• Our next conference:
  14th Biennial Conference
  September 28-30, 2015
  Crowne Plaza in Springfield, IL

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Handouts Provided by Presenters

Handouts, provided by presenters, will be added to this page as SAV staff receives them.

• Note: View the Pre-Conference page for Pre-Conference handouts.

Zach Allen Strengthening Families Through Fatherhood

Zach Allen has worked in the education and human services field for ten-plus years, in a variety of positions. He currently works at the Collinsville Community Unit School District #10, holding the position of program coordinator for the prekindergarten and 0-3 program.

Zach is also an Adjunct Instructor in the Human Services Department at Columbia College-St. Louis.

He graduated in 2008 from the University of Illinois at Springfield with a B.A. in educational and developmental psychology. In 2010 he obtained an M.A. in human services with a focus on child and family relationships from the University of Illinois at Springfield. Strengthening Families Through Fathers Supporting Non Residential Fathers Working with Fathers in a Rural Community Partnering with FathersFather Groups

Lynn Barts Infant Massage:  Bundles of Benefits for Babies & Caregivers

Lynn Barts has over 20 years of experience working with parents & their infants/toddlers of all abilities in a variety of programs.  Lynn has worked within Early Intervention, Child Care Resource & Referral, Early Head Start, & a school district Prenatal to Kindergarten Home Visiting Program that offered home visits, group events & developmental screenings for over 1800 families.  Lynn is a Certified Infant Massage Instructor (CIMI) through the Loving Touch Foundation. Barts Infant Massage...Bundles of Benefits Handout 2015

Lynn Barts Digging Deeper: Finding the Treasures in Our Partnerships with Families

See above Digging Deeper...Finding the Treasures in Our Relationships with Families Handout

Lynn Barts Bringing Stories to Life for Young Children:  Increasing Opportunities for Participation & Learning

See above Bringing Stories to Life Handout

Lynn Barts Sharing Developmental Concerns with Families

See above Sharing Developmental Concerns with Families SupplementPartnership-Oriented Practices: Examples and Applications

Sallee Beneke Hands-on Math Activities for Young Learners

The presenters are collaborators in a 2-year Innovation Grant aimed at improving early math education. Sallee Beneke is Associate Professor of Early Childhood at St. Ambrose University, Catherine Melear is Professor of Child Development at Black Hawk Community College, Rachel Fowler is the Principal of Jefferson Early Childhood Center in Moline, IL, and Lisa Raya is the Director of Head Start for Project NOW Community Action Agency.

Mary Ellen WodziszIllinois Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS)

Mary Ellen Wodzisz is the Project Manager for WestEd's Illinois Kindergarten Individual Development Survey (KIDS). Prior to joining WestEd in 2013, Mary Ellen taught kindergarten through fourth grade for 15 years. She also continues to serve as a professional trainer who designs, develops and delivers profession development for teachers and administrators. Mary Ellen earned her Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education at Concordia University, River Forest and her Master of Arts in Teaching and Leadership at St. Xavier University, Chicago.

Nancy and Bridget Brown Desiging Inclusive Lives with Families

Nancy Brown Is an inclusion consultant, person centered planning coach and the Northern Il Organizer for Illinois microboards.  Nancy has worked with persons with disabilities for over 30 years. She was a consultant with the state inclusion initiative Project CHOICES, and  facilitated district wide systems change.  She specializes in community inclusion, inclusive education, Person Centered Planning, adaptations and accommodations, parent issues, inclusive social emotional models of support, organizational development, transition, and access and equity for all students. She also works with her daughter in their business Butterflies for Change.Parents ReviewParents Review OverviewPerson Centered Planning

Andrea Bushala Sunshine Circles:  Nurture through Play

Andrea Bushala is an LSW, a Certified Theraplay Therapist and a Sunshine Circle Trainer.  Andrea has an undergraduate degree in Psychology from Miami University and MSW from Loyola University with a dual specialization in School Social Work (type 73) and Children & Families. She worked at a community mental health clinic focusing on children and young adults experiencing anxiety and depression as well as in the public school providing individual and group therapy for children.PowerPoint Slides

