Including Children with Special Needs into Child Care Programs

To increase the number of child care programs available to children with special needs, PACT’s Inclusive Child Care Training Program is providing training to child care providers to help them adapt their programs to meet the needs of children with medical, developmental and behavioral issues. There are 80 training topics available, and training can be tailored to meet the specific needs of the providers.

For more information, contact Mandy Barish at 410-298-7000 x 1022 or email barish@kennedykrieger.org.

Promoting Parent-Child Attachment

PACT’s parent-child attachment training is an outgrowth of a mental health intervention model called Wee Cuddle and Grow that social workers introduced at PACT’s Therapeutic Nursery. This model is designed to promote positive bonding between parents and their young children, thus reducing the likelihood of future mental health problems in their children. The training includes the use of the NCAST, a time-tested intervention model with scored videos to measure improvements in parent-child attachment. Wee Cuddle and Grow training also covers a variety of play therapy techniques for use with young children, particularly those with a high risk for developing academic/social emotional/behavioral issues. Training is provided by social workers from PACT and the University of Maryland’s Center for Infant Studies.

For more information, contact Kim Cosgrove at 410-298-7000 x 1009 or cosgrove@kennedykrieger.org.

Working with Parents who have Intellectual Disabilities

Utilizing its ten-plus years of experience working with parents with intellectual disabilities, Growing Together staff developed a curriculum guide to help other service providers work more effectively with this population. The curriculum guide, Building Foundations, includes a discussion on the definition of mental retardation and methods for recognizing that a parent may have an intellectual disability. The curriculum guide also offers practical advice on important topics to address when teaching parenting and independent living skills to mothers and fathers with intellectual disabilities. They also provide instructional strategies that are based on the special learning needs of the population. Additionally, the curriculum guide includes lists of numerous resources and service providers that can be contacted for more information.

Growing Together also offers training and consultation to other organizations that work with parents with intellectual disabilities on both a regular and occasional basis.

To order Building Foundations ($69.95 plus $9.50 shipping and handling), call Darlene Shumaker at 410-298-9286. For information about training and consultation, contact Bridget McCusker at 410-298-9281 or mccusker@kennedykrieger.org.