Here is a list of popular topics. Dr. Klein is also open
to speaking on other topics of interest to parents of children
with disabilities and/or professionals serving families. To
contact Dr. Klein about speaking engagements, send an email
to stan@disabilitiesbooks.com.
For Parents and/or Professionals
1. Reflections from a Different Journey: What Adults
with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew
Most parents of children with disabilities, as well as professionals,
lack personal experiences with adults with disabilities. Hearing
from successful role models who have lived the disability
experience can provide essential information about the possibilities
for children with disabilities. For Reflections from a Different
Journey: What Adults with Disabilities Want All Parents to
Know, successful adults with many different disabilities —
cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, autism, learning disabilities,
deafness, blindness, mental illness, developmental disabilities,
spina bifida, muscular dystrophy, attention deficit hyperactivity
disorder, congenital amputation, and chronic health conditions
— wrote essays about something they wished their own
parents had read or been told while they were growing up.
This presentation (lecture or workshop format; one or two
hours) challenges parents and professionals to consider the
inspiring, yet realistic, messages of these adults:
• Love and accept me as I am.
• Parents are the most important experts.
• Parental expectations.
• Sexuality.
• Education about disability.
Co-editor John Kemp and many essay authors may be also be
available as speakers.
Here is a review of this presentation:
I had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Klein speak at a Special
Education Community Advisory Committee Meeting here in Orange
County, California. The topic was: Reflections from ad Different
Journey: What Adults with Disabilities Wish All Parents Knew.
Dr. Klein¹s calm and pleasant speaking manner put everyone
at ease immediately. He reached a diverse audience of parents
with preschool, elementary, junior high and high school students
that had a variety of disabilities such as ADHD, autism, downs
syndrome, learning disabilities, emotionally disturbed and
speech and language delayed. Dr. Klein answered the parents¹
questions honestly and compassionately. He fostered a rich
discussion between parents about issues troubling them such
as teasing, jobs and medication.
We did not want the evening to end, left with a feeling of
hope for the future, and gained support from other parents
who were going through the same situations. Dr. Klein has
a special gift reaching out to both parents and professionals.
I highly recommend him to speak to any organization.
Leslie Fauquet M.A. C.C.C. SLP
Parent and Professional
Founder Parentpals.com
2. Parents Can Dream New Dreams
In You Will Dream New Dreams: Inspiring Personal Stories
by Parents of Children with Disabilities, the essays by "veteran"
parents express several important common themes. This presentation
(lecture or workshop format; one or two hours) discusses the
themes and how they are relevant to the day-to-day lives of
families.
• The wide range of difficult feelings parents experience
(especially at the time they receive a child's diagnosis)
are a normal part of the human experience.
• While everything can seem hopeless, parents can go
on, grow, and find ways to cope.
• Parents are likely to discover inner resources they
did not know existed and discover new perspectives for their
lives.
• Parents become the experts about their own child.
Parents also have adult priorities that need attention. Parents
need respite.
• Parents will mourn, but they can heal.
• Parents can be happy again; they can dream new dreams.
Parent essay authors may be available to speak as well.
3. Planning for your child’s future quality
of life—and yours as well
As the most important experts in the lives of their children,
parents can impact their child’s future quality of life
as they cope with the many issues of growing up. Utilizing
the wisdom of successful adults with disabilities, we discuss
how parents and professionals can emphasize such important
lifelong skills such as friendship skills and learning to
help others. Parents can also begin to plan for their child
and themselves for the child’s adult years.
This presentation can be done in a lecture or workshop format;
ideally at least 90 minutes are available.
4. Practical Approaches to Parenting Children with
Disabilities
As children with disabilities develop, they and their parents
face the same psychosocial development challenges as ordinary
children: feeding, toilet training, sleeping, discipline,
sibling relationships, friendships, education, and community
participation. However, various adaptations may be needed
in terms of expectations and interventions. We discuss how
parents and professionals can collaborate to develop appropriate
and practical adaptations.
By presenting this topic in a workshop format (at least 90
minutes), the discussion can focus on the specific issues
relevant to audience members.
5. Town Meeting on Parenting Children with Disabilities.
This format encourages parents to raise questions about the
challenges of parenting-discipline, sibling relationships,
inclusion, friendships, etc. After creating a list of ten
or more issues that are relevant to the lives of audience
members, Dr. Klein presents his perspective on each issue.
This format requires at least two hours. A local resource
person is needed to connect families in need with local services.
For Professionals
1. The Challenge of Delivering Difficult Diagnostic News.
Dr. Klein has presented on this topic in many health care
and educational settings. Presentation can be done as a one
hour lecture; however, a three hour workshop is more effective
for training.
Dr. Klein’s paper “The Challenge of Communicating
with Parents” which appeared in Developmental and Behavioral
Pediatrics in June, 1993 (Volume 14, No. 3, pp. 184-191) presents
a step-by-step approach for presenting difficult diagnostic
news in a variety of health and education settings.
Here are some comments on this presentation:
Your Grand Rounds presentation…"Delivering Bad
News to Parents" was excellent. It was certainly on target
for our residents and medical students. Our new interns appreciated
it, too. I must say that I have never heard the approach to
this type of issue formalized. Your handout…will serve
as a useful teaching tool for me, and I am sure many others,
long after your visit has passed.
Robert L. Rosenfield, M.D., Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine
The University of Chicago, Children's Hospital. August, 1998
Many thanks for…talking to us about your experience
relaying bad news to patients. I have been in practice for
almost 36 years and I must say that [your presentation] was
one of the best talks that I have heard…
John B. LaLonde, M.D., Surgery
Grand Forks Clinic, March, 1996
2. Spend tax dollars on children, teachers, and therapists
rather than attorneys! The value of improving collaboration
and communication with parents.
Education and healthcare professionals sometimes develop
prejudices about parents that interfere with everyone’s
efforts to meet the day-to-day needs of children with disabilities.
Collaboration and communication skills do not develop “naturally.”
Professionals can learn how to deliver difficult diagnostic
news and improve the IEP process. By learning how to work
with mothers and fathers in cooperative rather than adversarial
ways, professionals can also make their own lives more rewarding.
This topic can be presented as a two or three hour workshop
3. Improving Written Communication Skills.
A seminar (two hours or more) is designed for educators and
health care professionals who have the responsibility of preparing
written reports for parents of children with special needs.
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