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Faculty Spotlight
FACULTY SPOTLIGHT UCAF
Rehabilitation of Horses at an International
Equine Sanctuary As part of her research in the Literacies of Stewardship and Sustainability, Dr. Regine Randall, from the Department of Curriculum & Learning, consulted with a Connecticut agricultural science teacher to develop a grant for better understanding how the training methods of both natural and classical horsemanship can be used to rehabilitate horses at an international equine sanctuary. This work will take place during the summer of 2021 in Malagda, Spain. UnderstandingA As part of her research Stewardship and Sustai from the Department o consulted with a Conne teacher to develop a gr understanding how the natural and classical ho rehabilitate horses at an sanctuary. This work w s mmer of 2021 in Mala such techniques can dramatically improve our ability to care for and handle horses that have suffered from neglect, trauma, or abuse. Further, this knowledge of special care and handling practices is transferable to other domestic and wild animals.
Finally, one of the aims of this project is to enhance instruction in agricultural science and technology programs to better prepare high school students for the complexities of careers related to conservation, husbandry, and preservation. Dr. Randall, working in conjunction with Michelle's House in New Haven, has also acquired a microgrant from the Connecticut Association of Reading Research to fund a children's and teen library at the facility. Michelle's House is a community affiliate of Yale-New Haven Hospital which provides support for individuals with sickle cell disease. One goal of creating a children's and teen library with diverse texts and resources is to facilitate academic tutoring for K-12 students with high absenteeism in school due to illness and treatment.
Milestones Behavioral Services Partners with the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders
In 2018, the Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorder partnered with Milestones Behavioral Services (MBS), a center-based school in Orange, Connecticut for individuals on the spectrum, in an ongoing effort to establish a pathway to post-secondary options for students with ASD. Pre-service special educators from SCSU engage with students with ASD from MBS in social and volunteer work opportunities on campus. The collaboration allows for a bidirectional gain, as students from SCSU and MBS learn about the more effective ways by which to engage with each other and the larger campus community. The Center team engages with the students, MBS staff, and also collects data to evaluate the success of this initiative.
The Center of Excellence on Autism Spectrum Disorders Provides Online Support
The Autism Center of Excellence has been providing ongoing tele-outreach to parents, teachers and caregivers interested in supporting individuals with ASD during quarantine.
On April 10, 2020, the Center Director Fred R. Volkmar gave an online presentation, The Changing Face of Autism: A Developmental Perspective, to review factors that have contributed to improved outcomes of autism, including earlier diagnosis and improved intervention. Fred Volkmar MD., Jane Brown, Ed.D., and Ellen B. Keane, J.D. also gave a talk on April 17, 2020, Title IX Meets ADA, to discuss ways to approach conduct issues of students with autism while attempting to reconcile diverse perspectives of the ADA and Title IX. Both were in lieu of planned on-campus talks as part of Autism Awareness Month.
New Training Teaches Strategies to Better Care for Children with Autism
Sit for Autism is a two-hour training that provides tools and skills to short-term caregivers of individuals on the spectrum. Historically, Sit for Autism has been offered as an in-person training wherein the individuals attending not only receive instruction, but also a “Sit Kit” that provides some tools they can employ when engaged in short-term care. Numerous trainings have been conducted over the years all around Connecticut, and over 500 participants have benefited from their contents. The Bureau Chief of Special Education in Sit for Autism is a twoConnecticut, who heard about Sit forhour training that teaches Autism, expressed his interest in ways to expand the program to meet the needs of short-term caregivers more parents. We are excited to announce that, in collaboration with the Statestrategies to keep children Department of Education and the Connecticut Parent Advocacy Center, this with ASD physically and training will be “scaled up” to a train-theemotionally safe. trainer model this year, which will allow for this valuable information to reach a much greater number of people. Due to COVID-19, we had to delay the start date; however, we anticipate the train-the-trainer model will begin in August 2020.New Model for SCSU Students
with Autism
Dr. Fred Volkmar, in collaboration with faculty in the Center for Excellence in Autism, is working with the Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communications Handicapped Children (TEACCH) at the University of North Carolina to develop a new model for supporting new SCSU students with autism spectrum disorder in their first semester of college.
