** Winthrop registration link:
https://gradschool.winthrop.edu/register/CPD
SOUTH CAROLINA ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGISTS
2023 Spring Conference
March 23-24, 2023
Myrtle Beach Hilton
AND Virtual through Zoom
Reservation link: https://www.hilton.com/en/attend-my-event/scschoolpsychologists2023/
or call (800) 876-0010, Option 3 for Hilton Myrtle Beach Resort or Option 4 for the Royale Palms Condos. Mention SC Association of School Psychologists.
SCASP is approved by the National Association of School Psychologists to offer continuing education for school psychologists. SCASP maintains responsibility for the program.
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
Full-day Workshop
Thursday, March 23, 2023
7:30 AM – 8:30 AM Snacks/Coffee and Registration
8:30 AM – 4:30 PM Full-day Workshop (1 1/2 hour break for lunch)
Executive Functioning: From Assessment to Interventions for all Neurodiverse Learners.
Chris Abildgaard, Ed. D. University of St. Joseph and The Social Learning Center
Over the past 10 years, the term Executive functioning has grown in popularity within the field of School Psychology and education but what does it mean and how does it impact our students on a day-to-day basis? For students with various neurodiverse learning needs (e.gAutism Spectrum Disorders (ASD), ADD/ADHD, Social Communication Disorders, Specific Learning Disorders, etc.) they may struggle when it comes to written expression, reading comprehension, and developing social connections. Many students are told to “stop it” and “you should know....” or “you just did this yesterday!” There is a systematic lack of education and training around cognitive constructs related to executive functioning and variables that may impact one’s development in this area. We continue to see on a national level a larger systems issue regarding the lack of awareness of underlying causes for executive function deficits which include the impact of maltreatment, economic deprivation, and other adverse childhood experiences found in some Black and Latino communities and families. Due to this lack of awareness it has resulted in increased concerns from teachers around the areas of behavior and social functioning in the classroom. As a result, we are faced with an increased number of referrals of students to special education and the subsequent students' negative attitudes about school which has a direct impact on one’s mental health. This course is intended to expand the competencies of school staff working with individuals struggling with various executive functioning deficits. This course will explore how one’s executive functioning impacts the academic, social and emotional aspects of their life. An emphasis will be placed on uncovering one’s individual strengths to help improve those areas of deficit. This seminar will highlight assessment instruments used when examining one’s executive functioning and ways to use data gathered to help support one’s executive function as it relates to social cognition. The term “social executive functioning” will be defined and better defined and interventions to help a student with aspects of cognitive shifting, inhibition and self-monitoring (to name a few) will all be explored.
Objectives:
● Participants will gain a working knowledge of neurodiverse learners and the impact executive functioning has on learning.
● Participants will explore ways to use assessment tools to drive intervention and create measurable goals and objectives.
● Participants will explore ways to communicate and collaborate with teachers, families and outside professionals on ways to support one’s EF in a culturally sensitive manner.
Friday, March 24, 2023
7:30 AM – 8:00 AM Snacks/Coffee and Registration
8:00 AM – 4:30 PM - Full day workshop
Tentative Title: Word-Level Reading Difficulties: Implications for Assessment, Instruction, and Interventions
David A. Kilpatrick, PhD is a professor emeritus of psychology for the State University of New York College at Cortland. He is a New York State certified school psychologist with 28 years experience in schools. He has been teaching courses in learning disabilities and educational psychology since 1994. David is a reading researcher and the author of two books on reading, Essentials of Assessing, Preventing, and Overcoming Reading Difficulties, and Equipped for Reading Success, and is a co-editor of a third, Reading Development and Difficulties: Bridging the Gap Between Research and Practice.
The presentation will focus on how children learn to read words and why some children struggle. Understanding the nature of word-level reading development and word-level reading problems will guide assessment, instruction, and intervention. Studies consistently show that the most commonly used intervention approaches provide limited benefits for at-risk and struggling readers. However, other studies have shown that some approaches can yield very large reading gains for such students. Once we understand how reading works and why some students struggle, the reasons for this pattern of intervention findings become clear. The focus is on establishing a knowledge base for school psychologists and educators to choose the most effective assessment, instructional, and intervention practices.
OBJECTIVES:
As a result of this session, participants will be able to:
1. Explain to teachers and parents how word-level reading skills develop and why some students struggle with those skills.
2. Assemble a battery of assessments that will allow them to pinpoint precisely why a student is struggling in reading.
3. Administer and interpret the Phonological Awareness Screening Test.
4. Recommend to general and special educational teachers and administrators the most highly effective intervention approaches.
5. Recommend instructional practices to administrators and K-1 teachers that will prevent most reading difficulties from occurring in the first place.
