Relationship Based Interventions A workshop for parents, teachers & healthcare professionals caring for children on the Autism Spectrum This workshop is a local and international interdisciplinary collaboration, using DIR :Floortime and Early Start Denver Models in treating the child with challenges in engagement, relating and social-emotional development. PolkaSpot Early Intervention Centre and SPOTlight Trust SA in collaboration with Profectum Foundation (USA) are delighted to welcome Dr. Gil Foley (Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist) and Prof. Sima Gerber (Speech and Language therapist) to South Africa. Parents, teachers and healthcare professionals now have the opportunity to share their vast experience in this ground-breaking multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of children with developmental disorders including those on the autistic spectrum. This workshop will provide tools for the practical application of the DIR :Floortime model in occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, mental health and classroom settings as well as in the home environment. Date 17th August 2014 Time 08:30 17:00 Venue Juta Conference Centre, 21 Dreyer Street, Claremont, Cape Town Early Bird Registration R 600.00 (Before 18 July 2014) Late Registration R 750.00 (Before 8 August 2014)
Preliminary Programme Time Event Speaker/s 08.00 08.30 Registration 08.30 09.00 Opening and Welcoming 09.00 10.30 An introduction to the DIR " Model 10.30 11.00 Tea 11.00 12.00 A contemporary model of assessment and intervention: The integration of Developmental Language Models and the Developmental Individual Di#erence Relationship Based (DIR :Floortime ) approach 12.00-13.00 DIR " and Mental Health: The Intersection of Psychodynamic and Play Principles 13.00 14.00 Lunch 14.00 14.45 We follow two South African children receiving DIR :Floortime, and the progress they made over 18 months as they climbed the social-emotional developmental ladder. Dr. Gil Foley and Prof. Sima Gerber Prof. Sima Gerber Dr. Gil Foley Kerry Wallace 14.45 15.30 Overview of the ESDM Noleen Seris 15.30 16.00 Tea 16.00 16.30 Panel Discussion All Speakers 16.30 Closure PolkaSpot Early Intervention Centre
$ About Our Speakers Gilbert M. Foley, EdD Associate Professor of School Clinical- Child Psychology, Yeshiva University (New York) Gilbert Foley is an Associate Professor of School Clinical-Child Psychology at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology of Yeshiva University and Coordinator of its Infancy and Early Childhood Track. He consults to the New York Centre for Child Development where he developed and directed the psychology internship program. Dr Foley writes and lectures widely and teaches in the major parent-infant programs in the New York area and served as Faculty and supervisor at the DIR model" Institute since its founding in 1999. Dr. Foley will be addressing us on the topic: DIR and Mental Health: The Intersection of Psychodynamic and Play Principles The Developmental-Individual di#erence- Relationship based (DIR )" Model was developed within a mental health matrix but is applicable across disciplines.""it is guided by relationship principles such as the importance of emotional attunement, attachment and the a#ective life, the idea of a holding-environment as a crucible of development and the central role of the p a r e n t s. T h e t r e a t m e n t m o d a l i t y, Floortime, is solidly rooted in the psychodynamic play tradition and can be thought of as a downward extension of play therapy for the pre-symbolic child. These constructs will be examined as ideas, principles of treatment and illustrated by a case of a preschooler on the autistic s p e c t r u m w i t h w h o m D I R a n d psychodynamic formulations and strategies w e re s u c c e s s f u l l y b l e n d e d b y a n occupational therapist and consulting psychologist working collaboratively. A combination of didactic, case material with videos and participant discussion will employed as instructional methods.
