CenterPoint: The Newsletter of The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies

UMaine Students Lead Early Childhood Conference

In April 2005, 91 professionals in the field of early care and education met in Scarborough, for a professional conference coordinated by Lori Levesque and Shelby Thibodeau-Dineen, two graduate students in the Graduate Specialization in Early Intervention at The University of Maine.

The conference, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Early Childhood, was co-sponsored by The Maine Division for Early Childhood (MDEC), a professional organization dedicated to addressing issues related to serving very young children with and without disabilities in Maine and their families. The conference was a means of providing professional development, a forum for students to present outside of class in a professional atmosphere, and a networking opportunity among professionals in the field.

The conference was coordinated entirely by students as part of their graduate work in Early Intervention and all the workshops and poster presentations were done by students studying in the field of early intervention/early childhood special education. During the course of the day there were six different workshops: Creating Print-Rich Environments, Assistive Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom, Baby Brain Development, Dr. Doolittle’s Learning Styles, Working with Highly Sensitive Children, and Conquering Your Fears about the Maine Early Childhood Learning Results.

All but one of these workshops was led by students funded by the Training Options for Early Intervention (TOP) grant administered jointly through The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development.

There were also 12 poster sessions for participants to view. These posters provided information about different disabilities and interventions, as well as describing some of the services available to families in Maine who have a child with a disability. The conference also had vendors who provided materials related to early care and education.

The organizers of the conference felt time to network with other professionals was an important part of the day. To provide for this opportunity, lunch discussions were held in different rooms. Lunch discussions addressed the following topics: learning about MDEC, owning and operating a childcare facility, working with at-risk children, sorting through behavior issues, building early childhood literacy, and the Child Development Services (CDS) system.

Each year, students working toward their Masters of Education in the Early Intervention specialization, design and complete a graduate project related to their work that addresses a need in the professional field. Students are responsible for developing a proposal for their project, creating an action plan, implementing the project and writing a paper. This paper contains a review of the literature related to the topic of their project, describes the methods used in completing their project, and discusses the results of their work, as well as the limitations and implications. The courses in this graduate specialization are funded through the federal personnel preparation grant, Training Options for Early Intervention (TOP). The grant is co-coordinated by Drs. Sharon L. Gilbert and Sandra Doctoroff of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the College of Education and Human Development.

— Sharon Gilbert

CENTERPOINT: The Newsletter of The University of Maine
Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies,
Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities
Education, Research, and Service


In This Issue Spring 2005 • Volume 1 • Issue 1 Early Learning Opportunities Support Quality and Access Director’s Corner Daring to Dream Awards New EC Resource In memoriam: Marcia Lovell LEARNS: Work Keeps Team Hopping IDS Curriculum Changes Dissemination Team Leads Web Accessibility Collaboration Brings Speaker to Maine Center Sponsors Exhibit Venue for VSA arts Center Hosts Visiting Fulbright Scholar UMaine Students Lead EC Conference 10 Students Graduate TOP Program Healthy & Ready to Work: Engaging Youth in Their Future Standards for All Model: Personalizing Elementary Education Selected Presentations & Publications CenterPoint Home	Center Home \| UMaine Home \| CenterPoint Home UMaine Students Lead Early Childhood Conference In April 2005, 91 professionals in the field of early care and education met in Scarborough, for a professional conference coordinated by Lori Levesque and Shelby Thibodeau-Dineen, two graduate students in the Graduate Specialization in Early Intervention at The University of Maine. The conference, All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Early Childhood, was co-sponsored by The Maine Division for Early Childhood (MDEC), a professional organization dedicated to addressing issues related to serving very young children with and without disabilities in Maine and their families. The conference was a means of providing professional development, a forum for students to present outside of class in a professional atmosphere, and a networking opportunity among professionals in the field. The conference was coordinated entirely by students as part of their graduate work in Early Intervention and all the workshops and poster presentations were done by students studying in the field of early intervention/early childhood special education. During the course of the day there were six different workshops: Creating Print-Rich Environments, Assistive Technology in the Early Childhood Classroom, Baby Brain Development, Dr. Doolittle’s Learning Styles, Working with Highly Sensitive Children, and Conquering Your Fears about the Maine Early Childhood Learning Results. All but one of these workshops was led by students funded by the Training Options for Early Intervention (TOP) grant administered jointly through The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and The University of Maine College of Education and Human Development. There were also 12 poster sessions for participants to view. These posters provided information about different disabilities and interventions, as well as describing some of the services available to families in Maine who have a child with a disability. The conference also had vendors who provided materials related to early care and education. The organizers of the conference felt time to network with other professionals was an important part of the day. To provide for this opportunity, lunch discussions were held in different rooms. Lunch discussions addressed the following topics: learning about MDEC, owning and operating a childcare facility, working with at-risk children, sorting through behavior issues, building early childhood literacy, and the Child Development Services (CDS) system. Each year, students working toward their Masters of Education in the Early Intervention specialization, design and complete a graduate project related to their work that addresses a need in the professional field. Students are responsible for developing a proposal for their project, creating an action plan, implementing the project and writing a paper. This paper contains a review of the literature related to the topic of their project, describes the methods used in completing their project, and discusses the results of their work, as well as the limitations and implications. The courses in this graduate specialization are funded through the federal personnel preparation grant, Training Options for Early Intervention (TOP). The grant is co-coordinated by Drs. Sharon L. Gilbert and Sandra Doctoroff of the Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies and the College of Education and Human Development. — Sharon Gilbert

CENTERPOINT: The Newsletter of The University of Maine Center for Community Inclusion and Disability Studies, Maine’s University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service

In This Issue

UMaine Students Lead Early Childhood Conference