Time
General Session
Specialty Workshop
Self-Advocate Workshop
9:00-10:15am ET
10:45am-12:00pm ET
Diversity and Inclusion in Down Syndrome Research: NIH and the INCLUDE Project
Colleen Hatcher, Senior Manager of Community Relations, National Down Syndrome Society; Sujata Bardhan, PhD, Health Scientist Administrator, DS-Connect Registry Coordinator, Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities Branch, Eunice Kennedy Shriver NICHD, National Institutes of Health
Supporting People with Down Syndrome and Their Mental Health Care Needs
Kerim M. Munir, MD, DSc, Director of Psychiatry, University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities (UCEDD), Division of Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School
Teresa Unnerstall, DS-ASD Consultant and Author
Billie Junget, MT-BC, Roman Music Therapy; Emily Hawley, MT-BC, Roman Music Therapy
12:30-1:45pm ET
Alzheimer’s Disease Research Focus: Updates on Current and Upcoming Clinical Trials
Diane Chan, MD, PhD, Post-doctoral Fellow/Tsai Lab, MIT; James Hendrix, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, LuMind IDSC Foundation; Li-Huei Tsai, PhD, Picower Professor of Neuroscience, Picower Institute For Learning and Memory, Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Emily Jean Davidson, MD, MPH, RYT; Nicole Baumer, MD, MEd, Director, Boston Children’s Hospital Down Syndrome Program
Amplifying the Voices of Diverse Maternal Experiences
Jessica Avila, MSW, LICSW, Diversity Outreach Coordinator, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress; Marline Gordon; Patria Espinal; Rachel Wilkins-Thurman; Tatiana Salinas, Bilingual (Spanish) Community Outreach Specialist, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
Access to Theater: Improv and Storytelling
Maureen Finnerty, Movement Director, Access to Theater, Partners for Youth with Disabilities
2:15-3:30pm ET
Changing The Scripts: Supporting Healthy Sexuality for People with Down Syndrome
Terri Couwenhoven MS, Certified Sex Educator (CSE)
Toilet Training Time: You’ve Got This!
Leah Cohen, MSN, CPNP, Developmental Medicine, Boston Children’s Hospital
Vision Boards: Making Your Dreams Come True!
Felicia Patti, MDSC Self-Advocate Advisory Council Member, Actress
4:00-5:15pm ET
The Intersection of Down Syndrome and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Andrew McCormick, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; Kishore Vellody, MD, Professor of Pediatrics at University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and Medical Director, Down Syndrome Center of Western Pennsylvania; Shauntel Neal-Howe, President, National Down Syndrome Congress Board of Directors
Tiny Signs, Big Connection: Sign Language for Early Communication
Lane Rebelo, LCSW, Tiny Signs® Founder
New Parents: Sharing Our Stories
Angela Lombardo, Program Coordinator, Down Syndrome Program at Boston Children’s Hospital; Emily Jean Davidson, MD, MPH, RYT, Boston Children’s Hospital; Sarah Cullen, Family Support Director, Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress
Time
GENERAL SESSION WORKSHOP
SPECIALTY WORKSHOP
Self-Advocate Workshop
10:45am-12:00pm ET
Obesity, Diet, and Exercise: Recommendations and Practical Strategies for Families
Dominica Nichols, PhD, RD, LDN, Clinical Nutritionist, MGH Down Syndrome Program; James Hendrix, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, LuMind IDSC Foundation; Nicolas M. Oreskovic, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General Hospital; Richard Fleming, PhD, Professor Emeritus, University of Massachusetts Boston
Inclusion Principles to Engage ALL Students
Savanna Flakes, EdS, Education Consultant
Voices of Siblings: Including Brothers’ and Sisters’ Perspectives
Marina Simons-Fulton, MA, CCC-SLP; Patrick Cullen; Sam Stark, LICSW
Everybody Stretch and Relax: Yoga and Meditation for Strength, Flexibility, and Calm
Emily Jean Davidson, MD, MPH, RYT
12:30-1:45pm ET
David Stein, PsyD, Director, New England Neurodevelopment
Update in Pediatric Hypoglossal Implantation for Severe Sleep Apnea
Christopher Hartnick MD Professor of Otolaryngology, Massachusetts Eye and Ear, Harvard Medical School
D.A.D.S. (Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome) – Sharing and Connecting
Jeff Roback, President and Founder of Dads Appreciating Down Syndrome (D.A.D.S.) of Massachusetts, an Affiliate of MDSC; Luis Castillo, MDSC Dad; Ray Glowner, Active Member of D.A.D.S. of Down Syndrome Indiana; Robby Ketchell, MDSC Dad
Spending and Saving: Basics of a Budget
Ariana DiBiasio, Senior Tax Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers; Lydia Rego, Senior Tax Associate, PricewaterhouseCoopers
2:15-3:30pm ET
Alzheimer’s Disease: Aging and Family Support
Florence Lai, MD, Assistant Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School, Neurologist, Massachusetts General Hospital; James Hendrix, PhD, Chief Scientific Officer, LuMind IDSC Foundation; Kenneth Rockwood MD FRCPC, FRCP Professor of Geriatric Medicine & Neurology, and the Kathryn Allen Weldon Professor of Alzheimer Research, Dalhousie University, Halifax Nova Scotia, Canada
ADHD and Down Syndrome: Medical and Psychosocial Considerations
Clorinda “”Clo”” Cottrell, MSW, LICSW- Clinical Social Worker, MGH Down Syndrome Program; Joanne Goughan, Parent; Michelle L Palumbo, MD, Pediatrics and Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital
Grandparents Share and Connect
Sue Laing, Co-Leader of MDSC Grandparents Support Group
Building Habits for Health: Making Nutrition Work for You!
Ashley DeNoble, MDSC Self-Advocate Advisory Council Member; Dominica Nichols, PhD, RD, LDN, Clinical Nutritionist, MGH Down Syndrome Program
4:00-5:15pm ET
Executive Function Skills at School & Home
Kristen Jacobsen, MS Co-Director Cognitive Connections
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): Picking the Right App for You!
Dan Phillips, AAC/AT, Director, Technology Resource Center of Marin
Dan McLean, DJ Dan’o Entertainment