Registration Deadline May 2nd
Professionals in Learning Disabilities and Special Education
presents
Annual Dinner: Thirty Million Words Initiative
presented by
Beth Suskind, Director of Communications and Curriculum
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
6:00 PM - 9:00 PM
Gusto Ristorante Italiano
1834 Glenview Rd., Glenview, IL
As early as nine months of age, infants born into poverty score lower on measures of cognitive development than their more affluent peers. This disparity triples by age two. By their fourth birthdays, these vulnerable children have heard 30 million fewer words than others their age. This profound disparity in early language environments -- known as the national word gap -- has a cascade of consequences for cognitive development, school readiness, academic achievement, occupational status, and health and social well being later in life. Ms. Suskind will discuss the organization's mission: to develop and disseminate evidence-based, parent-directed programs that encourage parents to harness the power of their words to build their children's brains and shape their futures. She'll share the science behind the initiative, the curriculum and its applications. Additionally, she will highlight some of the current interventions under the initiative that utilize existing social and health infrastructures--like Early Head Start centers and pediatric clinics--to engage adults and children in using their words to build a child's brain and to disseminate critical public health information.
6:00 PM Appetizers and Punch
6:30 PM Dinner (Choice of Entree and Dessert)
8:00 - 9:00 PM Speaker, questions and answers
Ms. Suskind is the Director of Communications and Curriculum for the University of Chicago Medicine's Thirty Million Words Initiative (TMWI). She oversees the development of the TMW's programmatic elements and crafts and disseminates TMW messaging.
DISCLAIMER:Professionals in Learning Disabilities and Special Education is a not-for-profit organization offering continuing education programs to inform members of current instructional practices, assessment, and policy issues in the field of learning disabilities. PLD/SE also offers a referral service to the community, providing qualified professionals for diagnostics and remediation. PLD/SE provides programs as a service to its members. PLD/SE does not endorse any specific program, speaker, instructional materials, method, treatment, or evaluation center for children with disabilities.
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