Four half-day pre-conference workshops were conducted by Madhuram Narayanan Centre on December 8 and 9,2004 for the benefit of rehabilitation professionals and parents by eminent expets in the field.
The workshops were inaugurated on 8th December 2004, by Mr. E. Shanmugasundaram, Joint Director, Directorate for the Disabled, Govt. of Tamilnadu. Mr. P.S.N. Kutty, Group General Manger (Basins), Oil and Natural Gas Corporation, Southern Region, Chennai, was the chief guest on this occasion. Prof. S. Karunanidhi, Registrar, University of Madras, Chennai, was the guest of honour on 9th December 2004. Prof. P. Jeyachandran, Director, Vijay Human Services, coordinated the workshops.
Workshop 1 - 8 Dec, 2004, 9.30 am to 1.00 pm
Topic - Individualised Family Programme Services – Procedure, Practices and Significance
Faculty - Ms. V.R.P. Sheilaja Rao, Lecturer in Special Education, NIMH, Secunderabad.
Ms. V.R.P. Sheilaja Rao, Lecturer in Special education, National Institute for the Mentally Handicapped, Secunderabad, conducted the workshop on Individualised Family Programme Services - Procedure, practices and significance. It was an interactive workshop covering the various aspects of parental participation of the children with disabilities in assisting in school activities, contributing to assessment and curriculum planning, implementing programmes at home and monitoring progress of the child.
Workshop 2 - 8 Dec, 2004, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm
Topic - Meeting the Challenges in Communication – Children with Autism
Faculty - Dr. Prathibha Karanth, Director, Communications DELL, Bangalore
Dr. Pratibha Karanth, Director, DELL, Bangalore, conducted the workshop on Meeting the challenges in communication for children with autism. The workshop was a combination of theoretical discussions and case examples. The discussions were centered around identifying the characteristics of autism, on the causes, prognosis, assessment diagnostics, existing approaches of treatment and communication related intervention.
Workshop 3 - 9 Dec, 2004, 9.30 am to 1.00 pm
Topic - Developing Effective Behavioural Approaches for Teaching Children with Learning Difficulties
Faculty - Prof. Peter T. Farrell Professor of Special Needs and Educational Psychology, President of the International School Psychology Association University of Manchester, UK
Prof. Peter. T. Farrell, Professor of Special Needs and Educational Psychology, University of Manchester, UK conducted the workshop on Developing effective behavioural approaches for teaching children and learning difficulty. It was an interactive session using role play to demonstrate the effective use of behavioural techniques such as prompting, task analysis and reinforcements.
Ninety professionals representing different organizations across the country and parents of children with special needs attended the workshops. The highlight of the workshop was the interaction of the participants with the experts conducting the workshop. Several issues related to parental participation, program planning, assessments, behaviour modification techniques for children with special needs were discussed. The workshops concluded on the evening of 9th December, 2004 with the inaugural function of the conference.
Workshop 4 - 9 Dec, 2004, 2.00 pm to 5.00 pm
Topic - The Significance of Early Educational Intervention in the Lives of Children with Development Disabilities and their Families.
Faculty - Dr. George S Baroff, Formerly Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, USA.
Dr. George S Baroff, formerly Professor of Psychology, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, USA conducted the workshop on "Success" as a key motivator, of both disabled and non-disabled members as well as parents of children with disabilities. He highlighted the need for experiencing success towards ultimate gratification and happiness. His stressed on the need to inculcate this 'experience of success' in the teaching and learning procedure for children with special needs.
