Plenary I Friday
More than Meets the Eye: The Learner with Down Syndrome Patricia Oelwein The learning process as it relates to the learning style, abilities, and needs of students with Down syndrome; the stages of learning; and systematic instruction will be covered.
Plenary II Friday
Beyond All Expectations: Why Inclusion Works Dr. JoAnne Putnam Dr. Putnam’s presentation draws on over two decades of teaching, research, and writing about educational strategies for students with disabilities and inclusive education. We have moved away from debating whether students with disabilities should be included in regular classes to asking the question: “How can we make inclusion work to support the education of all students?” A philosophical rationale and research foundation for inclusive practices will be presented along with strategies for making inclusion a reality in your local school. Putnam will draw from her recent book: Beyond All Expectations: The Story of Paige Barton, an account of a remarkable woman diagnosed with Down syndrome and her struggle for independence, 15 years in deplorable institutions, being mislabeled, and her achievement of a university education and gainful employment.
Plenary III Saturday
Cerebral Specialization and Perceptual-Motor Behaviour in Down Syndrome Dr. Daniel J. Weeks The past 30 years has seen increasing technological sophistication directed toward understanding brain function and how it is related to the behaviour of individuals. However, the challenge of brain research for parents and educators has little to do with the intricacies of brain functions. Instead it is grasping the vastness, complexity, and power of the human brain. Each brain is unique. Though all human brains have the same systems including our senses and basic emotions, they are integrated differently. In fact, learning changes the structure of the brain; the more one learns, the more unique one becomes. In this presentation I will discuss the current status of work from our laboratories aimed at developing a model of cerebral lateralization for DS that has as its primary feature the dissociation of the functional subsystems subserving speech perception and the organization of complex movement. The long term goal of our work is to establish methods for the integration of measures of cortical function with behavioural neuropsychology to assess information processing characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome. This is an important step toward realizing the practical goal of our research: to establish methods, procedures and guidelines for the development of instructional strategies that may circumvent, or at least reduce, the impact of some of the specific information processing difficulties associated with Down syndrome.
Plenary IV Saturday
Dr. William Cohen
Part I. Collaborating with Physicians Dr Cohen will define the needs of families of children with Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities. He will describe physician characteristics which may interfere with meeting these needs and provide a framework for developing satisfying collaborative relations with health care providers. Part II. Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Individuals with Down Syndrome This talk will discuss the factors that promote interest in these very popular interventions from the viewpoint of the medical community and that of the family. Part III. Down Syndrome: What's New in 2004. This presentation will review what is new in the medical treatment of children with Down syndrome.
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