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Ability Network
Welcomes our
Esteemed Presenters


 
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Cari Ebert

ABCs of Early Intervention
Friday, July 31, 2020
​10 AM - 3 PM
ABCs of EARLY INTERVENTION
Working with the birth to three population is a rewarding, yet often challenging experience due to the unique service delivery system. Using a transdisciplinary teaming approach with an emphasis on
coaching the caregiver moves providers from a dyadic model of service delivery to a triadic model, which includes parents and caregivers as integral members of the early intervention team. In this course we will examine the ABCs of early intervention to empower providers with critical evidence regarding best practice guidelines when serving infants and toddlers with special needs and their families. Some of the topics we will explore include barriers to success in early intervention, effective strategies for
coaching the caregiver, creating functional IFSP outcomes, embedding strategies into naturally occurring routines, and providing effective services in the childcare setting.
ABOUT CARI EBERT
Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in private practice in the Kansas City, MO area. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Ms. Ebert is a therapist, consultant, author, and nationally-recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most…TALK! She works exclusively with very young children and their families and believes that early intervention is the key to future success. 
 
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Janice Fialka

The Dance of Partnership:
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Why Do My Feet Hurt? Strengthening the Family-Professional Partnership
Saturday, August 1, 2020
8:45 AM - 11:30 AM
 
THE DANCE OF PARTNERSHIP
Janice’s keynote is designed to assist participants to better understand the challenges of forming and maintaining partnerships between parents who have children with delays and disabilities and professionals who work with families. Drawing from both her social work and her parenting experiences, Janice explores the unique dimensions which complicate and
enhance this working relationship. Some of the questions she explores are: Can
there truly be a partnership? What does each partner bring to the relationship?
What strengths? What constraints? What strategies promote the partnership?
ABOUT JANICE FIALKA
Janice Fialka, LMSW, ACSW is a nationally-recognized lecturer, author, and award-winning advocate on issues related to disability, family-professional partnerships, inclusion, and raising a child with disabilities. She is also a parent, poet, and a compelling storyteller. Over twenty-five years ago, Janice established herself as a major contributor to the national conversation on family-professional partnerships through her keynotes and writings, The Dance of Partnership: Why do my feet hurt? Strengthening the family-professional partnership.
 
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Dr. Valeri Lane

Emotional Labor:
The Invisible Work of Early Intervention
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Saturday, August 1, 2020
12:30 PM - 2:30 PM
EMOTIONAL LABOR
Emotional labor (EL) is the intentional management and display of feelings in order to maintain an effective relationship with others. In early intervention programs, EL can have  an impact on anyone who works directly with families. The consequences of EL can range from emotional strain to physical symptoms. With effective responses, team members peers, supervisors and coaches can play a role in alleviating the effects of this work.

This session is designed to explore the concept of EL in early intervention and its effects on those who regularly engage in this work. The session is designed for those who work directly with children and families, and the supervisors, mentors, and coaches who support them. Characteristics of EL, factors within early intervention that contribute to EL, and strategies that can moderate the impact of EL will be examined.

ABOUT DR. VALERI LANE
Dr. Valeri Lane, PhD, is an early childhood consultant with experience across a broad array of infant/toddler and preschool programs. She was a member and co-chair of Missouri’s State Interagency Coordinating Council for Part C from 1991 to 2006, and has been a member of Missouri’s Coordinating Board for Early Childhood from 2009 to the present.

 
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Sharon Wisdom

 
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Diane Addison

Safety for Home Visitors
Sunday, August 2, 2020
9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

SAFETY FOR HOME VISITORS
Home visitors usually provide services alone, entering environments with unknown and sometimes volatile variables. This presentation offers strategies for minimizing risk, explores scenarios a home visitor may encounter, and facilitates formulating plans for staying safe when unexpected situations arise in the field.
ABOUT SHARON WISDOM 
Retired parent educator with 27 years of experience in providing services for young children and their families within many varied environments.
ABOUT DIANE ADDISON
Current Parent educator with 34 years of experience in providing services for young children and their families within many varied environments; Program Administrator for DESE PAT Professional Development Team; Parents as Teachers Parent Educator of the Year

Panel on Family Engagement

Saturday, August 1, 2020 :: 2:45 PM - 3:45 PM
​Moderated by Angie Dalton
More information coming soon!

Community Partnerships and Resources Panel

Saturday, August 1, 2020 :: 4:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Moderated by Angie Dalton
More information coming soon!
ABILITY NETWORK
284 Merchant Street  ·  Ste. Genevieve, MO 63670
Phone 573.883.8181 ·  Fax 573.883.8182

services in natural settings throughout missouri
early intervention · speech therapy · physical therapy · occupational therapy
behavior support services · agency and school services