2021 Conference: Details

The Techniques for Success educational conference aims to be the premier education conference in Maryland to support the inclusion, equity and success of students with Down syndrome (Ds) and intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). Every year, our speakers are a who’s-who from the region (and some, in the nation.)

2021 is the 12th conference since its inception, and for this, we’re delivering a virtual event over the first three weekends in November that focus on behavior, special education and online learning adaptation, and the intersection between social justice and disability rights and advocacy.

We welcome educators, paraeducators, therapists, parents/guardians, and others to attend. We were unable to secure CEs/CEUs for professionals but are hopeful that next year we can return to offering official recognition and credit for attendance.

This year’s conference is complete! Read more about this year’s speakers and topics below…

ATTENDEES: Check your inbox and spam boxes for emails from “Techniques for Success Planning Committee” which includes recordings and surveys from the presentations.

TOPIC: digital solutions for all learners

Saturday, November 6, 2021: This interactive session will feature ways to further support ALL learners with the effective instructional and social emotional strategies combined with an increasing number of digital solutions. Together, we will explore ways to plan and design for effective instruction, facilitate regular and ongoing progress monitoring, and implement digital tools that promote social emotional development. In the ever changing world of COVID, we are continually being asked to teach in the face-to-face, hybrid, and online learning environments, sometimes simultaneously. This session will consider further ways to meet the needs of a variety of learners through effective practices and digital solutions.

ABOUT. Sean is a Professor in Special Education at the University of Kansas. As a teacher, teacher educator, scholar, and parent of a son with Down syndrome, he strives to find ways to use digital tools and solutions to facilitate the growth and development of ALL learners. At present, he is working with local and state educational agencies to promote the use of digital tools to assist in social emotional development, literacy instruction, and overall, hybrid/online learning across the grade level and content area.

TOPIC: Culture, Identity & Disabilities: Using Storytelling to Explore Intersectionality and Inclusion within Educational Settings

Saturday, November 13th: This interactive workshop is designed for community and family members who support students with intellectual and invisible disabilities. You will have the opportunity to explore how your own identities, culture(s), and socialization impact the ways in which you understand and engage with your students (and their families) as well as how the multiple and intersecting identities (e.g., racial, ethnic, religious, gender…) your students carry shape their experiences and interactions with others. We will cover concepts such as the model minority myth and adultification of Black children and their consequences, particularly as they pertain to students with intellectual and invisible disabilities, their families, teachers, and caregivers. We will close the session by collectively identifying actions that can be taken to address racism, xenophobia, and/or ethnocentrism within educational settings. Participants will receive access to a padlet containing links to articles, websites, and other information from the workshop.

ABOUT. Dr. Naliyah Kaya is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Montgomery College. She previously served as the Coordinator for Multiracial and Native/Indigenous Student Involvement at the University of Maryland where she continues to teach TOTUS Spoken Word Experience for the Jiménez-Porter Writers’ House in collaboration with the Office of Multicultural Involvement & Community Advocacy. Dr. Kaya’s interests and sociological work are centered on spoken word poetry & storytelling, the self, multiraciality, unconscious bias, leadership, ableism & accessibility, and justice-impacted community members. As a public sociologist, she also utilizes various art forms to bring awareness to and address social problems (i.e. artivism). Dr. Kaya organizes arts programming as a member of the Executive Committee for the Critical Mixed Race Studies Association (CMRSA) and has served as an advisor and evaluator for cross-cultural exhibitions including the Redefine/ABLE: Challenging Inaccessibility project. To learn more about Dr. Kaya’s work you can visit www.NaliyahKaya.com. 

Topic: A Pandemic is a Terrible Thing to Waste

In this program, Dr. Dan Shapiro explains how, “A pandemic is a terrible thing to waste.” We will learn how to respond to children with empathy and help them face the Covid era with optimism. They will learn how to apply problem-solving skills to current – and future – challenges. There will be plenty of time for questions and interaction. Participants will be encouraged to discuss pandemic-related mental health and behavioral issues as we all transition from virtual to in-person activities.

ABOUT. Dan Shapiro, M.D. - Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician and Creator, Parent Child Journey. I came from my hometown of East Lansing, Michigan to attend medical school at George Washington University in D.C. My Pediatric Residency training was at Children’s Hospital in DC. Then I practiced Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine in Silver Spring, Maryland for 13 years before shifting my focus to Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. I enjoy seeing children and consulting with parents in my home office. I also observe children and collaborate with educators at dozens of area schools. I developed the Parent Child Journey and Excursions Programs, offering these behavior management training courses throughout Greater Washington and internationally online. I am the author of numerous articles and three books: Parent Child Journey: An Individualized Approach to Raising Your Challenging Child, Parent Child Excursions: ADHD, Anxiety and Autism and Raph’s Tale, a children’s book on developmental difference. I am a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. I am married with 4 children and 2 grandchildren- all wonderfully different. My hobbies include music, reading and floating down the Potomac in a kayak.