Seminars and Workshops

We host a variety of seminars and workshops designed to help you help your child.

Advocating for students with special needs in the public school system K-12

Advocate without emotions getting in the way, student advocate Karen Chase, M.S. teaches parents how to take an active role in managing their child's special education, the gentle art of disagreeing, and how to maintain healthy working relationships with the school.

You will learn:

• How to assess student strengths and needs
• How to prepare a Parent Report for the IEP team
• How to build healthy working relationships with school personnel
• How to document information that may prevent or resolve disputes
• How to participate as an equal member of your child's IEP team
• The newest revisions of IDEA 2004

As a parent of a child with special needs, you are the one responsible to advocate for your child’s best interests. Nobody knows your children as well as you do. You are the one constant in his/her life. When you learn how to advocate effectively, you are ensuring that your child will receive an appropriate education.

We understand how frustrating the process of negotiating with the school can be. Many parents give up and hope for the best. Others will succeed. Why? Because they have learned the effective way to advocate. They have learned how to plan, prepare, and stay organized. They know what’s important and what is not worth disputing.

Our seminar will teach you about the special education maze and why parent-school differences exists. We will teach you strategies to resolve or even prevent problems from happening. You will learn how to create a plan, learn the rules of how school districts operate, keeping your child’s file updated, and the most up-to-date changes in IDEA 2004. Textbooks, morning and afternoon snacks are provided with your registration fee. Lunch is on your own.

No Child Left Behind: Friend or Foe?

We all have heard of the No Child Left Behind Act and know it has been very controversial, but why? What do you know about the No Child Left Behind Act, and where did you get your information? Why are teachers, school districts and teacher’s unions so opposed to act? This seminar will help bridge the gap between the law itself and one’s understanding of the legal language within it.

You will learn:

• The history of the NCLB act
• What the law says about annual proficiency tests
• What the law says about accountability
• What the law says about parent involvement
• How to find the answers to your questions

Many truths, myths, and lies swirl around the NCLB act. We’ve all heard about how devastating it is, but just where do these sound bites come from? Is it a bad thing? If you are the parent of a school age child, you need to learn about your rights and responsibilities under the No Child Left Behind act and how this law affects the education of your child and what your child is entitled to. In this seminar, you will learn what the law says about reading, proficiency tests, accommodations, accountability, supplemental educational services and tutoring. We will also discuss what the law defines as a highly qualified teacher, paraprofessionals, and parental involvement. What does the law say about the parent’s right to observe their child’s classroom, instructional materials and the teacher’s qualifications? This seminar will examine why teachers, administrators, and The National Education Association are so opposed to one of the most controversial educational acts.

Tutoring Outside the Box: Working With Students With Special Needs

Based on her book, Tutoring Outside the Box: Working With Students With Special Needs, Karen Chase, MS will share insightful ideas on how to best teach students how to learn. Designed for tutors, teachers, home school parents, or anyone interested in teaching students with disabilities how to learn.

You will learn about:

• The most common disabilities and how to connect
• How to work with other agencies and other service providers
• Specialized instruction
• Keeping data and reports
• Social Skills and Anger Management

Welcome to Holland

Based on a parent’s discovery that her child was born with a disability, she writes a short story that will be shared as part of the opening. This seminar is intended for parents who suspect or have just learned of their child’s disability. You will learn the process of identifying a child with special needs, eligibility, IEP’s, parent reports, behavior plans and most common language used in the special education field.

How to Develop, Organize and Maintain a Parent Report

This workshop will introduce you to parent reports; what they are, why they are important and how to develop and organize them. Parent reports will assist you in negotiating services that your child needs and may be submitted as evidence at due process. This is an extremely beneficial workshop for all parents with children in the special education public school program.

Yelling Doesn’t Work!: What You Can Do to Help a Child with Special Needs Comply at Home and in the Classroom Using Positive Behavior Supports.

Yelling does not teach the necessary skills the child needs to learn in order to comply. This workshop provides insight into why a child with special needs misbehaves and how changing your behavior will in turn change theirs. Learn to recognize the function of behavior and how a front-end approach will show results. Functional Assessments, which are at the heart of a Positive Behavior Support Plan, are discussed at length and samples plans are provided.

An IEP for My Child

Every child with a disability who receives special education services must have an Individual Education Program. This workshop takes parents step-by-step through the development of the IEP including how to articulate a Vision, using evaluations to write annual measurable goals and how to measure their child’s progress.

Basic Rights

This workshop provides families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is designed to help parents learn how to be effective partners with the school, to decide the child’s eligibility for special education, to plan, make decisions and to monitor the educational progress of their child.