Pat Chamberlain Developing Linguistically and Culturally Supportive Learning Environments for Young Diverse Learners

Patricia Chamberlain has worked with educators in developing programs and implementing linquistically and culturally responsive practices for English Learners since 1980.  Her current projects include:  Excelerate Award of Excellence:  Linguistically and Culturally Appropriate Practice (L-CAP), L-CAP resources for higher education faculty website, implementation of the WIDA Early Language Development Standards and professional development for B-5 programs.Web Based Resources WIDA Focus Bulletin

Ann Clare Maps as Stories: Exploring Geographic Literacy in Primary Grades

Ann Clare is a teacher at University Primary School, the lab school of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She has her Masters in Early Childhood Curriculum and Instruction, and experience as a social-emotional consultant. She is interested in the development of emotional and geographic literacies, especially how our sense of place and belonging in families, schools and local communities relates to awareness of our interconnectedness and participation as citizen scientists in the wider world.

Michelle Clyne Do You See What I See?  Helping Young Children with Cortical Visual Impairment in Natural Environments

Michelle Clyne has worked for Project Reach/Philip Rock Center for over 20 years, first as a music therapist, then deaf-blind specialist, and now the coordinator of the statewide program.  She received a degree in music therapy from Illinois State University and a Master's in Special Education: Blind/Partially Sighted from Northern Illinois University.  She has also taken coursework in deaf-blindness from Michigan State University.  She has done volunteer and contractual work for Hilton-Perkins International Program, and Helen Keller National Center, respectively.  She is a credentialed Illinois Early Intervention provider and a  Developmental Therapy Vision initial evaluator.Do You See What I See Cortical Visual Impairment PowerPoint Slides

Julie Cotter Transition From Early Intervention to Early Childhood Special Education

Julie Cotter has over 35 years of experience working with young children with disabilities. She holds a BS in Education of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and a MS in Speech Language Pathology from Illinois State University. Her endorsements include LBS I, Early Childhood Special Education, Elementary Education, and Supervision. She currently supervises SLPs, ECSE programs, OTs, programs for Students with low incidence disabilities, and leads the Autism Team in Livingston County. She is a member of the Statewide Transition and Outcomes committees.PowerPoint Slides EI letter to parents EC letter to parentsDistrict follow-up letter 27 month list exampleDistrict letter of noncompliance

Stephanie Cox Emotionally Secure, Socially Sure

Stephanie G. Cox, author of the book Gentle Firmness, graduated from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale with her Master's degree in early childhood education in December 2013.  Stephanie has taught the RIE method to 400-level college students, parents, and professionals.  She has worked with many infants, toddlers, and preschoolers.  Although she has severe cerebral palsy, and types with her nose as that is the only way she is able to type, her disability has not prevented her from surpassing that which many said was unattainable.PowerPoint Slides

Johnna Darragh Ernst Supporting Cultural Competence Through Authentic Communication

Johnna Darragh Ernst, Professor, Heartland Community College Early Childhood Program, Ph.D. University of Illinois

Johnna has been faculty within Heartland's early childhood program for over 20 years, and has written and presented extensively on inclusive practices. Her writing includes two early childhood texts and several articles and numerous national presentations. She is the Principle Investigator for the Heartland Equity and Inclusion Grant, and led the development of the Quality Inclusive Practices Checklist.

Johnna Darragh Ernst Supporting Inclusion with the Quality Inclusive Practices Checklist

See above

Sharon Doubet Teaching Strategies to Reduce Challenging Behavior: Level I

After earning a PhD in 2008 from the Dept. of Special Education, University of Illinois, Sharon became a Professor in the Dept. of Special Education, Illinois State University. With a research focus in early childhood ages birth to five, Sharon supports pre-service and in-service care providers/educators, interventionists and parents in the areas of young children's social and emotional development, assessment, curriculum approaches, program-wide positive behavior support (PBS) and individualized interventions for young children with challenging behaviors and/or learning differences.PowerPoint Slides

