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Are you an Educator with an interest in learning about best practices for students with Down syndrome? Join us on March 23, 2013 for the MDSC Annual Conference. We have an educator track created just for you! Earn 6 Hours of Professional Development Points.
Session I
Universal Design for Learning: Maximizing Learning for Students with Down Syndrome
Peggy Coyne, Ed.D., Research Scientist, CAST
Participants will gain an understanding of Universal Design for Learning, specifically how this framework for curriculum design and instruction, supports meaningful access, participation, and progress to the general education curriculum for students with Down Syndrome. 
Dr. Coyne develops, delivers, and evaluates professional development programs, bringing research-based instructional practices to educators. At CAST, she works with educators to change instructional practices by integrating UDL and technology into classroom instruction to improve student-learning outcomes.
An expert in the development of educational models that use technology, she served as the Project Director of the OSEP-funded reading comprehension project, Engaging the Text, a research and development project that examined the use of a Universal Design for Learning literacy environment for 1st and 2nd grade students with Down Syndrome and other intellectual challenges.
Session II
Communication Skills in the 21st Century: Speech, Language and Technology
Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, Professor Speech-Language Pathology, Loyola University Maryland
What is the role of technology in maximizing speech and language skills in the classroom? School age children with Down syndrome have visual strengths and auditory challenges that impact on learning. Partnerships between SLPs, special educators and classroom teachers can apply technological advances to increase successful learning.
Dr. Kumin is a Professor of  Speech-Language Pathology/Audiology at Loyola University Maryland. Since 1968, she has been active in teaching and research, and has been working extensively with families of children with communication disorders.
Her current research focuses on speech intelligibility in people with Down syndrome, computer usage in children with Down syndrome, and communication skills in adults with Down syndrome related to employment and activities of daily living. Dr. Kumin has written extensively and spoken around the country. She is listed in Who's Who in America, Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, and Foremost Women of the Twentieth Century. She is an active clinician, teacher, researcher and scholar whose heart shines through her work.
Session III
The What, Why, and How of Positive Behavioral Interventions in the Classroom
Joseph N. Ricciardi, Psy.D., ABPP, BCBA-D, Seven Hills Clinical Associates
 Based on decades of scientific research, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) offers a broad range of interventions targeting skills development. This session will provide educators and parents with an orientation to the basic concepts of PBIS and some practical steps to begin using these concepts in the classroom or advocating for a child.
Dr. Ricciardi is Assistant Vice President of Clinical Services, at Seven Hills Clinical Associates. He is also amember of the Massachusetts DDS Sub-Committee on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.Dr. Ricciardi is a licensed psychologist with expertise in psychiatric, emotional, and behavioral disorders inchildren and adults with intellectual disability and developmental disorders. He received his doctorate inclinical psychology from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology. He completed his internshipand post-doctoral fellowship (residency) at Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School.
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