Presentation Topics

For Parents/Caregivers:

• Teaching Adults with Developmental DisabilitiesThe reason for life-long learning and the strategies and approach for encouraging life-long learning.
• If you've ever wanted to crawl in the closet with an Oreo… Tips for taking care of a person with exceptional challenges
• What Do I Do About Hitting?! Rage and anger management as generated by language delays and sensory integration disorders. Parent/child viewpoints
• Being the Special Needs family Acknowledging the special challenges of the family and strategies for finding support and friendships
• TAP DANCING in the night Characteristics of autism
• I feel so alone Understanding the alienation of families with children who have exceptional challenges…and what to do about it!
• What Can I Do As A Parent? Behavioral issue strategies (may request specific types of behaviors by addressed i.e. anger, communication, social cueing, holiday suggestions, etc.)
• Chronic Sorrow Dealing with depression associated with long-term caregiving
• Foster care for the child having special needs.
• Better have another cookie… A discussion about parenting the adult child with exceptional needs

For Churches with Special Needs Ministeries:

• Ministering to the Special Needs Family Any family with a person having exceptional needs becomes a family with exceptional needs. Ways to help them, warnings that hurt them.

Classroom and Professional Support:

• Teaching Adults with Developmental Disabilities The reason for life-long learning and effective strategies for continued success in teaching adults with cognitive disabilities.
• Great Expectations! What you envision makes an enormous difference! Fitting expectations with reality. Explores ways professionals and educators affect overall life expectation for students or clients.
• What Do I Do About Hitting?! Rage and anger management as generated by language delays and sensory integration disorders. School settings and issues that affect rage, anger and depression of a person having exceptional needs
• Don't embarrass me! Using sign language for social cues
• TAP DANCING in the night Characteristics of autism seen on the ball field and in the classroom
• Homeschooling the student with Autism Spectrum Disorder or other exceptional needs
• Life-long Learning Why it is imperative to those having neurological disorders
• Explanation of "Let's play ball!" Teaching the unwritten rules of conversation

For those on the autism spectrum

• Finally Fitting Embracing autism
• Don't embarrass me! Using sign language for social cues
• TAP DANCING in the night Characteristics of autism
• I Don't intend to hurt you! Anger management strategies for children and adults (modified to best fit the audience)
• Let's play ball! Understanding the unwritten rules of conversation
• Peeking out of the closet Self advocacy: when, where and why

General audience (Topics may be given with any group, but modified according to the specific audience)

• Maintaining right of benefits after marriage. Background information and current information on the Congressional Inquiry to the Social Security Administration initiated by U.S. Representative Michael C. Burgess of Lewisville, Texas and progress made by Senators John Cornyn and US Senators from Pennsylvania.
• Redefining life's experiences for those with special needs
• Our Flavorful Lives An inside look at relationships and the lifestyle of a family having exceptional needs (those with "flavorful" children).
• Defining Success A new perspective on defining success from the viewpoint of the caregiver, educator or the person with special challenges
• Life-long Learning Why it is imperative to those having neurological disorders
  


Contact Martha Kate Downey to schedule a program.
817-283-4114
mk@mkdowney.com
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