Sharon Doubet Maximizing Each Day with Each Child: Curriculum Planning for Inclusive Preschool Classrooms

See abovePowerPoint Slides

Deb Foust From the Beginning:  Laying the Foundation for School Success

Deb Foust, Lead Homeless Liaison for Area 2 in Illinois and Program Director for Early Childhood at the Regional Office of Education #47 in Dixon, Illinois.  She is a 7 year employee of the Lee/Ogle Regional Office of Education.   She has had first-hand experience with Homeless Preschool families.  Despite their unique challenges, these families want their children to survive and thrive.  After receiving her Bachelor's Degree in Social Work and Psychology from the University of Dubuque, Dubuque, Iowa, she has worked 31 years in the social service field. PowerPoint Slides Determining Eligibility for Rights and Services Under the MK-V Act Preschool for All Plan for Serving MK-V Children and Families

Susan Fowler Finding the Right Information, Right now: Guidelines for families, caregivers and teachers

Susan Fowler is a professor in Special Education at the University of Illinois.  Her research has focused on the lives of young children  with developmental delays and their families between birth and age 5. She served as president of the Council for Exceptional Children (2008) and Division for Early Childhood (1992).  Her current work focuses on effective ways to disseminate information about evidence based practices to families and providers using technology, print and info-graphics.Session Handouts

Elizabeth Frisbie At Least the Cockroach Waved Hello: Using Reframing to Find Strengths in Challenging Families

Elizabeth Frisbie, MA, MSEd. has worked with young children, their families and educators for over 20 years as a psychotherapist, behavior specialist, parent educator, and mental health consultant. She holds Master's degrees in clinical child psychology and education of high risk students and has completed advanced training in play therapy, behavior analysis and special education. Elizabeth's specialties include: challenging behaviors, fostering resiliency in children and families who are at-risk, social-emotional development, and reflective practice.At Least the Cockroach Waved Hello

Elizabeth Frisbie 'I'm Trying to Tell You Something!' Understanding the Messages in Children's Challenging Behavior

See aboveI'm Trying to Tell You Something!

Elizabeth Frisbie E is for Emotion: Teaching Affective Skills to Young Children

See aboveE is for Emotion: Teaching Affective Skills Relaxation Strategies for Young Children

Sandra Geiseman The Masks We Wear

Sandra Geiseman, MS, LCPC, NCC is the Social Emotional Consultant at Child & Family Connections #3.  She provides consultation services for NICAA Head Start.  She earned her Master's degree in Counseling from National-Louis University and her Bachelor's degree from Rockford College.  Sandra is a private therapist in clinical counseling in Freeport IL. She has experience working in Early Intervention as a credentialed provider.

Marsha Hawley Knowledge to Practice: Supporting Teachers to Increase Teaching and Learning with Pre-K Students

Marsha Shigeyo Hawley is Director of the Ounce of Prevention's Lead.Learn.Excel. Ms. Hawley's past professional work includes over thirty-eight years teaching experience with infants, toddlers, preschool, K-3 teachers and families, with more than 22 years in higher education. A frequent speaker at industry events she authored several publications on infant toddler development and care. She received a Master of Education from Erikson Institute and a B.S. in early childhood education from California State, Fresno.Knowledge Development Multiple Contexts for Professional Learning Lead Learn Excel

Joyce Hemphill Don't Throw it Away, Make Something and Play!

Joyce Hemphill has a doctorate in developmental psychology from The Ohio State University and 30 years of experience teaching child development, cognition, and learning.  She organizes community play events and give workshops on ways to play using recyclable materials. The book, The Power of Playful Learning (2015) and monthly “Playing from Scratch” column for the US Play Coalition highlight these activities.  She is a member of the Fox Valley AEYC, the International Play Association, the Association for the Study of Play, and the US Play Coalition.  Joyce retired from the University of Wisconsin-Madison spring 2012.Don't Throw it Away! Make Something and Play!

