News & Events
News & Events
Dr. Horace Mann Graduate Research Symposium -- May 8All are welcome to attend the 2013 EXE graduate research symposium on Wednesday, May 8 -- 5:30 pm - 9:00 pm in Rockwell Hall. The keynote speaker is Dr. Judy Elliott, Distinguished Educator of the Buffalo Public Schools.
NYSABE Conference- March 16, 2013 in Melville, NY
Faculty member, Dr. Kathy Doody presented on "Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders: How They Think, Learn, and Communicate (in all languages)". See the brochure for a full description. Additionally, faculty member, Awilda Ramos-Zagarrigo, who holds the prestigious position as president of NYSABE introduced each presenter and award recipient as well as coordinated and hosted several dinners. One dinner that was a tribute to the lives lost during Hurricane Sandy and the victims of the Sandy Hook shooting was especially touching and very emotional.
Great job Sisi and Kathy!
Kathy Doody Develops Au-some Evenings - A Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Au-some Evenings, an exciting new program held at the Explore & More Children’s Museum in East Aurora, is dedicated to children with autism spectrum disorders and their friends and families. The program was developed in collaboration with The Children’s Guild Foundation Autism Spectrum Disorder Center at Women & Children’s Hospital of Buffalo and the Center for Autism Support and Education (CASE). It is the first program of its kind in Western New York. Through generous support from Hodgson, Russ, LLP, Au-some Evenings is provided to families free of charge.
Au-some Evenings give children with autism spectrum disorders as well as their invited friends and family an opportunity to play and learn together in an understanding and supportive environment. The pilot program runs from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm one Friday evening per month. To prepare for a visit, a social narrative "My Visit to Explore & More" was created to help familiarize children with what they may see and do. A video was also posted on Explore & More’s website for people who may prefer to listen and watch rather than read. In its first four months, over 400 individuals participated in Au-some Evenings and 16 of Buffalo State’s Exceptional Education graduate students volunteered to facilitate play, collect data, interact with children and families, and join in on the fun.
Research is being conducted to compare the play preferences of children with autism spectrum disorders to children with typical development. The results of the study will be disseminated to improve our knowledge of children with autism spectrum disorders in recreational settings. The results of the study will also be incorporated into the design and construction of the new Explore & More Children’s Museum, scheduled for opening on Buffalo’s Waterfront by the summer of 2016. The perspectives of Exceptional Education teacher candidates of children with autism spectrum disorders and their families will also be studied.
The Au-some Evenings events and related research are coordinated and overseen by Kathy Doody, assistant professor, Buffalo State’s Exceptional Education Department, and Jana Mertz, Program Coordinator of the Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinic and Women and Children’s Hospital of Buffalo.
Au-some Evenings was recently featured in the Buffalo State Daily and in the Buffalo News.
Jennifer Grant, EXE student, Presents at Career Development Day
Jennifer Grant, graduate student and teacher candidate in the Exceptional Education Early Childhood Program, was invited to participate in Buffalo State's Career Development Day, The Secrets of Finding a Teaching Job, on Friday, December 14, 2012 in the Warren Enters Theatre.
Jennifer was selected to represent Buffalo State's School of Education on a panel discussion entitled "Experts Tell it Like It Is," alongside Patrick Phelan (Assistant Superintendent Human Resources, West Seneca) Larry Leaven (Assistant Superintendent for Instruction, Sweet Home) and Martin Hunt (Chemistry Teacher, Tapestry Charter School).
Jennifer discussed how Buffalo State prepared her for student teaching assignments, how the Career Development Office assisted her in designing her resume and preparing for the interview process, and how to become more marketable in the Western New York area. She also provided anecdotal observations and suggestions for how to make an impression during student teaching and substitute teaching assignments in our area schools. Approximately 150-200 Buffalo State undergraduate students were in attendance.
Jennifer completed her undergraduate degree at Buffalo State in the School of Education. She currently holds a 4.0 GPA in the Exceptional Education graduate Early Childhood Program, and was the 2012-2013 recipient of the Varga Scholarship. She served as a graduate assistant in Exceptional Education and is currently the lead special education teacher in a preschool classroom at Buffalo Hearing and Speech, providing services to students with autism spectrum disorders.