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SEpta presents
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SEPTA
Presentations are held at our monthly members meetings. |
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When: Wednesday evenings, usually the last
Wednesday of the month. |
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Where:
Coleytown
Middle School (CMS) 255 North Avenue, cafeteria (unless
otherwise noted).
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Time:
7:00 -
9:00 Refreshments served!
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Contact:
Janis Fox,
Programming Chair,
Phone 222-8485 - or email
info@westportsepta.org
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All programs are subject to change. Final announcements
about these programs will always be emailed to Septa
members. Additional
programming may be added throughout the year.
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2007-2008 |
September 26
Kristen Viesselman, Clinic Director, Lindamood Bell
Learning Processes, Darien. Lindamood-Bell is an
organization dedicated to enhancing human learning.
Their programs teach children and adults to read, spell,
comprehend and express language. |
October 24
SuperKids -
Teaching Children with Special Needs to
Build Social Skills
The guest speakers include Nancy Widdows
and Barbara Cooper, co-founders and
co-directors of SuperKids, a private
practice located in Ridgefield, Orange and
now in Norwalk, CT. Learn how this program helps children
and teens who experience difficulty fitting in with
their peers learn the skills necessary to improve their
social world. |
November 28 at Westport
Public Library
Navigating the Transition for Special Needs Students
From High School to College and Beyond: Empowering
Parents for the Road Ahead
Attorney Howard Klebanoff, Attorney Lawrence
Berliner - special education law & advocacy; Stephen
Ehrens, CPA - College Funding & Special Needs Trust
Workshops; Claire Friedlander, College Counselor,
Jewish Family Services, Westport, Stamford, Greenwich. |
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December 2007 –
no meeting scheduled |
January 30
Maverick Minds : A
Cognitive Perspective on Understanding ADD/ADHD
Speaker: Ruthann Short, MSW, LCSW
will present an educational program from a
cognitive perspective to help us understand
children with ADHD, executive function and
self regulation. This presentation will
provide information from identification to
intervention with evidence-based practices. |
February 27
Medical
approaches to help children with ADD /ADHD, Autism, and
other conditions that may impact on a child’s ability to
learn.
Speaker.
Dr. Cornelia Gallo. Diplomate of the American Board of
Psychiatry and Neurology with a subspecialty in Child
and Adolescent Psychiatry. |
March 26
Teaching Your Child Social
Skills
Speaker. Lynne Guilmette. Behavioral Educational Consultant
specializing in the
Autism Spectrum and holds four Masters
degrees in related fields. She has
worked with children on the spectrum for
over 25 years in a variety of areas, mostly
in her home state of Massachusetts. Here in
Connecticut she is Co-Director of Clinical
Services for Behavioral Development and
Educational Services, located in Norwalk.
Her modifications and strategies are
exciting and innovative and a must for
anyone working with ASD children or teens.
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April 30
Hemispheric Integration Therapy
Dr. Mark Goldenberg, Director of the Pathways to
Learning Center in Norwalk CT. Dr. Goldenberg is a Board
Certified Chiropractic Neurologist who specializes in
the treatment of Learning Disabilities, Attention
Deficit Disorder, Dyslexia and Spectrum Disorders. His
program known as Hemispheric Integration Therapy is a
scientific, drug-free approach to forming effective
pathways to learning and attention, which results in
significant improvements in a child’s performance in
learning environments. This workshop will provide
parents and professionals with an easy to understand
overview of the specialization of the right and left
hemispheres of the brain
and how the brain changes and grows with proper
stimulation.
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2006-2007 |
May
30, 2007
Lynne Guilmette: Teaching your child social skills
Ms. Guilmette is a Behavioral Educational
Consultant specializing in the Autism
Spectrum and holds four Masters degrees in
related fields. She has worked with children
on the spectrum for over 25 years in a
variety of areas, mostly in her home state
of Massachusetts. Here in Connecticut she is
Co-Director of Clinical Services for
Behavioral Development and Educational
Services, located in Norwalk. Her
modifications and strategies are exciting
and innovative and a must for anyone working
with ASD children or teens. |
April
25, 2007
Psychotherapeutic Resources for Families with Special
Needs
Speakers:
Michael Cohen, a Connecticut licensed
Pediatric Neuropsychologist, and
Judy Grossman, a family therapist specializing in
special needs.
Both have practices in Westport. |
March 28,
2007
If Your Child With Special
Needs Wants To Go To College…
A College For
Everyone!
Speaker
Deborah Slocum, guidance counselor at Westport’s Staples
High School, joined by panelists Elaine Zapfel and Susan
Mason. |
February
28, 2007
Emotional and Respite Resources
for Families with Special Needs Children
Speakers: Linda Snell of STAR, Freida Hecht of Circle of
Friends, Tracy Flood of CLASP and
Karen Cubbellotti of the
Kennedy Center.
