EDUCATION

Screening of the Film Who Cares About Kelsey? and Discussion on Inclusion for Students with Emotional/Behavioral Challenges
Presented by: Filmmaker Dan Habib will screen his new film Who Cares About Kelsey?, which explores how schools, preschools and out-of-school organizations are using evidence-based programs such as Positive Behavioral Supports and youth-directed planning to successfully include students with emotional/behavioral challenges and improve the school climate for all students.

Discussion will follow:
-- What types of supports and services enable youth with emotional/behavioral challenges to success?
-- What does a school that is a model for student inclusion for students with emotional/behavioral challenges look like?
-- How are behavioral problems linked to communication and learning disabilities?

Much of the film Who Cares About Kelsey? was filmed at Somersworth High School in New Hampshire, which introduced Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) in 2006 and is in the process of introducing Response to Intervention. PBIS is not a specific curriculum or something that can be purchased. It is an evidence-based framework for organizing best practices and supporting students with emotional/behavioral challenges.

PBIS focuses on understanding the source of the behavior and teaching new skills to replace this behavior, while simultaneously improving the climate for all students and staff.

Dan Habib, creator of the Emmy-nominated Including Samuel, is the Filmmaker in Residence at the Institute on Disability at the University of New Hampshire. Before joining University of New Hampshire's IOD, Mr. Habib was the photography editor of the Concord Monitor. In 2006 and 2008, he as named the national Photography Editor of the Year. He is the six-time New Hampshire photographer of the year. The Habib family resides in Concord, NH.

Dan Habib's award-winning documentary film Including Samuel, which chronicles the Habib family's efforts to include son Samuel in every facet of their lives has been screened at universities, national conferences, public television stations and independent theatres across the country. A highly personal film that captures the cultural and systemic barriers to inclusion, Including Samuel has also been featured on NPR's All Things Considered, Good Morning America, as well as in the Washington Post and the Boston Globe. The film won the Positive Images in Media award from TASH, an international group committed to the full inclusion of people with disabilities. It has also screened at the Sprout Film Festival at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Boston International Film Festival, the Ft. Lauderdale International Film Festival, the Moscow International Disability Film Festival and won the "Excellence Award" from Superfest International Film Festival in Berkeley, CA.

Kelsey Carroll, one of the central subjects in the film, will be a part of the presentation/lecture. Ms. Carroll has dealt with tremendous challenges in her life including homelessness, self-mutilation, ADHD and anxiety. While a student at Somersworth High School, she was suspended for dealing drugs at age 13, and had to repeat her first year of high school. She was considering dropping out of school, but through intensive self-directed planning and wraparound supports at her high school, she graduated in 2010. Now 20, Ms. Carroll is chronicled in the film during her senior year and her transition to higher education and employment.

Positive Behavioral Supports - Model for all environments
Presented by: Matthew Tincani, PhD, Associate Professor of Special Education and Coordinator of the Masters Degree Program in Applied Behavior Analysis at Temple University, College of Education, Temple University, will present and overview of positive behavior support as a model for preventing challenging behavior across home, school, and community environments. The presentation will include practical strategies that parents, teachers, and other professionals can use to address problem behaviors.

Dr. Tincani's research and teaching interests include classroom level prevention of problem behavior and effective strategies for teaching communication and social skills to people with autism. Author of over thirty scholarly publications, his most recent book, "Preventing Challenging Behavior in Your Classroom: Positive Behavior Support and Effective Classroom Management," addresses practical strategies for teachers to prevent and reduce students' problem behaviors.

Bullying Awareness and Prevention for Students with Disabilities Presented by: Jodi Manning, Education Advocacy Coordinator, National Bullying Prevention Center, PACER Center in Minnesota, will present important information about bullying of children with disabilities including the definition, perceptions, types of, and dynamics of bullying. Also the impact of bullying on students, what parents and school personnel can do, laws and rights of students with disabilities, and intervention strategies.

Everyone Communicates—The Behavioral Impact of Effective Communication in the Classroom
Presented by: Carrie Leonhart, Augmentative Communication Services Coordinator
at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University will discuss how parents and teachers can support communication – particularly when "non-traditional" forms are being used (e.g., gestures, communication boards, speech generating devices). Hands-on activities and video examples will demonstrate strategies for being a successful communication partner.

In her capacity at the Institute, Ms. Leonhart provides information, technical assistance, device demonstrations, consultation, and evaluations related to assistive technology for communication (augmentative and alternative communication - AAC). She is a PA licensed and ASHA certified speech-language pathologist with a master's degree in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Kansas State University. She has worked with individuals with disabilities of all ages in home, school, recreational, and community settings.

Family Member Panel Discussion
Presented by: Students with disabilities and their family members discuss the effects of Positive Behavioral Supports on their lives in general and, specifically, on their student experience.