Overview

On our podcast today we speak with Greg O’Connor, a long-time friend of SENIA, who has spoken at many of our conferences and has taught us so much about how we can use technology to best support our students who need it. For over 30 years Greg has been actively involved in all levels of education, supporting the learning of ALL students as a classroom teacher, school executive, education department manager and technology consultant. He is currently a member of the Asia Pacific Texthelp Team, supporting technology innovation and implementation across the region.

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For over 30 years Greg has been actively involved in all levels of education, supporting the learning of ALL students as a classroom teacher, school executive, education department manager and technology consultant. He is currently a member of the Asia Pacific Texthelp Team, supporting technology innovation and implementation across the region.

Dr. Nicole Sparapani is an Assistant Professor at the University of California Davis and a faculty member of the MIND Institute The UC Davis MIND Institute is a collaborative international research center, committed to the awareness, understanding, prevention, and treatment of the challenges associated with neurodevelopmental disabilities.

Nicole has been working with Autistic individuals for many years and is now leading research studies about the importance of the language we use when working with students on the spectrum. Today we discuss her study and discover how much has changed in this field since she first started. In an ever-evolving field, we all have a lot to learn.

Bio

Nicole Sparapani is an assistant professor in the school of education and faculty member at the UC Davis MIND Institute. She is an SLP by discipline and specializes in programming for students with ASD in classrooms. Her research and clinical practice go hand-in-hand. I study the engagement and learning of students with ASD in the classroom and the factors that impact this (ie, teachers’ language).

Dominique Blue is a special educator working in China. Like many of you, she has worked in schools where there is no official special education program. Does that mean there are no learning needs inthese schools? Of course not. So Dominique gives us some tips on how we can support struggling learners in our schools without programs. But that’s not all! Dominique tells us about raising her son who has 1p36 Deletion Syndrome. And she tells of her very important work as a member of AIELOC and their mission to dismantle structural racism in international schools. An educator, a mother, and a leader, Dominque Blue is an uber advocate..

Overview

Dr. Choy Sook Kuen is a mother of two sons Aaron and Joshua,  and founder of Oasis Place in Kuala Lumpur,  Malaysia’s first and largest multi-disciplinary intervention centre for children and adults with learning differences. Oasis Place was born out of a mother’s love for her differently abled son.

Today, Sook Kuen tells her story of how she and her family  “learned forward” by connecting with other families and professionals to help them paint the picture ahead.

Choy Sook Kuen is an advocate through and through and a true inspiration.

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Dr. Choy Sook Kuen is the founder and Mother of Oasis Place -Malaysia’s first and largest multi-disciplinary intervention centre for children and adults with learning differences. Dr Choy holds a Bachelor of Medicine and a Bachelor of Surgery Degree from St George’s Hospital University of London and a Masters in Business Administration (Finance) from City University, London. Since opening their doors in 2014, Oasis Place has grown into a thriving community of professional health providers specialising in therapies including sensory integration occupational, speech and music therapy, psychological assessments and intervention. Oasis Place continues to make its mark to provide a platform for continuous education and professional development in Autism and learning differences.

Overview

Inclusion is essential in all areas of life, and Roland Benzon has invented a way for people who are deaf or blind can enjoy their favorite movies, TV shows, or podcasts. While not an educator, Roland has a personal connection to the special needs community and set out to find a way to help solve a problem. How could he help people in the deaf and blind community experience media in an engaging way? He started Wika Media and the possibilities for how this can be used are endless.

Roland Benzon has over 30 years of experience in IT, media, and telecommunications. A serial entrepreneur, Roland has patented over half a dozen inventions, including his latest innovations for the inclusion of people with hearing and/or visual disabilities. Roland is one of the cofounders of Wika Media.

Overview

Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician, Dr. Roby Marcou, and I discuss the developmental and behavioral impact of the Covid 19 experiences on children, adolescents, families and educators. What should teachers do to help their students adjust? What are some strategies families can use if their child is experiencing anxiety about returning? And, what should schools be focusing on during their first few months back? Hint: It’s not “Business as usual.” Make sure to forward this on to your school counselors and administrators so everyone comes back to school on the same page.

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Dr Roby Marcou is an American Board Certified Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrician with practices in Singapore and the Washington DC area. She has practiced in Asia for 27 years and has worked with children, adolescents, parents and schools throughout the region.

The chairperson of the SENIA Europe board of directors is our guest today. April Remfrey spent years as a special educator in the international schools. She understands how hard it can be for families to find a “good fit” for their children with special learning needs, and now dedicates her time by helping families. Today, April and I discuss what families can do when they find out they are moving and best practices for international school admissions departments. Finally, SENIA Europe is growing and beginning to do some exciting things. If you’re in Europe, make sure to sign up today.

April Remfrey is an educational consultant that focuses her time working with globally mobile families that have children with special needs when they are searching for a new school. April is also creating software for international schools and serves on the board of directors for SENIA-Europe. www.remfreyeducationalconsulting.com

Today I speak with Pat Noonan, a special educator from Massachusetts who, during the early days of online instruction, found a way to create lessons for his students that are engaging, interactive, and fun. Pat created a series of youtube videos that have a Blues Clues or Dora the Explorer type of format, but uses Boardmaker icons which help support nonverbal learners, autistic students, and well, basically all students.  Pat is an animated host and dedicated teacher. I hope you have as much fun with this episode as I did. And now...onto the show.

Pat Noonan is the special educator behind Special Education with Pat, a YouTube channel dedicated to educational content for students with autism and intellectual disabilities. When COVID-19 forced schools to transition to remote learning, Pat's answer was to create videos from home filled with sounds and visuals to win over his students without being there in person. He plans to continue experimenting and finding new ways to reach students like his remotely.

Those of us who have been attending SENIA conferences for the past nine years or so are not strangers to my guest today. Dr. Bonnie Singer is the Founder and CEO of Architects For Learning, which is dedicated to giving educators effective teaching methods that take language and critical thinking to new levels. She also directs a staff in the Boston area that helps K-12 and college students succeed in school, college, and beyond.

Dr. Singer and I speak today about how she became interested in how Executive Functioning skills and language disorders are related as well as how teachers and parents can recognize when a child might be struggling with EF challenges. And we discuss ways to support these challenges. And now...onto the show.

Today I speak to Emmy Thamakaison, a rising Grade 12 student at International School Bangkok who wrote a bilingual children’s book about a child learning about his ADHD, what it means, how he can work with it, and what gifts it can bring him, because, yes, it can be a superpower. JJ’s Squiggly Mind was written with an aim to help destigmatize ADHD and other learning differences as a whole. And, 100% of proceeds from the sales of this book go to local charities which support students with learning differences. So, make sure to visit the website below to get your free downloadable copy for purchase Emmy’s book. And now...onto the show.

Emmy Thamakaison is a student activist in Thailand, author of JJ's Squiggly Mind, and Executive Director of SENIA Youth International. She is passionate about advocating for exceptionalities and is dedicated to giving back to the community.