Patricia Logan Oelwein, M.Ed., retired from the University of Washington in 1997 where she worked for twenty-five years in programs that served children with Down syndrome and their families. She has provided specialized training for teaching children with Down syndrome throughout the United States and in eleven foreign countries. Ms. Oelwein has published research articles and training materials, edited Advances in Down Syndrome with Valentine Dmitriev, and wrote Teaching Reading to Children with Down Syndrome, a Guide for Parents and Teachers. She is currently a consultant in private practice and is working on a book about teaching math to children with Down syndrome. JoAnne Putnam, Ph.D. is Professor of Teacher Education at the University of Maine at Presque Isle. Since the age of 12, she has been committed to improving the lives of people with disabilities and fighting against segregation and discrimination. Her research and publications have focused on cooperative learning, strategies for teaching in inclusive classrooms, Down syndrome, and community inclusion. Dr. Putnam is author of Beyond All Expectations: The Story of Paige Barton (U of Maine Center for Community Inclusion) and Cooperative Learning and Strategies for Inclusion (Paul H. Brookes, 1998).
Daniel J. Weeks is the Chair of the Department of Psychology at Simon Fraser University. A member of the Psychonomic Society, Dr. Weeks operates the Brain-Bahaviour and Cognitive Engineering Laboratory at SFU. There are two primary themes to Dr. Weeks' research efforts. First, the work for which he received a Ph.D., involves questions of spatial cognition and the role of cognitive coding and translation mechanisms in processing spatial information. Supported by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, current research examines the influences of skill acquisition, motor control, attention, modality, and response bias on spatial cognition and decision-making processes. Second, Dr. Weeks and colleagues have an ongoing program of research examining the impact of cerebral specialization and information processing on the health and behaviour of both individuals with Down syndrome and those with other intellectual challenges. He is the author of more than 60 peer-reviewed articles as well as numerous chapters and 2 books. Dr. Weeks is past recipient of the Distinguished Scholar Award from the North American Society for the Psychology of Sport and Physical Activity and in 2003 he received the Distinguished Research Service Award from the Down Syndrome Research Foundation.
William I Cohen MD is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician at the Child Development Unit and he directs the Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania, both located at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. He holds the rank of Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Psychiatry at the University Of Pittsburgh School Of Medicine. Dr Cohen is co-founder and co-chair of the Down Syndrome Medical Interest Group, and medicine editor of Down Syndrome Quarterly. He is editor of the "Health Care Guidelines for Individuals with Down Syndrome: 1999 Revision," published in Down Syndrome Quarterly vol 4, no 3, (September, 1999). He is the Chair of the Clinical Advisory Board of the National Down Syndrome Society and a member of the Society’s Board of Directors. He is co-editor of the book Down Syndrome: Visions for the 21st Century, published in 2002 by Wiley-Liss. In addition to his work on preventive health care for individuals with Down syndrome, other areas of interest are the adaptation of children and families to chronic medical conditions, doctor-patient communication, and medical education. He directs two courses for first year medical students at the University of Pittsburgh, teaches the integration family systems principles into pediatric practice at the American Academy of Pediatrics Annual Meetings and at the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. In June 2002, he served as Pfizer Visiting Professor of Pediatrics at Carolinas Medical Center in Charlotte, NC.
** back to Conference page **