How to Motivate and Support Students with Special Needs
Supporting Students with Special Needs During a Pandemic
Students with special needs are often dealing with higher levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and other emotional trauma. All of these can have a big impact on their self-confidence and their ability to learn and focus in school. Now add to that the challenges of this pandemic, and we are entering uncharted territory! The need for practical tools to support and motivate special needs students has never been higher! In this webinar, our panel of experts discuss strategies to teach students with learning differences and other special needs how to thrive in the face of adversity. These strategies can help to build confidence and self-esteem, engage, and create the inner motivation that students need in times like these.
Panelists
Bill Brown MSW is a licensed School Social Worker through the Colorado Department of Education and the Affective Needs/Serious Emotional Disability Specialist for the Exceptional Student Services Unit at the Colorado Department of Education. Bill has 12 years of experience working as a therapist in community mental health systems and 13 years of experience in education. He worked 9 years as an elementary school social worker, 2 years as a middle school social worker, and 2 years at the district level as a Behavior Interventionist. He has been certified as a Behavior Specialist for the Developmental Disability population and the Traumatic Brain Injury Population. He is also a crisis intervention instructor. At the school level, Bill has coordinated the implementation of MTSS and PBIS and has published papers on the implementation of MTSS and PBIS. His last clinical job before joining the CDE team was a private practice providing High Conflict Co-Parenting groups/classes.
Tara is a special education district program specialist and WorkAbility I program coordinator for Hacienda La Puente Unified School District located in Los Angeles County. She began in the district in 2005 as a teacher at Willow Adult School. She taught in the Adult Transition Program that provides academic and vocational instruction to students 18 to 22 years old that are on a certificate pathway. During the last 10 years, she has worked closely with pre-K – adult transition special education programs throughout the district. She is currently the state chair for the Government Relations Committee through the Workability I grant with the California Department of Education. The Workability grant assists individuals receiving special education, with paid work experience and other transition resources that help prepare students for adulthood.
Christian is the founder of the WhyTry Organization that provides curriculum, tools, and training for schools and educators across the US and internationally, focused on helping students build social and emotional resilience. Christian is also a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), an internationally renowned speaker, and a passionate advocate for youth. He is the author of the best-selling book “The Resilience Breakthrough: 27 Tools for Turning Adversity into Action,” a guide for accessing resilience in a world of increasing instability and narrowing opportunity.
Jason is a licensed school psychologist and has published research on resilience and student performance. Jason is a passionate advocate for disadvantaged students and currently consults and trains educators across the nation as the director of training and research for the WhyTry organization. Jason is a thought leader on resilience education and has spoken at hundreds of conferences around the country. He has led successful implementations of all WhyTry programs and has pioneered trainings for clients in healthcare, corporate, and the US Military.
