Thank you to our Volunteers

Proposed Schedule of Events

Proposed Schedule of Events

Please find the proposed schedule of events here.

Many thanks to Team Indy for their dedication to the making this conference awesome!!

Jason & Michelle Myatt

Foster & Stephanie Pilcher

Brad & Kyla Chandler

 

 

OVER FLOW HOTEL IDENTIFIED

With the conference two months away, we have found that the Sheraton at Keystone Crossing is in a sold out situation.  Basically what that means is they do not have any more rooms that they can add to our block, but they can still sell rooms at over $200 a night.  Argh.  As we get closer some things may change.  This is not the first time this has happened nor will it be the last.

Have no fear, an overflow hotel has been identified . . .

The TownPlace Suites by Marriott-Keystone Crossing has block 10 rooms for us for overflow (and if 10 is not enough they can add a few more).  These rooms are Studio Suites that consist of a queen size bed and a pull out couch, full kitchen including full size refrigerator, microwave, oven and stove.  The amenities are complimentary breakfast, complimentary parking, and complimentary high speed internet and complimentary exercise facility with 24 hour access.  The room rate is the best that they can do for us at $149.00 per night.  This block is for July 30 arrival and August 2 departure.  If anyone needs to stay prior to or leave later than, I would need to know to make an internal change to your reservation.

Don't wait too long as this rate will be good until 6/29/2015 or until the hotel sells out.

You can make your reservations by calling 800-619-3224 and tell them you are with the 5P Minus Society Group Block, or by clicking on this link.

Meet the Speakers

Updated 5/30/2015

Meet the Speakers

We have some great speakers and break out session scheduled for you this year for the Indianapolis Conference!  Here’s a little bit about some of them . . . we will continue to add as we continue to get more information.

 

James Chalmers

Keynote Speaker for the 2015 Conference will be James Chalmers.  43-year-old James has Cri du Chat Syndrome.  He lives independently in Red Wing, Minnesota.  James participates in Special Olympics and has run in six marathons.  He is a spiritual young man with a strong family bond.  This is James’ first conference and he is eager to tell you a little about himself.

Jennifer Grillo PTA BS and Teresa Keathley PT

Presenting:  Hippotherapy:  A treatment Strategy for Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapy


   Jennifer Grillo

Jennifer Grillo, joined the Children's TherAplay Foundation, Inc. staff in June 2002.  She earned an Associate's Degree in Physical Therapy from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1993 and her Bachelor's Degree in Health Care Management in 1994.  During her career, Jen has worked in long-term care and outpatient neurological rehabilitation settings, but she has chosen to specialize in pediatrics.

Jen has pursued continuing education in the areas of gait training, sensory integration and advanced hippotherapy treatment.  She is a member of the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) and the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA).  Jen has received the APTA Certificate of Recognition of Advanced Proficiency for the Physical Therapist Assistant in the area of pediatric physical therapy.




     Teresa Keathley

Teresa Keathley graduated from Ohio State University in 19gh CCI90 with a BS in Allied Health in Physical Therapy.  She has specialized in pediatrics since the start of ther career, working in both hospital and clinic based out-patient rehabilitation.  She has been performing hippotherapy as part of her treatment for 10 years.

Teresa's speciality training includes Neuro Developmental Treatment Certification; the American Hippotherapy Association (AHA) Level II Course; as well as advanced training in kinesiotaping, gait training, sensory integration, and dynamic bracing the pediatrics.

Teresa also bring with her Dorian, a certified therapy dog through Canine Companions for Independence (CCI).  Dorian is a 6 year old Lab/Golden Cross and graduated in May of 2010.  Dorian works alongside Teresa to help children enjoy their participation during therapy sessions.  As a graduate through CCI, Dorian has been trained to successfully perform over 50 different commands to assist an individual with physical needs.

Dennis Campbell, PhD

Presenting:  Cri du Chat 101 and An Overview of ABA Therapy

Associate Professor of Special Education at the University of South Alabama. Dr. Campbell is the parent of a young adult, Amy, with 5p– Syndrome. He chairs the Professional Advisory Board for the 5 P Minus Society, and has worked with many other parent support groups. He chairs the Human rights committee which reviews, and approves rights restrictions for several of the local agencies that serve individuals with cognitive and intellectual disabilities and well as mental illness. He has researched, published, and presented extensively regarding Cri-du-chat Syndrome, disability advocacy, and transition.  Dennis was named Parent of the Year in 2014.