Barbara Hocking Intentional Teaching With Mother Nature

Barbara has more than 30 years experience working with children Birth to 5, including 28 years providing services through the IL Early Intervention Program.  She has served as an Early Childhood Consultant for community preschools and day care centers, and is an Early Childhood Teacher Training Consultant for the Chicago Botanic Garden. Barbara has presented at State, National and International conferences since 1987 and has presented half-day and full-day workshops since 1993.

Sarah Jecks Growing Great Families Conference: Hosting a Conference for Families!

Sarah Jecks is a Preschool for All Teacher at George O. Barr Elementary School in the Silvis School District. She received her undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education from Eastern Illinois University, and graduated in the spring of 2014 with a Master in Education with a specialization in Early Childhood. She has presented at the national, state, and local level.

Hyeryung Kim Using Drama to Enhance Literacy: From Storybook to Performance

I am a doctoral student at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in Curriculum and Instruction, Language and Literacy division. I earned a B.A. and M.A. in Early Childhood Education at UIUC. For the past four years, I have taught at University Primary School, a laboratory school affiliated with the College of Education. The school is inspired by Reggio Emilia schools and employs the Project Approach.

Nancy Kind Let's Make Early Childhood Outcomes Meaningful:  Striving for Positive Best Practices in Early Childhood Outcomes

Nancy Kind is a recently retired administrator of the NSSED Early Childhood Program.  She works with teacher, related service staff, as well as school districts and community preschool programs to provide special education service.  Nancy has present at the national, state and local levels on topics related to Early Childhood Outcomes and RTI/MTSS at the EC level. PowerPoint Slides Observation and Rating Activity ND Early Childhood Outcomes Process Age Expectation Development Milestones Illinois Child Outcomes Summary Form Decision Tree for Summary Rating Dicussions

Elizabeth KnollhoffBreaking Bad:  Preventing and Addressing Challenging Behaviors Through Promotion of Positive Social Skills

Elizabeth Knollhoff is a Nationally Certified School Psychologist currently serving the preschool population for Four Rivers Special Education District in Jacksonville, Illinois. She holds a Master's Degree in Community/School Psychology and a Specialist's Degree in School Psychology. She was one of six statewide nominees in 2006 for the School Psychologist Practitioner of the Year for Illinois. She started her career as a Mental Health Consultant for Head Start over 10 years ago, and has continued to work in the schools with students with special needs, focusing on early childhood.PowerPoint SlidesTime Out GuidelinesBehavior Management 0-5Behavior Handouts

Curt Kuhn Basic Everyday Sign Language for Young Children

Curt is one of a set of identical triplets who were born Deaf. Curt is a graduate of the Illinois School for the Deaf and Gallaudet University. In addition to his duties with Outreach, he works as a Staff Development Specialist at ISD, and teaches American Sign Language at a local public high school. As a Deaf role model, Curt has a wealth of information to share with parents and professionals about his experiences growing up Deaf.  He is also the proud father of one son who is Deaf and three girls (triplets) who have varying degrees of hearing loss.

Ali Lewis Thriving Classroom Teams: Inspirations & Challenges

Dr. Ali Lewis is the director of University Primary School, The College of Education's lab school at The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. She teaches social studies methods courses, is an active participant in her community, mom of four children, and avid enthusiast for Reggio Emilia and The Project Approach. Dr. Lewis earned her doctorate and masters in Education Organization and Leadership at Illinois and has taught in K-8 rural, urban, private, and public school settings.

Meg Liebreich Developing Teaming Relationships in Your Daily Early Intervention Practices

Meg graduated from Marquette University's Program in Physical Therapy in 1984. She has worked in all areas of Physical Therapy (pre-natal and post partum to geriatric rehab) and has been working exclusively in the area of pediatrics, primarily through the Early Intervention program, since 2000.

Meg believes that treatment sessions must be developmentally appropriate, playful and enjoyable for all so that the child and family gain confidence in their abilities and empowered to reach the goals they have set together.

