Supporting Friendships of Students with Disability at School

Friendships are important for the social, emotional and psychological wellbeing of all students. As well, friendships are commonly described as a milestone in the early years of a child’s development. Despite this, students with disability often have fewer reciprocal friendships and smaller social networks compared with their peers. In this webinar we will discuss how educators can create environments that facilitate and support friendships. In particular this webinar will address:

1. The important characteristics of friendships

2. How to promote, manage and maintain friendships in the classroom context

3. The importance of positive disability identities within friendships


Intended Audience:

Anyone interested in inclusion and social justice for students with disability.

Presenter:

Dr Leanne Longfellow is a teacher, academic researcher and a parent of a young adult with disabilities. Her teaching career spans over 30 years and includes special education, early intervention and mainstream contexts. Leanne has provided numerous professional learning sessions for educators and presented at both Australian and international educational conferences.

Participants who choose the option  'E-book & certificate' will receive:

• A certificate of attendance referenced to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers ✳︎
• Electronic handouts of the notes and suggested reading.

✳︎ Completing this workshop will contribute one hour of professional learning from the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers towards maintaining Proficient Teacher accreditation.

Testimonials from previous workshops:

'I loved that the topics covered and information expressed was applicable to all students not just those with special needs. It’s a whole class approach too! Very practical!' Nicole Zacher

'I liked the way the professional learning was presented with strategies to support behaviours.' Amelia Pickard

'Clear and to the point. Relatable to school environment. Do-able'. Marie Foreman'

'Full of information and examples, scenarios and ideas to take away. Talk time at the end of the session was good to be able to discuss different strategies'. Leesa

'I liked the examples during the slideshow. Breakdown of behaviour management strategies used now and overtime and how they have/ haven’t worked.' Alison McConachy

'Informative. Practical ideas for students with learning disabilities.' Helen Braley

'The strategies were clearly set out and identified and explained thoroughly.' Emily Shepherd

'This workshop exceeded all my expectations.' Abbie Kemp