Welcome to STAR NET Region II's recorded webinar library. Both Parents and Professionals will find videos on useful topics, such as Inclusion, Transitioning from EI to ECSE and more!
PLEASE NOTE: STAR NET Region II is unable to award CEs for watching these recordings.
Here, There, Everywhere Embedding Goals in Classroom Routines and Activities
Originally presented on January 27, 2022 by Ann Kremer, Emily Ropars and Jackie Marino.
Building the executive function component of Inhibitory control lays the foundation for self-regulation and availability for learning. Play is the vehicle where adults can support handing over regulation skills to the child.
Participants will be able to: - Identify the steps to self-regulation. - Review how make-believe play builds self-regulation. - Construct ideas for using play as a teaching tool for self-regulation.
Everything You Want to Know About Transition for Parents
Originally presented by Gina Musielski on January 12, 2022
Soon your child will be turning three! Are you ready? Join us for this webinar to help you prepare for your child’s transition from Early Intervention services to preschool.
We’ll cover:
- Differences between EI and Early Childhood services
- Transition steps & timelines, and why they are important
- Eligibility for school based services
- Parent rights under the law
- Exploring your options
- Sharing what you know about your child, and
- Preparing to be an active participant in the educational planning for your soon-to-be preschooler!
How to Pick the Right Treatment and the Right Therapist A Consumer's Guide to Child Therapy
Originally presented by Dr Steven Kurtz on January 31, 2022
Finding the right treatment and the right therapist for your child and your family can be a daunting task, especially in the pandemic era. Dr. Steven Kurtz, an international authority on effective treatments for children, youth and families will help parents understand the process, from identifying the most well-supported treatments to making sure the fit with the therapist is a good one. Dr. Kurtz also will discuss interesting and novel treatments that are "not ready for prime time" in terms of research support even though they sound like they should work. Using anxiety, ADHD, disruptive behaviors, ASD and selective mutism as examples he will show us how to navigate the maze of potential treatments and therapists.
Participants will be able to:
- Search for research-supported treatments for a child mental health problem.
- State why research support is important in choosing a treatment.
- State the characteristics of a provider most likely to help their child and family.
- State at least one type of treatment that is popular but has not enough support to be considered highly effective.
Puppets Lend a Hand in Teaching Basic Social Skills
Originally presented by Jac McBride on June 21, 2021
Teaching basic social interaction skills is foundational to creating a respectful and positive classroom community. This workshop uses puppets to specifically teach getting a peer’s attention, sharing toys, requesting, turn taking and giving a compliment. When these basic social skills are taught intentionally and are expected when initiating all peer interactions, classroom conflict is reduced. Teachers will collaborate and prepare a small group lesson with puppets using one of the peer interaction scripts as foundation to teach another positive social skill. Be prepared to share your creativity and strategies with colleagues to expand your student’s prosocial skills.
Participants will be able to:
- Examine the Pyramid framework for teaching social emotional skills for creating respectful classroom communities.
- Investigate how to use puppets supports and strategies successfully in the preschool classroom.
- Analyze social scripts to intentionally teach how to initiate interaction with peers for: getting a peer’s attention, sharing toys, requesting, turn taking and giving a compliment.
- Construct a small group lesson using the social scripts presented as foundation to teach an additional peer interaction skill.
Fears & Phobias: What's Normal? What's Not?
Originally presented by Dr. Paul Shawler on April 4, 2022
Fears in childhood are the rule, not the exception. Sometimes these fears rise to the level of phobias, where the worries and avoidance actually interfere with the child's functioning. Join child psychologist expert Dr. Steven Kurtz for a developmental walkthrough to learn what's typical or "normal" at different stages, how to spot when the fears are becoming excessive, and what to do. We will share supportive and practical strategies.
Participants will be able to: - State the difference between a fear and a phobia. - State the difference between accommodating and enabling. - State supportive strategies that avoid unnecessarily reinforcing the child's fear.
Let's Review Early Childhood Outcomes (ECO): Striving for Positive Best Practices in ECO
Originally presented by Nancy Kind on November 7, 2022.
This webinar will provide you with information on the Illinois Early Childhood Outcomes system and assist you to accurately determine outcomes ratings for preschoolers with IEPs. Content will include a review of the three outcomes areas, determining ratings using the Child Outcomes scale, the importance of team discussion including families and decision making based on the child’s functioning across settings. The review of these practices across all team members will help lead to good outcomes for children.
Participants will:
• Investigate the purposes of the child outcomes system
• Examine the outcomes areas, and utilize the rating system and scales used to rate progress
• Analyze key considerations related to accurately completing the Child Outcomes Summary
• Identify the role of the family in the rating process
Understanding Exposures and Extinction Learning in Selective Mutism
Selective mutism (SM) is a failure to speak when speaking is expected (e.g., school and public settings) despite having the ability to speak. Children with selective mutism are often very chatty at home and then become uncharacteristically quiet in school or in public. Conceptualized as an anxiety disorder, SM is essentially a fear of speaking in specific settings. Exposure tasks (e.g., speaking exposures) can be effective in reducing mutism and increasing speaking across people, places, and activities by activating extinction learning. Extinction learning is a process whereby a new association between the expectation to speak and the absence of the feared aversive outcome is formed, weakening the association between speaking and fear. When working with your child with selective mutism, it may help to understand the extinction learning process behind doing speaking exposures so that, as a parent, you can understand how to maximize extinction learning and keep the new learning accessible for your child’s continued growth and generalization of speaking across people, places, and activities.
Participants will:
- Be able to recognize selective mutism as an anxiety disorder
- Be introduced to the concept of exposure tasks to reduce mutism and how extinction learning will support the child's ability to speak in a variety of settings
Stop Spinning in Circles
Originally presented by Becky Handler on November 14, 2022. What are the diverse learners in your preschool classroom really learning with traditional circle time? This time together should be a fun and engaging, intentional teaching experience related to your objectives, standards and studies. Social emotional competence will also be a focus of the presentation. Be inspired to switch things up to meet individual needs with developmentally appropriate tips, strategies and activities to make your large group 15 minutes of engaging fun learning. Participants will: 1. Apply developmentally appropriate expectations for large group time in early childhood. 2. Analyze appropriate activities that should be focused on during circle time 3. Apply knowledge of alternative ways children can participate during circle time.
The Road to Authentic Family Engagement: Understanding and Working Through Barriers
In this session, participants will explore strategies for working around common barriers to engagement for multilingual families with children receiving IEP services. We will discuss and share experiences around building authentic relationships with diverse families in early childhood programs. In addition we will review stages of immigrant parent involvement in schools, and how they impact our efforts for engagement in the special education process. Participants will: Explore strategies for working around common barriers to family engagement Share experiences around building authentic relationships with all families Review stages of immigrant parent involvement in schools, and how they impact our efforts for engagement
Using Shared Reading with Core Vocabulary in the Early Childhood Classroom
A comprehensive approach to literacy for children who may have communication challenges includes robust and repetitive access to literacy experiences. Share Reading is an approach that educators and families can use daily to help build their child's literacy and language skills. Pairing this technique with core vocabulary, an evidence based method for providing functional communication to people developing their communication skills couldn't be easier! This webinar will provide participants all they need to begin using Core Based Shared Reading, as well as to teach others the power of this practice.