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January
31, 2007
What Every Parent Should Know
About Their Child’s Basic
Rights in Special Education
Learn How
to Play a Pivotal Role in Your Child’s Success! Join us at this empowering workshop presented by
Attorney Lawrence Berliner of Klebanoff and Alfano, P.C.
to learn about our children’s basic legal and
educational rights in obtaining appropriate evaluations,
services, programming and placement.
Klebanoff &
Alfano. |
November
29, 2006
Transitions through the Public School Years – Reprise.
Key administrators from the
Westport Public Schools discuss how
transitions work for Special Education
students from pre-school to high school. The evening’s speakers include Cynthia Gilchrest,
Director of Pupil Services; Peggy Bud,
Coordinator of Related Services; Robin
Marino, Director, Stepping Stones
Preschool; Barbara Beaman, Assistant
Principal, Saugatuck Elementary School;
Denise Emmerthal, Vice Principal,
Bedford Middle School and Lorraine DiNapoli, Coordinator of Special
Education, Staples High School.
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October 25, 2006
IEP:
Individualized Education Plan for students
with disabilities.
Drama unfolds through re-enactions of two IEP meetings: a Nightmare IEP
and then a Dream IEP. The presentation is
entertaining, dramatic, and educational.
Participants will become empowered with
knowledge to serve as more effective
advocates. Key areas of IDEA 2004 will be
highlighted. Tips for a successful IEP
meeting will be discussed.
Local special education attorney
Anne Eason will facilitate the meeting.
Other members of the panel include special
education attorneys Nora Belanger, Piper
Paul and Annmarie Briones, special education
advocate Andrea Alvarez,
reading specialist Tara Clancy, and literacy
advocate Sheryl Knapp. All parents and interested
professionals are welcome. Handouts will be
available. Prizes will be given.
The book IEP and Inclusion Tips by Anne Eason
and Dr. Kathleen Whitbread, published by
Attainment Company in 2006, will be
available for purchase with profits going to
Westport SEPTA. |
September 27, 2006
Relationship Development Intervention (RDI™)
A Breakthrough Therapy for Improving the
Quality of Life for Those on the Autism
Spectrum.
Dr. Nancy Schwartz will speak on RDI, an approach to
intervention developed by Dr. Steven
Gutstein, for children who have Autistic
Spectrum Disorders. RDI is an approach
that confronts the core deficit of autism:
the establishment of a dynamic system of
information processing. [RDI
website]
The workshop will cover: definitions ▪ a review of
current interventions for autism ▪ principles
and stages of RDI ▪ programming
strategies ▪ fostering intervention in
home and school settings. The core deficit of autism can be
specifically remediated. Children can learn
to read emotional responses, coordinate
their actions with others and develop
cognitive flexibility. That is, they can
learn the underpinnings necessary for
developing social skills.
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2005-2006 |
May 31,
2006 Learning Social Skills
Speakers:
Nancy Widdows
and
Barbara Cooper - Co-founders and co-directors of
SuperKids, a private practice with offices
in Ridgefield and Hamden, CT offering
therapeutic services to children with social
skills difficulties.
Cynthia Gilchrest - Director of Pupil Services for the Westport
Public Schools and director of Kid Power, an
after-school social skills program offered
through Westport Continuing Education.
Dr. Barbara Fischetti, Coordinator of K-8 Psychological Services,
Westport Public Schools |
April
26, 2006 Transitions - The Public School Years
Speakers: Cynthia Gilchrest,
Director of Pupil Services;
Peggy Bud,
Coordinator of Related Services;
Robin Marino,
Director, Stepping Stones Preschool;
Barbara Beaman, Assistant Principal, Saugatuck
Elementary School; Denise Emmerthal, Vice
Principal, Bedford Middle School and Lorraine DiNapoli, Coordinator of Special Education,
Staples High School. |
March 30, 2006.
What Every Parent Should Know About Wills,
Trusts and Estate Planning
Speakers:
Greta E. Solomon, Esq. (Cohen
& Wolf) and
Stephen Ehrens, CPA.
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January
12, 2006 The good news about brain modifiability and
learning
Speakers:
Marie Ossi, OTR/L,
a certified Brain Gym® specialist. Brain Gym addresses
learning
issues through kinesthetics (body movements). Dr. Mark Goldenberg is a chiropractic neurologist
who improves learning through a process called
interactive metronome and cortical synchronization.
Dr. David Martin is a Fulbright Scholar who is a Certified
Trainer in Instrumental Enrichment since 1978.
Instrumental Enrichment improves higher level critical
thinking skills based on the theory of cognitive
modifiability. |
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