Name
Breakout Session 2C: Together in CHARGE
Date & Time
Tuesday, July 25, 2023, 1:30 PM - 2:15 PM
Location Name
Room 205
Country of Submission
Netherlands
Description

Students affected by CHARGE Syndrome experience multi-sensory impairment in its most extreme form. This puts their development at serious risk. Teachers need specific knowledge and skills to provide an adequate learning environment for these students, to enable them to fully express their potential.  At Kentalis, we support a growing group of students with CHARGE Syndrome. We've experienced that teaching methods were insufficiently supported by literature. Due to variability within the target group, students with CHARGE receive education in different schools. This makes sharing knowledge and experience more difficult. We started a project to acquire new knowledge, describe and implement improved knowledge about teacher skills and teaching conditions in the educational setting of the student with CHARGE. We have gratefully made use of the thesis of Gail Deuce, PhD. Based on literature study and input from parents and teachers, we designed an observation form that we used during an exchange program with our German partner organization. Teachers of five Kentalis schools that educate students with CHARGE participated in the project. Professionals from the German partner organization Stiftung St. Franziskus at Heiligenbronn also participated because of their experience in teaching students with CHARGE Syndrome. Consultation by Dr. Andrea Wanka, expert on CHARGE syndrome, was also part of the project. In our workshop we'd like to share outcomes and recommendations. An interview with an experience expert is also part of our workshop. Finally, we would like to interact with the audience about experiences regarding this subject and gather new ideas for future projects.