Cheryl Light Shriner 'Look What I Can Do!' (With Visual Supports)

Dr. Light Shriner is a Clinical Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois.  Her areas of interest and expertise are in the areas of applied behavior analysis, augmentative and alternative communication, autism, and severe disabilities.  She has worked extensively with children and adults with autism or other disabilities in a variety of settings (e.g., homes, schools, recreation programs, adult service settings, and institutional settings).  She teaches future teachers, collaborates with educators, and strives to continue research in evidence-based strategies that empower teachers and individuals with disabilities.PowerPoint Slides

Jeanette McCollum How Are Your Inclusive Practices?

Jeanette McCollum is a retired professor from the University of Illinois, where she taught in the graduate program that prepares early interventionists and educators to work with young children with disabilities and their families. Currently she is working with the Office of Early Childhood Development to implement its work on the Award of Excellence in Inclusion of Children with Special Needs, part of ExceleRate Illinois.

Sherial McKinney Geometry Isn't a Bad Word

Sherial McKinney, M.S. Ed., is an Early Childhood Resource Specialist with STARnet Regions I and III.  She has taught in an Early Childhood Special Education, a blended Pre-K program, Kindergarten, Title I Reading and Math for grades K-8, and a child care program.  Her interest in mathematics for young children came about when she was working with Kindergarteners through 3rd grade who were having difficulty in math.

Tracy Meehan Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants and Babies! Oh My!

Tracy Meehan, BS, MS, DTH,  works on faculty at Illinois State University as the Project Coordinator of a U.S. Department of Education personnel preparation grant (OSERS), CFDA 84.325K.   This grant funded graduate certificate program, AIM To Be Ahead,  trains professionals to work in early intervention as Listening and Spoken Language Professionals. Tracy also works in Early Intervention providing aural rehabilitation evaluations and direct service as a Developmental Therapist/Hearing.Hearing Aids, Cochlear Implants, and Babies...Oh My!Basic Early Childhood Signs Brown Bear Brown Bear Sign Language

Christopher Miller Drivers of Change: Instructional and Inclusive Leaders

Christopher Miller is an Implementation Advisor for Preschool Instructional Excellence for The Ounce of Prevention's Lead. Learn. Excel team.  He is a National Board Certified Teacher with 18 years of experience teaching in preK and early elementary classrooms.  He also served as a mentor, training new teachers to assume positions in underperforming classrooms for Chicago's Academy for Urban School Leadership. Leadership for Excellence

Rebecca Molitor First Feelings:  A Snapshot of Infant's Social-Emotional Development

Rebecca started providing counseling services in 1992. Her experiences include working with the Head Start program, children and families experiencing abuse and neglect, as well as foster and adoptive children.  Since starting a private practice, Compassionate Growth Counseling, in 2000, Rebecca focuses on attachment, abuse and neglect, trauma, loss and parent-child relations from infancy into adulthood.  She serves as a consultant for CFC 22, as well as a psychological service provider for EI.   Rebecca has presented seminars throughout the state on topics related to infants, children and family dynamics.  Recently, Rebecca has become a certified Prenatal Bonding (BA) Facilitator.

Kimberly Nelson Using Early Childhood Assessment Data to plan for Really Terriffic Instruction

PowerPoint Slides

Susan Nevin 'But Aren't You Just Playing?...The Importance of Infant and Toddler Play

Susan Nevin, M.Ed. graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign with a degree in Early Childhood Special Education, with a focus on infancy. She's been a devoted Developmental Therapist in the Early Intervention program for almost 20 years. Susan is also a state evaluator, and currently serves as Vice President of the Illinois Developmental Therapy Association. As a Professional Development Specialist for the Early Intervention Training Program, Susan is excited to facilitate trainings on various child development topics throughout Illinois. She has presented at several local, state, national and international conferences.

Mark Obuchowski ExceleRate and Gateways- Make the Connection

Mark Obuchowski is a 20 year plus veteran in ECE. He served as a Pre-K teacher in Urbana, IL for 9 yrs.  He served as service coordinator in the EI program for 4 yrs. Mark has been at INCCRA since 2004 holding several positions. He currently is the Agency's Outreach Program Specialist. Mark has presented at national, regional, state and local ECE conferences during his entire tenure as an ECE professional.

