August
7th & 8th
Caryn Seed, LIfeskills Teacher Wylie ISD
"Preparing Students for Post-Secondary Life"
Transition from high school to post-secondary preparation starts early in school. We will discuss steps you can do throughout school to get your student ready to be successful post-secondary.
Teresa Smith, Special Education Teacher Little Elm ISD
"Augmentative Communication: How do I get started?"
All students in a Life Skills environment benefit from components of Augmentative Communication. It can seem overwhelming when you start researching methods. This course will give you some ideas and examples to get you started thinking outside the box to get your students communicating.
Jennifer Ives, Teacher Dallas ISD
"Cooking with Math and Science"
Use your cooking lab to teach math and science skills. This workshop will also integrate ways you can connect your cooking lab to STAAR ALT 2.
Cynthia Lovelace, Retired Life Skils Teacher
"Documentation for Success"
They say to document everything but how do we do that? I'm here to help you learn to document everything in your Life Skills classroom. Leave with hard copies of documentation sheets that make your life easier.
​
Stacey Callaway, Behavior Specialist - Wylie ISD
"Setting Up a Visually Based Classroom: Where do I Start?"
Visual supports and visually based strategies are an important part of the Life Skills classroom. This session will teach you tricks of the trade and some of the "must haves" for a visually based Life Skills classroom.
​
Kelly Bell, Structure Teacher - Highland Park ISD
"Structured Teaching - How Can I Help My Students Be Successful & Independent"
This presentation will teach you the basics of incorporating structured teaching (i.e. the "TEACCH" method) into your classroom. Help your students gain independence by structuring their environment to include visuals, schedules, independent work centers, all to alleviate unknowns.
Scarlett Bayard & Donna Clemens, Region 10 ESC
"Tactile Literacy - A Make and Take"
This session will cover various techniques and ideas for adapting literature for multiple levels of multi-sensory learning.
Dorcas Kassebaum, Teacher of a Specialized Unit Dallas ISD
"My Classroom is the Outdoors"
Use the outdoors to teach and your students will remember better and generalize skills. The outdoors can be used to observe clouds, water cycle components, life cycle stages, temperatures, sorting, attributes, and more. Your students will be better prepared for STAAR Alternate 2 and for LIFE.
Dr. Amber Larue, Psychologist/Licensed Specialist in School Psychology
"Socialization Beyond Education: Preparing Students for a Post-Secondary World"
The purpose of this session is to review evidence-based practices in the area of teaching social-vocational skills to students in a self-contained setting. Three key components will be discussed, including creating an appropriate environment for teaching social skills, teaching self-advocacy skills, and utilization of social cognitive-mapping. Participants will learn the importance of teaching these skills as well as easy ways to implement these practices into their programming.
Anna Curtis, House Principal Lowery Freshmen Center Allen ISD &
Teresa Segerstrom, Special Education Teacher of Functional Academics Allen ISD
"Data Collection and Modifying Tasks"
This presentation provides forms and examples of how to collect data with prompting levels for students in the Life Skills curriculum. How to adapt assignments for individual needs. The recorded data is exported into graphs for parents to view progress or regression on goals/objectives. Also data collection devices for behavior and toileting.
Deborah Tigert, Functional Living and Academics Teacher - Red Oak ISD
Seth Bradshaw, Life Skills Student & Special Guest
Bobbie Crisman, Functional Living & Academics Teacher - Red Oak ISD
"Edmark™ Reading in a Self-contained Classroom"
This presentation will focus on the Edmark™ Reading products and a self-contained classroom. I have been using this program for 17 years and believe in it wholeheartedly. I will present how my classroom manages the program within our school day.
Darlene Grillot, Music Therapist - Highland Park ISD &
Kasye Palmer, MT-BC, Music Therapist - Richardson ISD
"Music Therapy: Tips and Tricks for your classroom"
Learn what music therapy is and how to use music in your classroom for academic concepts, transitions, social skills, and more. You will learn songs to use in your classroom that will engage your students and help their retention of skills. Learn how using music can change your classroom and your students’ learning. A CD of songs will be provided.
Stacy Brannon, Transition Teacher - Irving ISD
Angele Johnson, Transition Teacher - Gunter ISD
Amy Weems, Transition Teacher - Irving ISD
"Got Transition? Transition Tool Kit"
This will be an interactive presentation that will allow transition teachers throughout the district to collaborate ideas through structured guided activities that build on Post-Secondary domains. Transition teachers will be provided with an array of lesson plans as a toolkit to start off their school year or to use during the school year for their transition programs.
Natalie Crow, SLP Coordinator - Richardson ISD &
Kaci Gonzales, Developmental Program Teacher - Richardson ISD
"Communication in the Developmental Classroom"
This session will focus on successful collaboration between a developmental teacher and speech language pathologist. Participants will learn how to generalize communication strategies into academics, functional routines, and social exchanges in order to promote student success.
Layne Pethick, Region 10 ESC Consultant
"The Brain and Behavior"
The Brain and Behavior: Participants in this session will gain information on neurological factors that affect the behavior and learning and will include such topics as stress and the brain, biological factors of the brain and the effect on behavior and learning. Behavior analysis, interventions and de-escalation strategies will also be discussed. This presentation will be an open forum style with several engaging activities and the opportunity for inquiry and discussion by participants.
Robert Rummel-Hudson, Parent Advocate Plano ISD
"In It For Life: Utilizing Parents as Unwavering Team Members and Fierce Advocates"
The image of parent advocates and educators at odds with each other is a persistent narrative in our educational culture, but it doesn’t have to be that way. When everyone at the table understand the unique perspectives each brings to their advocacy, powerful and effective teams can result. Strengthening that relationship can represent the first steps in changing the larger narrative in society.
Myranda Cope & Kelley Dively, Special Education Teacher - Waxahachie ISD
"Organized Structured Work Stations! Let's Learn to be Independent!"
Get great ideas on how to set up a visually structured workstation which is leveled to the student's IEP. Great ideas on hands-on activities!
Belinda Barker & Lien Vo, Occupational Therapist Region 10 ESC
"Hand Development Guide for Children with Special Needs"
Did you know that writing is a high cognitive skill? If handwriting is not appropriate for your students, this class will you help you brainstorm other ways to address hand development through functional, engaging ways.
2017 Presenters:
Kristie Smith, Vision Teacher, Mesquite ISD
"Children with Multiply Impaired Visually Impaired Can Learn!"
Do you feel children with multiple disabilities cannot learn TEKS? Think again, participants will understand how to enhance a student with severe disabilities for a better understanding of their world, and TEKS with many ideas and fun activities.
Sandye Cox, Progress in the General Curriculum (PGC) & Transition - Region 10 ESC
"Job Coaching"
Job Coaching students with disabilities can be a difficult job. This session will cover the basic requirements for job coaching and techniques to use to help students become independent workers.