AmySue Reilly, PhD

Presenting:  An Overview of ABA Therapy

Associate Professor of Special Education, Rehabilitation and Counseling at Auburn University. Dr. Reilly is a member of the Professional Advisory Committee for the 5p– Society. She has presented at the past 10 conferences on Behavior Modification. She has also researched and published along with Dr. Campbell, regarding Cri-du-chat Syndrome, disability advocacy and transition.  Dr. Reilly was named 2014 Super Hero of the Decade!

Because of Dr. Reilly’s continued support of the 5p- Society, the Hospitality Suite has been renamed AmySue’s Place in her honor.

Kent Nicholls

Presenting:  New Family Orientation

Like you, Kent is the parent of a child with 5p- and is always searching for information and resources to help his daughter live a better life. As the founder of the 5p- Society, Kent has participated in all 29 5p- Society Annual Conferences and has helped families and professionals connect, provide mutual support, and learn from each other. Kent currently serves on the 5p- Society Board of Directors, is chairman of the Nominating Committee and serves on other committees.

Kent has previously served on the Board of Directors for the March of Dimes and The ARC, as well as technology advisor to the Children’s Center for the Visually Impaired and the Bloch Cancer Survivors Park, all in Kansas City. He also recently served as a Merit Reviewer for the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute in Washington DC where he evaluated grant requests for research on rare genetic conditions.

Shanida Mathieu

Presenting:  2 presentations, one geared for the those new to the IEP process and one for those who need a refresher on the IEP and getting the most out of the process

Shanida Mathieu is the mother of two sons ( her eldest with Cri – du-chat syndrome). She works with families of children with disabilities, helping them advocate for appropriate educational services for their children and finding community resources to meet their children's needs. She presents parent and professional workshops on a variety of special education topics. As an education advocate for Louisiana’s federally funded parent training and information center, under the National consortium of parent training centers, Shanida has trained over 3000 parents and professionals within her state, empowering them to effectively advocate for appropriate services for students with disabilities over the last six years. Shanida has trained under some of the leading experts on special education law. As a dedicated education advocate for her state, she is focused on empowering parents and adult students with knowledge on their educational rights. Working as an education advocate under a federally funded program, has afforded her with the skills and knowledge to continue to empower parents and professionals to see Abilities versus DisAbilities. She has served and continues to serve on several of advisory committees, multiple task forces, advisory groups and task forces with Louisiana Department of Education, La. Children Special Health Services, La. Deaf/Blind Consortium and as a 2009 graduate of Louisiana’s Partners in Policymaking.

Erin Buck OD

Presenting: Vision and Learning 

Dr. Buck was born and raised in Indianapolis and is proud to be a Hoosier.  She graduated from the Indiana University School of Optometry in 2009.  Her specialty areas include developmental vision evaluations, pediatric eye examinations, vision therapy, and sports vision training.  She completed 100 hours in Advanced Vision Therapy training and is a member of the College of Optometrists in Vision Development.  Dr. Buck understands the needs of young patients and is adept at utilizing objective screening criteria designed to diagnose all types of vision-related problems.

Dr. Buck loves working with children and adults to help them to remove the visual barriers to their success.

In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with family, reading, running, and watching any type of sporting event.  Dr. Buck likes to be involved in the community, both locally and globally.  She volunteers with Timmy Global Health helping to provide eye care to those in need.  She also looks forward to meeting new people as a recent member of the Greenwood Chamber of Commerce.

Crista McIntosh and Nancy Washburn

Presenting:  Transition to Employment and College after High School

Crista McIntosh is an Employment Transition Specialist and Career Coach at Easter Seals Crossroads. She has worked in the field of employment services for people with disabilities for over 12 years, as a Respite Caregiver, Employment Consultant, and Project Coordinator. Currently, McIntosh works on two separate grant projects to prepare schools and transition age students with disabilities for life after high school. McIntosh also serves as a School Board Treasurer for Montessori Parents as Partners. She earned a B.A. in Psychology from Indiana-University-Purdue-University-Indianapolis and holds an Employment Specialist certification.

Nancy Washburn

Presentation:  Transition to Employment and After Graduation

Nancy Washburn has 30+ years working and serving in the community of disabilities. She has been employed as a Transitions Specialist and an Employment Consultant for Easter Seals Crossroads the past 6 years. She is currently working under a Lily Grant assisting Private, Parochial, Charter and Magnet schools with setting up transition programs for students exiting high school.  She has experience in program development, program management, and direct services; assisting individuals to obtain & maintain services.

Washburn worked for Family Service Society for 11 years as their Family Life Coordinator. The job tasks were Grant Writing, Program Development, Program Management, group facilitator and coordinated Multi-Agency collaborations.