Letitia Parker The Ladder  of Family & Community Engagement

Letitia Parker currently works for Illinois Action for Children as the Manager of the Award of Excellence Family & Community Engagement program.  Her career has included working for two Illinois CCR&R agencies and in management for various community partner programs.  Mrs. Parker's experience has included supervising family service staff, administering policies/procedures, database management, and contract compliance for Head Start, Preschool for All, and State Child Care Assistance Program.The Ladder of Family and Community Engagement

Marilyn Peterson Changing Challenging Behaviors into Positive Guidance

Marilyn Peterson, M.S. Ed. Early Childhood, B.S. Elementary and Special Ed., offers interactive and engaging presentations reflecting her 35 years of experience as a regular and special classroom teacher, college adjunct professor, teaching mentor, coach, CLASS assessor and professional development trainer and is a winner of the Kohl McCormick Early Childhood Teaching Award. 

Marilyn now focuses on conducting trainings for teachers, families and other professional staff. Marilyn's passion is empowering others to change students' lives.

Carole Peterson Stephens Active Music for Active Learners: Using singing, dancing and movement activities to promote brain and body development

By the numbers: Twenty-five years of classroom experience as an Early Childhood Music teacher. Seventeen years as a clinician, presenting workshops for teachers and caregivers of Toddlers through Kindergarteners.  Eighteen national awards for her 8 recordings and a NAPPA Award for her teacher-friendly website.  Hundreds of workshops, including statewide conference Keynotes and NAEYC workshops in 2013 & 14. 145 school and library concerts in 2013. Submitter is valued by conferees because she's still 'in the trenches', teaching classes each week all year long.Active Music for Active Learners

Amanda Quesenberry Teaching Strategies to Reduce Challenging Behavior: Level 2TBA

PowerPoint Slides

Jennifer Rosinia The Inter-Relatedness of Movement, Child Development and Academic Readiness

Jennifer Rosinia is an Occupational Therapist and Child Development Specialist.  Dr. Rosinia has a special interest in sensory processing, neuroscience, the role of emotions and the impact of relationships on the developing child.  Adjunct faculty at the Erikson Institute for many years, Jennifer has also taught courses and guest lectured at several colleges and universities. With a growing national reputation as a powerful speaker and consultant, Jennifer brings a healthy balance of humor, passion and expertise to all of her presentations.  She is the president of Kid Links Unlimited, Incorporated.Youth Physical Activity and the Role in SchoolsSupporting Physical Growth and Development in Young Children15 Simple Ways to get MovingMovement and Academic Readiness Resources

Shauna Ruzich Speech and Language Development: Typical or Atypical

Shauna Ruzich, M.S. CCC-SLP, earned her Master's degree in Communication Disorders and Sciences at Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) in 2000.

She has worked in the field of speech-language pathology for 20 years in a variety of settings including schools, early intervention, hospital and rehabilitation settings in Illinois, Kentucky and Florida. She has been an Early Intervention provider for 15+ years in Illinois and has a passion for helping young children and their families. Shauna continues in her role as a speech-language pathologist, but she also shares her knowledge as she is a Trainer for the Early Intervention Training Program.

Amy Santos Using DEC's Evidence-Based Resources to Promote Inclusive Practices: A Primer for Teachers, Providers, Families, Trainers, Policy Makers, and Administrators

Amy Santos is a professor in the Department of Special Education at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Amy conducts her research on families of children with disabilities and the preparation of personnel to effectively work with families. She is an active member of DEC, a former president of the DEC Board, and is currently the editor for DEC's Young Exceptional Children journal.

Ruth Schumacher Facilitating True Family Partnership in Early Intervention

Before working for the Special School District of St. Louis County, Ruth Schumacher attended Drake University where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in English with a concentration in Women's Studies.  She returned to graduate school to pursue her Doctor of Philosophy in School Psychology at Loyola University Chicago.  While at Loyola, Ruth supported many schools and community mental health centers to engage in collaborative work with families and young children.  Ruth completed her APPIC internship and post-doctoral fellowship at District 113 in Highland Park, Illinois.  Ruth enjoys spending time with her husband, their 7-month old son, and their dogs.

