EUGENE, Ore. – (Feb. 16, 2012) –A conference for Eugene and Springfield area parents to learn parenting techniques from early childhood special educators and community leaders is scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 25.
Presented by Early Childhood CARES and the Early Intervention Council, the 5th annual Power of Parenting Conference is from 8:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., Saturday, Feb. 25, at the HEDCO Education Building at the University of Oregon, 1655 Alder St. The conference allows parents to meet other parents of kids with special needs and educates them on effective parenting strategies.
“Raising a child who has special needs can be a very isolating experience for many parents,” says Laura Dahill, a mother of twin boys, one of whom experiences an autism spectrum disorder. “This conference brings together parents in a warm, welcoming environment and allows parents to connect with one another and learn helpful strategies to add to their parenting toolkit.”
Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy will kick off this year’s conference with opening remarks and Debra McLean, project specialist at the Oregon Technical Assistance Corporation, will deliver a keynote presentation called, "A Life NOT a Label: Using Person-Centered Planning to Plan for a Positive and Possible Future."
Dahill is excited that McLean will be coming to Eugene to present at the conference. “Debra has a tremendous knack for helping families see past their child’s diagnosis and envision and plan for a bright future for their child,” she said.
The conference includes two tracks of educational sessions for parents, with topics including beginning American Sign Language, how to grow your child’s communication skills, how to address a child’s sensory needs for optimal learning, and how movement impacts brain development in young children. Some sessions will also be offered in Spanish.
The conference still has room for registration. Pre-registration is required. Call Early Childhood CARES at 541-346-2578 to register. Parents may see the session topics by downloading the 5th Annual Power of Parenting conference brochure from the Early Childhood CARES website at http://earlychildhoodcares.uoregon.edu.
Early Childhood CARES provides early intervention and early childhood special education services -- such as speech, physical and occupational therapy, autism and behavior services, and specialized preschool -- to more than 1,200 children in Lane County.
Eugene Pediatric Associates, PeaceHealth and McKenzie Pediatrics are sponsoring this year’s conference.
MEDIA CONTACT: Julie Brown, UO media relations, 541-346-3185, julbrown@uoregon.edu
ADDITIONAL CONTACT: LaWanda Potter, Early Childhood CARES representative, 541-543-6482 (on site contact for the event)
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