Parent Workshops

The following workshops are geared for families and caregivers raising children with special needs. It is also possible to have workshops tailored to meet your family or group's specific topic of concern. Contact Karen for details.

• Teambuilding

  Put on your captain's hat and get ready to rally the Team to work for your child's success! The IEP Team is the foundation for planning and implementing your child's educational program. But sometimes it is difficult for families and educators to see eye-to-eye. Learn how to build your child's IEP Team into a cohesive unit, how to avoid parent-teacher conflicts, and how to repair damaged relationships. A focused IEP Team translates into success for your child, and this workshop helps you create just that!
  
  

• Storytelling Portfolios: Creating effective communication documents so your family voice can be heard

  Parents are the experts about their children. But how do we get the professionals in our children's lives to listen to us? This workshop will help you learn how to channel your family knowledge and your child's personal history into a focused communication document: the Storytelling Portfolio. This is a tool designed to help you quickly and effectively work with professionals. We don't have time to waste, and neither do professionals, so the next time you want your voice to be heard, use a tool that makes an impact, a tool that gets people to listen!
  
  

• Inclusive Education

  How do I know if this is the right path for my child? Why do some families insist on inclusive education for their children? How do I know if this is the right path for my child? What is inclusion anyway? This workshop will explain inclusive education, its history and its purpose. The goal here is for you to make informed decisions about educational programming. Discover the educational path that is right for your child and your family.
  
  

• Help! I can't do it all! Learning to balance your child's educational goals with your family reality

  We want what is best for our children and we often dedicate ourselves to helping our kids be the best they can be. But this focus on our child with special needs can sometimes take its toll on the rest of the family. This workshop helps you examine the current strengths and needs of your family, in order to find balance in your family life. No one can do it all, but working together your family can be happy, healthy and successful!
  
  

• Creative Parenting Solutions: Problem-solving tools and strategies to improve your family quality-of-life

  Bring a parenting problem with you! This workshop will teach you a process of creative problem-solving, so that you can address your family's unique challenges in parenting a child with special needs. Learn to problem-solve your family's challenges and improve your family quality-of-life.
  
  

Educator Workshops

The following workshops are geared for educators and administrators working with children with special needs. It is also possible to have workshops tailored to meet your school's specific topic of concern. Contact Karen for details.

• Enjoy & Celebrate the Whole Child: Seeing beyond challenging behaviors, special education labels and personality conflicts

  As educators we do what we do primarily because we love working with children. But sometimes it becomes difficult to interact with a child who challenges us repeatedly. This workshop is designed to give you the boost you need and help you get beyond these hurdles. Start enjoying that child again!
  
  

• Don't Forget This! Promoting self-esteem among children with special needs

  Self-esteem is a life skill that all children require to be successful individuals, and this applies to children with special needs too. This workshop will provide you with tools for creating self-esteem skills in your classroom and strategies for working with families to assist them in promoting self-esteem in their homes. We cannot forget to teach all children to believe in themselves!
  
  

• Building Positive Relationships with Families: It can definitely be worth it!

  Conflict is exhausting. Working together as a team, as the IEP Team was meant to be, is more productive for all the parties involved and ultimately, it will translate into success for children with special needs. Let this workshop teach you the skills and provide you with the tools to build that positive relationship with families. It is worth it!
  
  

• Inclusive Education: Why some parents choose this path.

  Why do some parents want inclusive classrooms and inclusive education for their children? If this question lingers in your mind then consider this workshop. Learn the history of inclusive education, explore the parent perspective, and gain that understanding about why some families adamantly support this educational path.