She was employed by the State of Indiana as Vocational Rehabilitation Counselor for 5 years; assisting individuals with services to gain and maintain employment.

Washburn served for 7 years at Adult and Child Mental Health Center’s as a Team Leader. She managed the Employment Team/Job Links, a Club House for pre-vocational training and managed their transportation fleet. Washburn taught a week long class last summer on “The Church and Persons with Disabilities”.  Washburn has a BS from IUPUI.

Karrie Veteto

Presenting:  Sensory Processing

Hi, I'm Karrie Veteto. I am currently working as an Occupational Therapist and Behavior Analyst  at Crystal’s Behaviors Solutions which is an in-home ABA agency for children with autism located in Indianapolis. I graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor's degree in Kinesiology in 2003, and from the University of Indianapolis with my Master's in Occupational Therapy in 2005. I recently received my Certificate in Applied Behavior Analysis from Ball State and became a Board Certified Behavior Analyst in the fall of 2013. I have been an OT for over 9 years spending the majority of that time working with children. During this time I became certified in Sensory Integration. As an OT, I have addressed feeding, oral motor, fine motor, behavior, self- help, motor coordination and sensory processing issues. I have worked in home, school, and clinic-based settings. I have experience in working with children with a variety of diagnoses but autism has been the most prevalent.

On a personal note, my husband Dustin and I have an energetic 2-year-old son- Avery, who keeps us very busy! 

Wendy Gahimer ma ccc-slp

Presenting:  Augmentative Communication

Wendy, a Speech Language Pathologist who specializes in Augmentative Communication at Easter Seals Crossroads serves children through First Steps Early Intervention Services, as well as at both of Easter Seals Crossroads outpatient clinics.  She earned her Master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology at Indiana University in 2002 and has worked in the pediatric field for the past 13 years.  She has extensive experience and a passion for working with children who are non-verbal to establish a functional way for them to communicate.  She is skilled at performing augmentative communication evaluations, facilitating the purchase of equipment and providing training for use of the augmentative communication devices.  Wendy’s enthusiasm and expertise in augmentative communication make her a popular presenter on this topic in various college classrooms, as well as at support groups and conferences.

MaryAnne Ehlert

Presenting:  Take Your Families on a Journey Through an Eight Step Special Needs Planning Program

Mary Anne Ehlert, CFP®, is a financial professional and sister to an individual with disabilities. She is highly regarded as a specialist in working with families of individuals with disabilities and the elderly and speaks to conferences and television audiences on financial planning. 

Mary Anne’s journey began in senior management positions within the banking industry, including Deutsche Credit Corp, Heller Financial and Citicorp. For over 20 years she was a leader in the corporate world leaving in 1990 to create Ehlert Financial Group, a business driven to assist individuals and families develop both short and long term financial strategies to help them find peace of mind.

Over the years, she found that many individuals and families were receiving transactional advice, rather than overall planning, and thus she set about to become a true personal advisor to her clients. The mission to become that needed resource to her clients has driven the overall purpose and strategy of the firm.

In addition, she also found herself focusing on families like her own, families of individuals with special needs. Her sister, Marcia, helped her understand that families with special needs must plan differently. Since that time, she has focused a division of her practice on working with families with special needs. Protected Tomorrows, Inc., the special needs division, helps families plan a safe and fulfilling life for their loved ones with special needs or who are aging.

As President and Founder of Protected Tomorrows, Inc., Mary Anne serves as a member of the Board of Directors of several organizations providing services to children and adults with special needs, including; National Disability Institute in Washington D.C., and Illinois Special Olympics. She also serves on the Advisory Board of Integrative Touch for Kids.

Mary Anne speaks to conferences and other audiences on financial planning, and has recently completed her book, entitled “The Gift I Was Given.”

“My sister Marcia, who was born with cerebral palsy, changed my life forever. Who would I have become without her? My close relationship with my sister taught me what really matters, what really is important in life, not only day-to-day, but also for the long term. “I’ve learned that sharing my own background and feelings about growing up with Marcia helps other families focus on the positives while they deal with the challenges. They respond to my candor about the dynamics of my own family…I can see them nod their heads when I talk about how family members coped differently with my sister’s disabilities…they feel secure in planning with someone who knows what they’re going through.

“Being able to make a difference in the lives of other families and helping them solve some of their unique challenges brings me great comfort. Marcia is no longer of this earth but I’m convinced she looks over my shoulder every day and smiles at her legacy.”

Mary Anne Ehlert is founder of Protected Tomorrows, Inc.

Protected Tomorrows, Inc. is not a Registered Investment Adviser and does not engage in offering financial or legal advice.