Training Activities

Overview

We provide leadership training and technical assistance for professionals who serve children and youth with neurodevelopmental disabilities. Our training programs are directed towards the following groups:

  • Community groups
  • University of Connecticut students
  • Pediatric residents
  • Parents of individuals with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities
  • State and local agencies

Community Groups

The LEND, in collaboration with the UCEDD and the Partnership for Inclusion Practices, has sponsored a number of community events this past year. A description of each is found below:

Supporting Young Children with Severe Disabilities in School and Community Settings: Enhancing Participation Through the Use of Assistive Technology
The workshop, presented by Philippa "Pip" H. Campbell, Ph.D., O.T.R., provided information on how to design inclusive learning opportunities for young children with disabilities through the use of adaptations and assistive technology. Participants learned how to use an interview format to identify activities/routines in which to embed adaptations/AT so that young children’s participation and learning is increased in inclusive natural learning environments: the home, community, and school.

Evidence-based Practices for Young Children with Autism Focus on Challenging Behaviors and Inclusion
Dr. Dunlap is a prominent researcher and tenured professor with over 30 years of experience. He has authored numerous publications in the areas of positive behavior support, family support, emotional and behavioral disorders, and autism and other developmental disabilities.

Dr. Strain is the director of the Positive Early Learning Experiences Center at the University of Colorado, Denver. Throughout his 34-year career he has focused his professional efforts on developing, evaluating and replicating behavioral intervention for young children with autism and children who engage in aggression and anti-social behavior prior to age three.

Including Samuel
Before his son Samuel was diagnosed with cerebral palsy, photojournalist Dan Habib rarely thought about the inclusion of people with disabilities. Now he thinks about inclusion every day. Shot and produced over four years, Habib’s award-winning documentary film, Including Samuel, chronicles the Habib family’s efforts to include Samuel in every facet of their lives. The film honestly portrays his family’s hopes and struggles as well as the experiences of four other individuals with disabilities and their families. Including Samuel is a highly personal, passionately photographed film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion.

Habib is Filmmaker in Residence at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire (UNH). Until joining UNH in April of 2008, Habib was the photography editor of the Concord Monitor. In 2006 and 2008 he was named the national Photography Editor of the Year for papers under 100,000 circulation.

Community Leadership Series
Parents, professionals, paraprofessionals, and individuals with autism from across Connecticut were able to attend one or more sessions of a three-part Community Leadership series, sponsored by the University of Connecticut Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities. The Center’s Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) funded the program.

Speakers for each of the three hour sessions encouraged participants to rethink their prejudices and reframe their approach in working with persons with autism. This article highlights their unique approaches to this unifying theme.

University of Connecticut Students

The LEND Program sponsors brown bag seminars for University of Connecticut students for the participating disciplines. Examples of presentations provided to date include.

Pediatric Residents

The UConn LEND program also provides training to pediatric residents at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center. Specifically, the developmental and behavioral rotation has expanded to include the identification, evaluation, and treatment of children with ASD. In particular, residents are trained to understand their role in identifying factors that raise concern about ASD/PDD. The following competencies are included in the rotation:

  • Demonstrates knowledge of the AAP’s ALARM algorithm regarding concerns for a diagnosis within ASD/PDD.
  • Is able to identify the five current diagnoses within the range of PDD.
  • Demonstrates understanding of how and when to use the M-CHAT (modified checklist for autism in toddlers).
  • Demonstrates the ability to analyze results from the M-CHAT.
  • Demonstrates the ability to find information about autism in a language other than English.

Parent Leadership and Advocacy Training

The UCEDD is offering a selection of training modules to parents and parent groups across the state. There are six modules, and together they comprise a complete thirty-six hour course in Parent Leadership and Advocacy. Each individual module is three hours. Parent groups can select training from the six modules and design training that meets the specific needs of their group. Each module is focused on a specific topic with related learning objectives, PowerPoint presentations and handouts, and is provided at no cost.

  • Improving communication skills and strategies to affect change
  • Developing advocacy skills at both the personal and system levels
  • Increasing knowledge about issues, programs and policies affecting persons with disabilities
  • Building skills to serve as consultants, setting agendas, running meetings and partnering with agencies and organizations in their communities
  • Linking with consulting, advisory and professional opportunities in the community
  • Building a portfolio that can be applied toward employment in the field of disabilities or toward college study in a related field

For additional information, download the program's flyer (PDF) or visit PLAT.

State and Local Agencies

The LEND program collaborates with the Connecticut Birth to Three Program, the State Department of Health, Connecticut Title V and regional medical homes to provide training for their staff members.

Cynthia Tested Icon
508 Accessibility Approved