Upcoming Presentations:

FALL STUDENT LED CONFERENCES: “Sink or Swim”:  Free Zoom Access via Email:

Supporting teachers everywhere as you navigate Student Led Conferences.  Following years of watching colleagues and teachers “fake it till they make it” (or not); this presentation highlights an honest conversation addressing WHAT WORKS and what does not:

A timely 60 minute presentation for teachers; preparing for the upcoming “Fall Conferences”.   This free Zoom workshop is offered as a way to say “thank you” for all you do!  

Topic: STUDENT LED CONFERENCES
Time: Oct 23, 2021 09:00 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

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Passcode: 996919
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ABCs of AUTISM: “Anxiety – Behavior – Coping”: Alliance for Child Welfare Excellence

Reaching out to a larger audiencePresentations

How often do we meet people who are doing what they meant to do and love doing so?  Fortunately, I am one of those people for the special needs path is a calling, guided by years of experience working closely with parents, teachers, and administrators on this path.  

Through  presentations and workshops at the national and local level, I am able to share empowering messages  such as “love, understanding, and other best practices” and “embracing the gift within” to parents and educators; highlighting the work we do together.

This is critical for I know there are many parents and educators who struggle with the traditional system and are searching for hope and a new paradigm to work from; I meet you every day!   So I am here to help you, your school district, and your  organization through humor, inspirational stories, and most notably, strategies and skill-building which create a positive approach to intervention.  Recent presentations include:

  • Presenter, National Association of Elementary School Principals, National Conference
  • Presenter, Northwest PBIS Annual Conference
  • Presenter, Edmonds School District
  • Presenter, SENG National Conference for Gifted Education
  • Presenter, Washington Association of School Administrators
  • Presenter, Seattle Childrens Hospital Autism Center
  • Presenter, University of Washington Autism Center
  • Trainer, University of WA, DSHS / Alliance for Child Welfare, WA State
  • Keynote; Fathers Support Network, WA State

Recent presentations:   

 

“Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Special Education But Didn’t Know Who or What to Ask”

Simply; the Special Education arena is chockful of mazes, twists, turns, and a language unique to its own world.  A often frustrating and confusing for many parents.  The primary purpose of this session is to give direct answers to your questions, translate as needed, and offer tried and true strategies in support of learning through advocacy and instructional planning.  An open forum with inspiration, laughter, and straight talk about the special needs path; no holds barred!

 

The Insiders Guide to Special Education” 101 Primer for parents:

The “Insiders Guide” provides a step by step process as you represent yourself as your child’s Advocate within IEP or 504 meetings. When your child’s learning is at stake, you need to be prepared! This workshop is based upon the complimentary handbook designed specifically for parents. Simply, the complexities of ADD/ADHD, anxiety, Autism, depression, and other Learning Disabilities significantly impact your child’s success at school and requires parent advocacy beyond what you are ready for or prepared for. The “Insiders Guide” provides you the fundamentals in a step by step process so you can take lead as your child’s advocate. Go to your next meeting knowing what to say, what to ask, and how to take charge!

 

Love, Understanding, and Other Best Practices

Someone much wiser than me shared the following statement:  “Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone.  But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best they have and all that they are [Abiola]”.  As such, we are all part of a greater mosiac called life where we are all contribute in extraordinary ways.   

 

Based upon years of research, study after study has determined that the best conditions for learning build upon previous success and our children deserve an educational platform which supports their development toward their promise, potential, and purpose.   And within the IEP / 504 process, our greatest strides will always develop from each child’s gifts, interests, and learning assets.  This workshop offers a fresh perspective on meeting the instructional needs of our children through a strength-based frame of reference.  As the old paradigm supports IEP / 504 intervention through the lens of the broken child needing to be fixed, Love, Understanding, and Other Best Practices, offers a refreshing, uplifting perspective and guides the process to enlightened levels of mutual understanding through strength-based intervention and the belief that “every child is a gift”.  I would love to share this message with you and your organization.  Based upon the book now available on AMAZON.com.

 

“Canary in the Coal Mine Kids”: The New “A” Students: Autism, Anxiety, ADD, ACES …

 After years of doing this work, a pattern clearly presents itself; our children are teaching us something in the way they are navigating their lives.  This message comes at us loud and clear: “We need to take a serious look at lifestyle choices and decisions we make” for so many of our children are experiencing epidemic-like behavioral tendencies.  Anxiety, stress, and “fight or flight” related responses across all social-demographic levels.  At the same time, we are seeing an amazing development of talent, abilities, interests, and intuitive capabilities like never before.  This presentation, “Canary in the Coal Mine Kids”, is a celebration of today’s youth and the emergence of their extraordinary nature unfolding before our eyes.  Our children, more sensitive and intuitive than any other generation, requires a new platform for parenting, teaching, and most notably, understanding.  In addition, this inspirational talk highlights a variety of lifestyle choices which enhance and support our children toward the promise, potential, and purpose within.  I look forward to sharing this upbeat presentation with you and your community!  

 

“SELFIRST”

As a Behavior Specialist, working within classrooms throughout K-12, there is one thing that stands out as the number one guiding principle supporting student learning and that is “relationship building”.  However, it’s not so simple as learning a few SEL (Social Emotional Learning) tips and tricks.   For our ability to truly love another, show compassion toward another, and express empathy toward another, is solely based upon our ability to do the same toward ourselves first.  As such, the SELFIRST project is developed for teachers and educators (including parents for you are your child’s first and foremost teacher) in the development of a new set of practices.  Simply, we are striving to shift from the “REACTIVE SELF” (working from our Default Mode) to a “RESPONSIVE SELF” (through conscious thinking) via what we often refer as the “RESILIENT SELF”.   These presentations have been well received across school districts, communities, and across the larger landscape of education for SELFIRST gets to the core of true educational reform: “It’s an inside job”.  I look forward to sharing this with you and your organization!

Recent Webinar with Dr Dan Peters:  Parent Footprints