On August 9 and 10, Mirian Ofonedu, PhD, director of training for the Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities (MCDD), chaired three symposia: “Treatment Engagement and Intervention Strategies for Underserved Children, Youth, and Families,” “Health Disparities: Improving Care Outcomes for Underserved Children, Youth and Families,” and “Walk a Mile—Understanding Challenges Faced by Families Struggling to Find Assessment and Treatment” at the 126th annual convention of the American Psychological Association in San Francisco, California.
On August 14, Maureen van Stone, Esq., MS, MCDD interim director, delivered a presentation, “Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities,” at the second annual autism conference sponsored by Atlantic General Hospital in Ocean City, Maryland.
On August 16, MCDD hosted the annual Coalition to Reform School Discipline retreat in Kennedy Krieger Institute’s healing garden. The coalition’s members include direct service and public policy advocates who support families and communities in making their schools safe and welcoming environments that are responsive to students’ socio-emotional and academic needs.
On August 24, Dr. Ofonedu and Jennifer Zarcone, PhD, associate professor for Kennedy Krieger’s Behavioral Psychology Department, provided a one-day training consisting of two parts, “Behavior Management in the Classroom and Functional Behavioral Assessment” (part one) and “Working with Children with Emotional and Behavioral Problems in Schools: Prevention and Intervention Strategies” (part two), on behalf of The Children’s League, in Allegany County, Maryland. Fifty-eight professionals attended part one of the training, and 59 professionals attended part two.
On September 11, Dr. Ofonedu provided an overview of both MCDD and the University Centers for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities Education, Research, and Service (UCEDD) at Kennedy Krieger’s new employee orientation.
On September 12, Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law) at Kennedy Krieger hosted its 13th anniversary celebration at Bertha’s Mussels in Baltimore’s Fells Point neighborhood. The event raised $2,690 to benefit Project HEAL.
On September 12, Dr. Ofonedu delivered a keynote address, “Promoting Positive Outcomes for Inner-City Youth: The Role of Interdisciplinary Collaboration,” at Brown Memorial Church Tutoring Program’s opening day in Baltimore.
On September 15, Christine Schoenberger, MCDD’s business manager, represented MCDD and the Maryland Respite Care Coalition at a town hall event for caregivers, held at Salisbury University in Salisbury, Maryland. The event was facilitated by Sen. Joe Mathias, a commissioner for the Maryland Commission on Caregiving, and attended by representatives of community organizations from around the state. Twenty-five to 30 family caregivers in attendance shared their feelings about the impact of caregiving on their lives, what they loved about the caregiver role, and what could be done in Maryland to provide a supportive system for caregivers of children and adults with special care needs.
On September 20, Mallory Finn, Esq. and Alyssa Navarrete, Esq., staff attorneys for Project HEAL, delivered a 90-minute training, “Bullying, Harassment, and Intimidation of Students with Disabilities,” for the Special Education Citizens’ Advisory Committee in Kent County, Maryland.
On September 25 and 26, van Stone attended an orientation for new UCEDD directors held by the Association of University Centers on Disabilities.
On October 2, Jenny Jones gave a presentation “How and Where to Find Resources” to Kennedy Krieger Institute Social Work trainees.
On October 3, Dr. Ofonedu; van Stone; Kiley Law, MD, MPH, research director of Kennedy Krieger’s Interactive Autism Network (IAN); and Paul Lipkin, MD, Kennedy Krieger’s director of medical informatics and director of IAN, participated in a panel presentation, “Suicidality in Persons with Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities: Assessment and Intervention Strategies,” at Maryland’s 30th annual Suicide Prevention Conference in Woodlawn, Maryland.
On October 4, Navarrete gave a presentation, “Understanding the Special Education Process,” at the third annual Parent Empowerment Conference sponsored by Baltimore City Public Schools. MCDD exhibited a table at the event.
On October 9, Dr. Ofonedu was a panelist for the presentation “Careers in Social Work,” given at the University of Maryland, College Park.
On October 23, Jones represented MCDD at Kennedy Krieger’s annual Employee Health and Wellness Fair at the Institute’s Broadway campus.
On October 16, Finn and Navarrete attended the Law School Recruitment Fair at the University of Maryland, College Park. The fair was hosted by the university’s Pre-Law Advising Office within Letters and Sciences, and the University Career Center and The President’s Promise.
On October 18, Jones attended the annual Baltimore County Child and Adolescent Behavioral Health Resource Fair, which was held in Dundalk, Maryland.
On October 23, Finn and Navarrete delivered a 60-minute presentation, “Project HEAL: Demonstrating the Value of Medical-Legal Partnerships,” at the Maryland Rural Health Conference in Cambridge, Maryland.
On October 23, Jones represented MCDD at Kennedy Krieger’s annual Employee Health and Wellness Fair.
On November 1, Finn and Navarrete participated in a career fair at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law.
On November 2, Ken Capone and Tami Goldsmith represented People On the Go Maryland at Kennedy Krieger Institute’s conference, Neurodiversity: New Frontiers in Workforce Talent Management, held at Mt. Washington Conference Center. Jones represented the MCDD at the event.
On November 3, Jones represented MCDD at the Get Connected: Special Needs Resources Fair, which was hosted by Baltimore’s St. Elizabeth School.
On November 7, Jones represented MCDD at Kennedy Krieger’s annual Employee Health and Wellness Fair at the Institute’s Greenspring campus.