$ Sima Gerber, Ph.D., CCC-SLP Associate Professor of Speech & Language Pathology, Queens College (New York) Profectum Senior Faculty Sima Gerber is an Associate Professor of Speech-Language Pathology in the Department of Linguistics and Communication Disorders of Queens College, City University of New York. Dr. Gerber has over 35 years of clinical experience, specializing in the treatment of young children with autistic spectrum disorders. Dr. Gerber is on the Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders (ICDL), the faculty of the DIR Model"Training Institute, the faculty of the ICDL Graduate School, the faculty of Profectum and the Board of Directors of the New York Zero-to- Three Network. Dr. Gerber has presented nationally and abroad on the topics of language acquisition and developmental approaches to intervention for children with challenges in language development. Dr. Gerber is the recipient of the award for Outstanding Service to the field of Speech- Language Pathology given by the New York City Speech-Language-Hearing Association and the Louis DiCarlo Clinical Achievement Award from the New York State Association. Dr. Gerber has received the Distinguished Achievement Award from the New York State Speech-Language-Hearing Association and is a Fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. Prof Sima Gerber will be addressing us on the topic: A Contemporary Model of Language Assessment and Intervention The integration of Developmental Language Models and the Developmental Individual Di#erence Relationship Based (DIR :Floortime ) approach.
$ $ Kerry Wallace, M.Sc (OT) Clinical Director, PolkaSpot Early Intervention Centre (Cape Town)% PolkaSpot Early Intervention Centre hosted the first DIR:Floortime conference in SA in 2010. Kerry was on the SAISI Board from 1997-2009 and is a Sensory Integration Treatment lecturer. She is qualified in Neurodevelopmental Therapy and NDT for Infants and completed a 2 yr Infant Observation through the Psychoanalytic Society of S.A. and the Tavistock Clinic. Her Masters dissertation examined OT-SI e&cacy with autistic pre-school children from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds. She founded SPOTlight Trust SA, which aims to provide much needed intervention in disadvantaged communities by empowering adult caregivers and educators with tools to support children with special needs. SPOTlight Trust has established an a&liation with Profectum Foundation, a US based organization that provides on-line training to parents, teachers and health care professionals in a variety of developmental, relationship based intervention approaches, and SA members benefit from preferential rates. Kerry has DIR : FCD certification through Profectum Foundation. Noleen Seris, M.A. Clin.Psych. Clinical Supervisor & Lecturer, UCT (Cape Town)% Noleen Seris is a Clinical Psychologist in private practice. Her clinical work is diverse as it encompasses long term psychotherapy with adults, short term work with children on the Autism Spectrum, psychometric assessments, and some teaching and supervision of the Clinical Psychology Masters students at U.C.T. Since 2011, Noleen has been training to become an Early Start Denver Model therapist. This model is a play based therapeutic intervention used with children on the Autism Spectrum. It is an eclectic approach that uses a combination of interventions.
About SPOTlight Trust SA Spotlight Trust SA is a non-profit organisation, comprising speech and language therapists, psychologists and occupational therapists. We are passionate about the future of the children of South Africa and believe that we have the power, knowledge and expertise to make a di#erence by helping those in vulnerable communities. Nationwide Workshops Through our workshops, we hope to raise awareness about the DIR :Floortime Model and it s practical application for children with a wide range of developmental challenges. By doing this, we empower caregivers, parents, teachers and therapists by providing access to world class intervention approaches. Our Three Tiered Approach Online" Training SPOTlight Trust SA is the o#cial South African A#liate to the Profectum Foundation. The Profectum Foundation is a US based non-profit organisation dedicated to advancing the development of all children, adolescents and adults with special needs. Profectum embraces the DIR / Floortime Model at its core and provides world-class online training programmes for professionals, parents and caregivers. SPOTlight Members have access to online training through the Profectum Foundation at a deeply discounted rate - an exclusive opportunity for South African parents and professionals. Community Projects The point of all of this, is to take world-class intervention approaches and make it accessible to every single child in South Africa, even vulnerable, orphaned or neglected children. Our current projects in Khayelitsha and surrounding areas, include: Assessment and early intervention of children with special needs. Presenting skills training workshops for caregivers, teachers and facilitators that allows adults to support children from the very first session. We use DIR :Floortime as a means to providing this support. Recruiting volunteers to assist us with our programmes.
Should you have any questions or require more information regarding registration for online DIR Training through the Profectum Foundation, please do not hesitate to contact us. We value your involvement in our cause. Tel 021 462 1508 Email info@polkaspot.co.za Web www.polkaspot.co.za www.spotlight.org.za