Join other parents for a free information session on special education.  Topics will include a parent panel, IEP"s (Individualized Education Plans), CIRCUIT: statewide special education consulting, Understanding IQ, Academic Solutions for the Struggling Reader and Writer and Mental Health in the Schools.  Several special needs providers will host information tables and/or guest speakers.  For more information, contact Dawn Itzkowitz at 501-227-3717 or ditzkowitz@eastersealsar.com.

Event Schedule

8-8:45 a.m. - Registration and Information Booths

8:45-9:45 a.m. - Parent Panel

10-10:45 a.m. - Breakout Sessions

Parent Q&A - Moderated by Michelle McClanahan, Executive Director, Riley’s Warriors Inc. -This extended version of the parent panel features more open discussions about what information you as parents are seeking and what you wish to share with other parents. Please come prepared to ask questions and share a “what I know now that I wish I knew then” piece of advice for others.

Mental Health Treatment Options Available in Central Arkansas -Learn what mental health treatment options are available for individuals with developmental disorders, learning disabilities and other disorders.

Understanding IQ - Presented by Dr. Sabine Falls, Ph.D., Clinical Psychologist, ACCESS. - Why would you need to know your child’s Intelligence Quotient? What exactly is IQ? Why is assessing and knowing IQ important? Does a child’s IQ stay the same over the course of his or her life? How is IQ determined, and what information does it provide when planning therapeutic and educational treatments? What to do with the student whose IQ doesn’t seem to match his or her abilities?

Individualized Education Plans and Special Education Regulations - Presented by Pat Hays, Owner, Arkansas Special Education Law Firm - This presentation employs the actual Arkansas IEP form to walk parents through the special education process and answer the question: What’s important in the IEP?

11-11:45 a.m. - Breakout Sessions

Academic Solutions for the Struggling Reader and Writer - Presented by Janice Edmonson, M.S., CCC-SLP, Technology Resource Coordinator, ACCESS -Students who struggle with reading, reading comprehension and written expression need strategies to address their deficiencies. High- and low-tech academic therapy techniques can improve your child’s skills and academic performance as well as boost his or her confidence. Learn strategies for students ages 5 and older.

CIRCUIT Statewide Educational Consulting - Presented by Suzie Baker, Director, Easter Seals Outreach Program, in Association with ADE-SEU - CIRCUIT is a free, statewide educational consulting group that parents can request. The Arkansas Department of Education sends out specialists to work on your child’s specific educational or behavioral concerns.

Individualized Education Plans and Special Education Regulations - Presented by Pat Hays, Owner, Arkansas Special Education Law Firm - This presentation employs the actual Arkansas IEP form to walk parents through the special education process and answer the question: What’s important in the IEP?

Recreation Therapy as a Related IEP Service - Presented by Phillip Pengelly, Therapeutic Recreation Specialist - This presentation will focus on Philip's experience as the first recreation therapist in an Arkansas School district, and the benefit to the students who received these services.  He will show a brief history of recreation therapy in Arkansas, and the way to receive a formal evaluation of your child's leisure and recreation skills on an IEP.