Nancy Silverman Beyond Letters, Nouns & Numbers; Shifting Focus to Verbs and Sentences to Enhance Language Development Trajectories

Nancy is an speech/language pathologist who has experience working with EI and early childhood programs.  She has also provided numerous presentations on topics related to language and bilingual language development. Nancy currently is an adjunct instructor at National Louis University where she teaches special education to students.PowerPoint Slides

Amanda Sink Active STEM Learning

Amanda Sink's rich and diverse background informs her work as a Professional Development Specialist for Lakeshore Learning Materials. For nearly a decade, Amanda worked as a national education consultant and curriculum specialist. In this role, she partnered with educators and administrators across the country, supporting professional growth by providing one-on-one in-classroom coaching and modeling, and providing high quality professional development. 

As a Special Education teacher, she has extensive experience in self-contained and fully inclusive environments spanning prekindergarten through grade 12, Amanda is a valuable resource for educators in every classroom setting.

Kathy Slattery Understanding Selective Mutism

Kathy Slattery is the Project Director of STAR NET Region II/The Center in Arlington Heights. In addition to her work with STAR NET, she assists a Parent Support Group which meets regularly in the Chicagoland area to provide information, support and resources on the topic of Selective Mutism. Kathy is a volunteer State Coordinator for the Selective Mutism Group, an International organization, and provides information and resources to families and professional on this topic.Understanding Selective Mutism

Melinda Snodgrass Using Prompting Procedures to Teach Skills

Melinda Snodgrass is a doctoral student at the University of Illinois and former special education teacher.  She works primarily with individuals with intellectual disability and complex communication needs, exploring effective augmentative and alternative communication practices.Session Handout

Sally Tannenbaum-Katsaggelos A Cross Cultural Approach: The path to understanding and addressing dispartities in pediatric hearing loss

Sally Tannenbaum, M.Ed., DTH, CED, LSLS Cert, is Co-Director of the Pediatric Hearing Loss and Cochlear Implant Program at the University of Chicago.  She received the Beebe Award for Outstanding Auditory Verbal Clinician and has been working with children with hearing loss for over 30 years. Her publications include chapters in "Cochlear Implants" by Bonnie Tucker, "101 frequently Asked Questions about Auditory Verbal Practice" and "Cochlear Implants for Kids" by Warren Estabrooks.PowerPoint Slides

Jessica Tatum Co-Teaching: Working together for the benefit of ALL children

My name is Jessica Tatum, I am a regular education teacher for an co-taught inculsive Preschool for All program. This is my fifth year as a co-teacher in the Carlinville school district. I have been teaching for a total of seven years. I spent my first two years teaching as the early childhood special education teacher, in a self contained classroom, in Roxana, IL. My bachelor's degree is in early childhood education through Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. I am currently working on my masters in Curriculum and Instruction at SIU-e.Presentation Outline Determining Individual Management Styles IEP Goal Chart Analyzing Co-Teacher ModelsRoles and Responsibilities

Amanda Thompson The Power of the Creating an Early Childhood Community Partnership

Amanda Thompson is currently the Director of Preschool for Berwyn South District 100.   Amanda has extensive experience teaching in diverse early childhood settings.

Nat Vikitsreth Five Things Early Interventionists Need to Know Before Embedding Intervention Strategies into Family Routines: An Infant Mental Health-Informed Early Intervention

Nat Vikitsreth is our developmental therapist and certified infant massage specialist. Nat earned a master's degree in Infancy and Early Childhood Special Education from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. And a postgraduate certificate in Infant-Parent Mental Health from University of Massachusetts Boston.

