Parentscapes, an interactive workshop for parents and early educators of children with special needs, will be held this Saturday in the Galway Bay Hotel, Galway.
Facilitated by Kathy Walmsley, a leading Australian paediatric occupational therapist, and Mari Caulfield, speech and language therapist, the event will explore practical ways to support children with communication, relating, attention, and learning difficulties, including autism.
“The goal of the day is to enable greater understanding of the child’s individual differences and to assist parents and early childhood educators in their growing knowledge of developmental strategies to help children’s learning, language and social emotional health,” said Mari Caulfield, a speech and language therapist who was been working for 30 years in the areas of developmental and special needs.
“Kathy [Walmsley] has a wide range of experience over a 24 year period. She has lived, worked, and travelled abroad extensively, most recently spending four years in the USA where she worked and trained with the Interdisciplinary Council on Development and Learning Disorders.”
According to Ms Walmsley, nourishing relationships between parents and children provided a vital opportunity for children to experience safety in their emotional experience of the world.
“For children who have vulnerability in terms of experiencing developmental challenges or disability this is even more so,” she said. “My belief is that parents of children experiencing these challenges can use their most powerful tool, their relationship with their child, to help them feel safe and secure, and to flourish so that they can reach their potential.”
The course will take place from 9.30am to 4pm. Fee for the one day course to include refreshments, lunch, and all course materials is €65.
To register contact the Mari Caulfield, Speech and Language Therapy Centre, The Courtyard, Kilcolgan, phone (091 ) 796600 or visit www.trainingways.com
