The Ear Foundation & Phonak 4th Virtual Conference - Deaf Education: Changed by Hearing Technology?

Join our group of international speakers, leaders in their fields, for a series of innovative seminars without having to leave your home or office. This flexible programme of online lectures & sessions will consider and explore the issues of the moment in deaf education in this technological era. There will be opportunities to ask questions and access these online resources at your own pace, in your own time.

Commences Tuesday 18 June 2013 and closes Monday 30 September 2013

Visit here.

School exclusions: 'He was never allowed on school trips and was sent home or put into isolation during Ofsted visits.'

Claire Parker from London, UK whose son has autism says: 'It started with the school asking me to bring my son home at lunchtimes every day. I was also asked to collect him 30 minutes before the end of the school day. He was never allowed on school trips and was sent home or put into isolation during Ofsted visits. The situation caused problems, work was impossible for me and my son suffered health problems and lost a lot of confidence. He is now at a new school and has only been sent home once for illness. I can't adjust to the phone NOT ringing and still feel on edge thinking I can't leave the house until the end of the day just in case the school calls.'

More here.

Improving the Quality of Childhood in Europe 2013. Volume 4 published by ECSWE

ecswe2 The Quality of Childhood Working Group (QoC) was created in 2006 by ECSWE, the Austrian MEP Karin Resetarits and the Alliance for Childhood European Network Group. Its aim is to improve the Quality of Childhood in the European Union and in the European Educational Space. It has been meeting every two months since 2006 in the European Parliament building in Brussels and it has involved prominent organisations in Europe and high profile keynote speakers on important themes at European level relating to issues of childhood and adolescence.

The Working Group aims to be a think-tank for 'peer learning' reflective activity on all important childhood themes, in order to offer policy recommendations to EU institutions and Member States on how to improve the quality of childhood and how to increase the quality and effectiveness of education and training systems in the EU.This e-book consists of talks given by a range of experts to the Working Group on the Quality of Childhood (QoC) at the European Parliament during 2011/2012.

Contributors include Dr Aric Sigman, Professor Dominique Haumont, Professor Luc Zimmermann, Silke Mader, Maria Kaisa Aula, Dr. Martine Delfos, Lea Pulkkinen, Jan van Gils, Jesper Juul and it is introduced by Michiel Matthes and Christopher Clouder.

Download Introductory Pages

QoC book online here.

Do you want to update your autism related skills and knowledge? Two exciting training opportunities from The National Autistic Society!

Social Stories™ workshop with Carol Gray, 17 May 2013, London: This lively and fast-paced one-day workshop uses lecture and demonstration, along with individual and team activities to teach participants to research, develop, and implement Social Stories™. Participants will leave knowing what Social Stories™ really are, as well as research, and rationale, along with the 10 criteria and basic skills that are critical to the development of every Story.

View the full programme here.

UCLA PEERS® programme, three day training course, 12-14 June, London: The UCLA Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a 14-week evidence-based and parent-assisted social skills intervention for motivated adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) who are interested in learning ways to help them make and keep friends. This course will enable you to become part of the first group of certified PEERS® providers in England.

View the full programme here.