hard of hearing. The Communication Plan should be completed before the IEP document is started so that the information in the Communication Plan can be used to help guide what is decided in the the IEP for goals, present levels, etc. Families and youth are an important part of giving information for the Communication Plan. If you want more information or have questions about the Communication Plan for your child, feel free to reach out to Erin Campion (ecampion@pattan.net).
There is also an annotated version of the Communication Plan that has hints and descriptions of what should be added or considered with each question. Be sure that it is the first part of your child's IEP meeting and that you are part of the process!
As you and your child have IEP meetings, you may want to consider moving to a student-led IEP process. It can be beneficial for all members of the IEP team: the family, the youth, and the school staff for the student to become more active in the process and work toward beginning to lead parts of the IEP meeting. With a student-led IEP process, your child can use this as an opportunity for to practice skills, build transition abilities, and grow in their self-advocacy. There is a new SLIEP Resource Hub that has tools, videos, ideas of where to start, resources, and connections for family members, the student, and the school. If you would like more information or help to start with the student-led IEP process, feel free to contact sliep@pattanpgh.net.
There are also flyers that can directly take you to:
Family Key Topic: Including Deafblindness in the IEP
Including Deafblindness in the IEP provides information families share with educators and administrators, about practices for identifying, assessing, and educating children who are deafblind.
The mission of the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (PaTTAN) is to support the efforts and initiatives of the Bureau of Special Education, and to build the capacity of local educational agencies to serve students who receive special education services.