We'd like to invite teachers of English working with special educational needs students to our "Teaching students with Asperger's" webinar. Presented by Peter Moran, the webinar will cover the following four areas:
What is Asperger syndrome?
We will look at the nature of Asperger's, summarising what is known about its causes and how it typically manifests itself in children and adults. We will also look briefly at some common misconceptions about the condition and clear up some urban myths about its causes and 'cures'.
How can we as teachers recognise children who may have Asperger's?
We will summarise the main characteristics of children with Asperger's, first by identifying general characteristics (e.g. poor motor skills) and then by highlighting particular ways in which these manifest themselves (e.g. an inability to tie laces or fasten buttons). We will also look at how these manifest themselves at different ages, including how Asperger's tends to cause delay in certain areas of development.
How can we help children with Asperger's in class?
In this part of the webinar we will look at some dos and don'ts in dealing with children with Asperger's. We will reflect on how we as teachers should behave, how we can make the classroom as positive an environment as possible for children with Asperger's, including how to address the issue of other learners and their behaviour, and we'll also look at how classroom activities can be adapted to a make them more suited to and accessible to children with Asperger's.
What can teachers do to help parents?
Teachers are often the first individuals to identify, or to suspect, developmental issues such as Asperger's. As such, they have a crucial role in helping parents to understand what it means and what steps they can and should take to get necessary help for their children. The last part of the webinar will look at what teachers can do to support, help and educate parents as appropriate.
Presenter: Peter Moran
Peter Moran is a teacher, trainer and author with over 25 years' experience in teaching. He has taught from pre-school ages to adult in both the public and the private sectors in a range of countries. He first came to Poland in the early 1990s and has written coursebooks for both local and international use.
Peter has had a particular interest in learning disorders for many years, and has lectured and written on the subject from the point of view of a teacher and trainer. His interest increased when his own son, now in high school, was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome, and he is one of the founder members of ‘Jestem ZA’, a parents organisation based in Kraków which works to improve policy with regard to Asperger syndrome in particular, and autism more generally, at the local and national level.
Participation is free. You must register to join.
The webinar will be in English.