Over the past year, a collaborative team of faculty, students, and practicing educators, have worked together to create a professional development model called Change From Within: Building Capacity for Educational Justice. This program is an intensive, capacity-building model aimed at supporting educators in their journey towards understanding and engaging in culturally responsive and anti-racist education.
Hamden Middle School has partnered with SCSU and the Change From Within program for the 2019-2020 school year. A cohort of teachers, administrators, and educational professionals from Hamden Middle are working together to bring about positive changes in their school and deepen their understandings around implicit bias, systemic racism, and culturally responsive teaching.
The Change From Within team consists of:
Victoria Louis: SCSU elementary education graduate,‘19, and first-grade teacher at Jumoke Academy in Hartford.
Jessica Powell: Assistant Professor of Education, Early Childhood Education Program Coordinator, and co-director of the SCSU Educational Justice Collective.
Alexia Reyes: Early childhood education graduate, ’19, and Assistant Director at Harmony Childcare Center in South Windsor.
Shanequa Sturgis-Nash: SCSU doctoral student in Educational Leadership and New Haven Public Schools math coach.
Meredith Sinclair: Associate Professor of Secondary English Education and codirector of the SCSU Educational Justice Collective.
Educational Leadership & Policy Studies Associate Professor Makes Face Masks
Associate Professor Jess Gregory has been making COVID-19 face masks for neighbors, including those who serve our communities in the state and local police. She also submitted a paper on how COVID-19 is raising the issue of plagiarism to the forefront while we are all learning from a distance.
Professor of Curriculum and Learning Honored as a SouthernStrong Awardee
Maria Diamantis, professor of curriculum and learning, was nominated for SouthernStrong Awards in April of this year by a student who wrote that she “has been amazing at not only transitioning our classes to online but providing support to students in this time of need! She keeps an open line of communication and continues to make sure her students are doing well and have everything they need during this time. She emails us frequently even if it is just to check up on us! She even has offered to make her students and their families cloth protective masks and mail them to us if we need them.”
Assistant Professor's Research Interest Focuses on Students with Disabilities
Dr. Yan Wei, assistant professor in the Department of Special Education, is conducting research on adolescent literacy instruction for students with learning disabilities. This includes motivation instruction, evidence-based literacy instruction, culturally and linguistically diverse learners, and remediate reading programs in tier-3 intensified classrooms. Dr. Wei is also interested in transition planning and services for high school students with learning disabilities.
Friendly Forums
Dr. Kari Sassu, associate professor in the Counseling and School Psychology Department, has started a series of Friendly Forums in the interest of supporting parents and caregivers of children on the spectrum in their adjustment to the homeschooling experience. The idea of the talks is to provide helpful tips, simple strategies, and creative ideas to help structure the days at home and cope with the stress of competing demands.
The series has included: (1) The importance of structure and flexibility; (2) considerations for attending virtual planning and placement team meetings; (3) tribulations and triumphs of the transition to homeschooling; (4) communication and encouragement of social exchanges; (5) selfcare for the caregiver; (6) collecting and sharing critical information with school teams; and (7) sharing strategies with short-term caregivers.
Associate Professor Reaches Out to International Population During Pandemic
Dr. Yavuz, founding director of the SCSU International Youth Leadership Academy (IYLA), has been supporting immigrants, refugees, and international students academically during the pandemic. Particularly, Dr. Yavuz is providing international students and their families with virtual support, educational resources, counseling strategies, skills, and a safe environment for learning.
Casey McPherson Counseling & School Psychology
Lauren Tucker Special Education Qu Chen Counseling & School Psychology