What makes Nat so passionate about working with parents and their child with every developmental differences is the opportunity to witness strength and resilience in every family she works with.Five Things Early Interventionists Need to Know Before Embedding Intervention Strategies into Family Routines: An Infant Mental Health-Informed Early Intervention

Kate Wagner Primitive Reflex Integration and it's affect on Learning, Motor Skills, and Emotional Regulation

Kate Wagner, MA is an instructor for the Educational Kinesiology Foundation, has 18 years teaching experience in public and private schools. Since 2003, Kate has used these specialized movement programs with educators and other professionals and successfully implemented this program with adults, parents and children.  In addition, Kate has studied with the founder of BRMT, Dr. Harald Blomberg, and is a licensed instructor of Blomberg Rhythmic Movement Training, a wonderful complementary movement program to Brain Gym.

Cassandra Ward Early Childhood Trauma Awareness Training: How to Identify Trauma in Young Children and How to Communicate About It With Parents

A staff clinician at Erikson's Center for Children and Families, Cassandra Ward provides individual and group counseling to children, families, and couples. She has particular experience with infant assessment, and parent-child therapy. Cassandra has specialized training and certification in anger management and alcohol and drug counseling, and has organized and facilitated parent and family education workshops.

She earned her master's degree in human services at National Louis University, completed Erikson's Irving B. Harris Infant Mental Health Certificate Program, and holds an Intermediate DIR/Floortime Certification.Early Childhood Trauma Awareness Training

Amy Weaver K.I.S.S. Your Environment Hello: Keep It Simply Stunning for Authentic Exploration and Learning

Amy Weaver has over 30 years of experience in the Early Childhood field.  As a vocal proponent of high quality child care, especially for infants and toddlers, she, has traveled all over the world studying about the respectful and authentic caregiving practices throughout many cultures.  She looks forward to bringing those insight and practical applications of common sense child care practices back to the child care population. You can also find Amy sharing her experiences through her training, consulting and monthly newsletter.K.I.S.S. Your Environment Hello: Keep It Simply Stunning for Authentic Exploration and Learning

Amy Weaver They Really are Different: Classroom Practices that Meet the Needs of Both Genders

The presenter has over 30 years of early childhood experience as both classroom teacher and administrator. She also teaches at the community college level and travelled to over 40 states sharing her insights helping teachers create developmentally appropriate classrooms and curriculums.  Speaking to audiences of over 600 she uses humor, stories, and relatable experiences to engage and educate the group. Additionally, she is very proud to have spent time learning from Magda Gerber, Sylvia Chard and Madelyn Swift. The presenter is a PITC graduate, Reliable PAS trainer, well versed in all recognized curriculums, assessment programs and environment rating scales.They Really are Different: Classroom Practices that Meet the Needs of Both Genders

Jenna Weglarz-Ward Messy Hands, Growing Minds: Developmental Benefits of Messy Play

Presenter 1 has worked in early childhood for the past 18 years in a variety of roles including preschool teacher, childcare provider, early interventionist, literacy tutor, therapeutic recreation staff, and parent. Ms. Weglarz-Ward is active in the Division of Early Childhood (DEC) and the Council for Exceptional Children and the National Organization for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) and presents at conferences regionally and nationally on collaboration in early childhood, family relationships, and play.

Erin Wiese-Reichert Incorporating STEAM activities into your Pre-School Classroom

Erin Wiese-Reichert is an Early Childhood Educator at the Children's Discovery Museum in Normal, Illinois.  She graduated from Illinois State University with a degree in Elementary Education in 2005 and has been employed by the Children's Discovery Museum since 2006.

Mary WonderlickMATH!!?? Oh, no.  I'm not comfortable with or good at teaching math. Let's take you from mathematically challenged to mathematically competent. (a support group for those afraid of math)

• facilitator NAEYC At-Risk & Special Needs Interest Forum
• AEYC/IDEC boards and committees
• EC/ECSE consultant
  • self-contained early childhood special education, Preschool for All (PFA)
• Head Start & Child Care
• EC Math Instructional Coach
• consultant Early Head Start quality improvement grant
• professional development for PFA, CCR&R's, Starnet, and local and national conferences on a variety of topics, among them:
  • inclusion, ADHD, behavior, learning needs & differences, sensory processing, environments, early math, prewriting, visual measurement tools

MATH !!?? Oh, NO notetaking