Day 3 at AUCD
Another busy day at AUCD! I began my day with an early morning jog with a training director I met on day one. The first plenary sessions detailed the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDD), a partnership between the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and AUCD. One of the first examples I think of when I hear the term “birth defect” is spina bifida/myelomengiocele. It was interesting to hear about the worldwide initiative for Folic Acid Fortification and see effect it has had in different countries. I also was intrigued by the term “Folic acid resistant spina bifida.” I think professionals and community persons can be guilty of assuming that in these times, the mother of a child with spina bifida must have not “taken care of herself” during her pregnancy. I think this term will be helpful in educating colleagues and others regarding the inaccuracy of this assumption.
At a concurrent session related to early intervention, the University of Connecticut presented data from OSEP (Office of Special education Programs) funded research project looking at gaps/area for improvement of training for Early Childhood/Early Intervention professionals. At their website one can find study reports and “two pagers” about each study. (www.uconnucedd.org/projects/early_childhood/publications.html)
One new and interesting fact for me was hearing the UCEDD in the US Virgin Islands describe their newly designed inclusive early intervention program and training for those professionals. If technology cooperates, I have a video of Yegin Habtes describing this program to the attendees. You may need to crank up the volume to hear it because there were no microphones at the session.
Another busy day at AUCD! I began my day with an early morning jog with a training director I met on day one. The first plenary sessions detailed the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDD), a partnership between the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and AUCD. One of the first examples I think of when I hear the term “birth defect” is spina bifida/myelomengiocele. It was interesting to hear about the worldwide initiative for Folic Acid Fortification and see effect it has had in different countries. I also was intrigued by the term “Folic acid resistant spina bifida.” I think professionals and community persons can be guilty of assuming that in these times, the mother of a child with spina bifida must have not “taken care of herself” during her pregnancy. I think this term will be helpful in educating colleagues and others regarding the inaccuracy of this assumption.
At a concurrent session related to early intervention, the University of Connecticut presented data from OSEP (Office of Special education Programs) funded research project looking at gaps/area for improvement of training for Early Childhood/Early Intervention professionals. At their website one can find study reports and “two pagers” about each study. (www.uconnucedd.org/projects/early_childhood/publications.html)
One new and interesting fact for me was hearing the UCEDD in the US Virgin Islands describe their newly designed inclusive early intervention program and training for those professionals. If technology cooperates, I have a video of Yegin Habtes describing this program to the attendees. You may need to crank up the volume to hear it because there were no microphones at the session.
I decided to sit in on the autism SIG (special interest group) meeting during lunch. It was very informative and again got me thinking about the role of physical therapists in treatment for children with autism spectrum disorders. As a student, I have had mentors advocate for weekly PT treatment for these children and mentors who, in the absence of a true gross motor delay or deficit, allowing the parents and other professionals to focus on the child’s more significant needs. I am interested to hear other PT‘s and PT students philosophy on PT for children with ASD.
As it is Veterans Day and I am in the Nation’s Capital, I felt in appropriate to do some sightseeing. With the Patricias (from USC and Miami), I visited the White House, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, and the Korean War and the World War II Memorials. Be sure to check out pictures from our afternoon a the trainee page on facebook or at shutterfly site: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=82c142f639743e660031ecd658bfd733&sid=0AbMWrRyzcs2TiA
As it is Veterans Day and I am in the Nation’s Capital, I felt in appropriate to do some sightseeing. With the Patricias (from USC and Miami), I visited the White House, the Lincoln and Washington Memorials, and the Korean War and the World War II Memorials. Be sure to check out pictures from our afternoon a the trainee page on facebook or at shutterfly site: http://share.shutterfly.com/share/received/welcome.sfly?fid=82c142f639743e660031ecd658bfd733&sid=0AbMWrRyzcs2TiA
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