Workshop Speakers
Workshop Topics
Families
Health and medical concerns - including the latest in therapies!
Education, including pre-school, transition, & post-secondary
Employment
Options for independent living
Friendships & social relationships
Advocacy and systems change, including legislation
Communication needs
Leisure opportunities
Positive behavior support
Person-centered planning
Sharing Sessions
Friday, 4:00-5:30pm
Informal sharing by topic or age of child.
Separate sessions for moms, dads, and grandparents.
Special session for parents whose children experience complex support needs.
Sessions facilitated by family member of a person with Down syndrome.
Very popular and meaningful feature of the convention!
Martha Blue-Banning, Ph.D.– Assistant Research Professor at Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas with 30 years experience in the field of special education as a teacher, administrator and researcher. Mother of an adult son with DS; Lawrence, KS
Candee Basford, M.A. (invited)– Author of We Dance Together; mother of a young adult with DS; Seaman, OH
Patricia E. Bauer -- Journalist. Mother of a young adult with DS. Previously reporter, bureau chief and editor at the Washington Post and Los Angeles Times
George Capone, M.D., M.S.– Research scientist, Kennedy Krieger Institute; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, John Hopkins University, School of
Medicine; Baltimore, MD
Laura Cifra-Bean, M.D.– Pediatrician in private practice, mother of son with DS; Mentor, OH
Terri Couwenhoven M.S. - AASECT Sexuality Educator/Consultant. Published primarily in the area of sexuality and developmental disabilities; Coordinator-Down Syndrome Clinic of Wisconsin. Parent of teen with DS; Milwaukee, WI
Allen Crocker, M.D.– Researcher and physician, Children’s Hospital; Boston, MA
Susan Goodman, J.D.– Director of Governmental Affairs, NDSC, mother of son with autism; Washington, DC
Dana Halle, J.D. - Co-founder and CFO of the Down Syndrome Foundation of Orange County; developer and lead instructor for the Learning Project and parent of a child with DS; Irvine, CA
W.C. Hoecke, M.Ed. - National Trainer, Friends National Resource Center - fatherhood, respite, marriage, and faith-based initiatives. Reverend Hoecke presents with his wife, Catherine Hoecke, M.A.. They are parents of a son with DS; Columbia, SC
Libby Kumin, Ph.D., CCC-SLP– Author of Early Communication Skills for Children with Down Syndrome: A Guide for Parents and Professionals, (2nd Ed.); Founder of the Down Syndrome Speech and Language Center for Excellence at Loyola College in Maryland; Columbia, MD
James MacDonald, Ph.D., CCC-SLP (invited) – Director, Communicating Partners Center; Editor, Communicating Partners Newsletter; retired professor; Ohio State University; Columbus, OH
Joan Medlen, R.D., L.D. – Editor of “Disability Solutions”; author of The Down Syndrome Nutrition Handbook: A Guide to Promoting Healthy Lifestyles. Mother of a son with DS and autism; Portland, OR
William C. Mobley, M.D., Ph.D. (invited) - Fellow, Royal College of Physicians; Professor and Chair of the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, and Director of the Center for Research and Treatment of Down Syndrome at Stanford University.
Susan Peoples, B.S. – Founder of “Special Offspring,” with 30 years experience as an elementary teacher and clinician; mother of son with DS; Fort Wayne, IN
Siegfried Pueschel, M.D., Ph.D., MPH, J.D. – Author of A Parents Guide to Down Syndrome: Toward a Brighter Future (2nd Ed.); researcher and physician, DS Program, Rhode Island Hospital; father of son with DS; East Greenwich, RI
Sally Shott, M.D. – Professor, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Children's Hospital; Medical Center Department of Pediatric Otolaryngology Head & Neck Surgery; Cincinnati, OH
Sean Smith, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of Kansas; parent of a son with DS; Lawrence, KS
Ann Turnbull, Ed.D. – Co-founder of the Beach Center on Disability at the University of Kansas. Professor, teacher, researcher, and advocate for individuals with disabilities; mother of a son with special needs; Lawrence, KS
