Pre-Conference Workshops

Advancing Inclusive Practices to Promote Social-Emotional and Behavioral Development
Presenters: Megan Vinh and Courtney O’Grady

In this session, we will discuss how there is a need for continued support for early childhood educators so that as we work to eliminate practices such as suspension and expulsion, we provide early childhood educators with a toolkit of inclusive, proactive, and preventative strategies they can use instead to promote social emotional competence for each and every child. We will also address how exclusionary discipline negatively impacts young children and discuss strategies for providing additional support for children with disabilities who may have behavior viewed as challenging.

The Right Stuff: Evidence-Based Practices, Tools, and Strategies for Early Childhood Faculty and Professional Development Leaders
Presenters: Camille Catlett, Sharon Little, Kelli Odden, Samtra Devard

Does your job include preparing early childhood educators to recognize, create, implement, evaluate, and advocate for high-quality inclusive learning opportunities for children with disabilities (birth to eight) and their families? If so, this is the session for you. Presenters will share the latest options for incorporating inclusive teaching and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) 3.0 approaches in each course or professional development offering. The session will also include the highly rated tabletop conversations in which participants will be able to interact with content experts on topics of their choice, ranging from creating high-quality inclusive field experiences to engaging families as teaching partners.

Fostering Communication and Literacy Skills for Children with Complex Support Needs in Inclusive Settings
Presenter: Lisa Thompson

Children with complex support needs require an extensive array of supports to access their environment, interact with others, participate in instruction, learn, and communicate autonomously. When these supports are not present, they have reduced access to language, communication, and literacy interactions compared to their peers with and without disabilities. This session will describe specific supports such as augmentative and alternative communication and accessible literacy lessons that address these needs and result in increased access, participation, and learning success.