Often play therapists are faced with challenges when working with caregivers of transgender and gender expansive children. We are legally and ethically called to provide affirmative services and support. This presentation assists in developing skills for supporting all clients in play therapy

Online coursework is common in Special Education Programs that train teachers for rural areas. Does every student have the potential to learn well online? This session will discuss a study where half of the students were face-to-face and the other half were online. The two sections will be compared.

Research shows use of data based decisions for students with severe disabilities is highly beneficial, yet few teachers implement them in the classroom. This session will present the results of a study on the effects of DBD training on teacher/student outcomes. Also, participants will learn about the five most common DBDs. Learner outcomes: Provide participants with procedures and outcomes from a study conducted on training teachers of students with significant disabilities and autism from diverse backgrounds to make informed data-based decisions; and Participants will be provided a handout with a data based decision-making guide as well access to the online modules used in the study.

No description available.

Many programs are experimenting with distance education technologies (e.g., webcams, interactive video, ect.) to provide support of clinical experiences. This session will review the literature to determine if using a webcam to observe teacher candidates in the field is a viable and useful option for many institutes of higher education.

Administrators, general and special educators in two city and two county districts estimated time lost to office referrals. Results in -dicated lost administrative and instructional time depended on disciplinary offense, student disability, and use of PBIS.

No description available.

Early childhood practitioners, including speech-language pathologists (SLPs), frequently provide home practice to children and families. For children with speech sound disorder (SSD), who comprise a large proportion of SLPs’ caseloads worldwide, completing home practice can increase the amount of intervention received and improve outcomes. However, little is known about parents’ experiences of completing this home practice. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore parents’ experiences of completing home practice for children with SSD. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six parents. Qualitative content analysis was used to analyze data and identify four themes: evolution over time, different roles, importance, and managing the practicalities of home practice. The findings speak to the complexities of this experience for families and the need for practitioners to collaborate with families when providing home practice. These findings have implications for the home practice that early intervention practitioners provide to children and families.

Children with disabilities are not the sole clients of the pediatric physical therapy practitioner. However, research, best practice, and federal mandated legislation oblige therapists to transition from a traditional medical child-centered model of intervention to a family-centered model. This model places an emphasis on instructing parents, guiding their development as the dominant change agent for their children. Viewing parents as the predominant learner during intervention sessions is hampered by the paucity of family-related and adult-learning content in the professional preparation programs in higher education. It is further inhibited by professional attitudinal beliefs that continue to place a higher value on child characteristics for clinical decision making. This qualitative study explored the scope of four private practice pediatric physical therapists' role as a parent coach. Each therapist was videotaped with two young children diagnosed with movement dysfunction and their mothers. Using a coaching framework presented by Hanft, Rush, and Shelden (2004), therapist/parent interactions were analyzed within the phases of initiation, observation/action, reflection, and evaluation. In addition, interpretation of these observations was also viewed through the theoretical lenses of adult learning and motor learning. The findings indicated that parent coaching was minimally employed by these four therapists. The lack of family-centered focus, minimal adult learning theory knowledge/application and nominal motor learning application to parental handling skill development further establishes a diminished attention to the potential for building parent competence. The research-to-practice gap confirmed a need in professional preparation and continuing education. Recommendations are made for a holistic model that includes application of both adult and motor learning in conjunction with a coaching model.

Children who are abused are at a higher risk for developing a disability, and, conversely, children with a disability are at a higher risk of being abused and neglected. I know that you don’t want to hear any more, but you need to, because you can help. This presentation will use a case study approach to focus on the actions of professionals who were trying to do the very best for a young child who became disabled as a result of abuse. Though the outcome met all of the specific requirements of child welfare and early intervention programs, clearly the outcome was not the best for this child and family. In this session using the new DEC Recommended Practices, participants will develop a picture of how the DEC RP might have been used and how the result would have been very different.