February Meeting: Social Connection in the Age of COVID

Following is the agenda for this February 2021 Meeting:

1. Minutes from December meeting will be presented for approval (View Minutes Here)
2. Officer and Chair Reports (20 minutes)**
3. Treasurer’s Report (View Budget Here)
4. Bylaw Renewal (View Bylaw Draft here)
5. Presentation about Social Connection in the Age of COVID with Deborah Hammer, APS Autism and Low Incidence Specialist, April Rosenthal, Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor, and the Therapeutic Recreation team (45 minutes) Questions taken from Chat (10-15 min)

**A more detailed agenda can be found here.

A video of the presentation will be posted to our YouTube channel the following day.

Click here for Printable Slides of the presentation.

Join Arlington SEPTA for our first meeting of 2021. Following PTA business from 7:00-7:30 p.m., join us for a discussion about making social connections when we need to be socially distant.  For some children, making social connections is a challenge even in typical times, but COVID has made it even more difficult.  APS Autism and Low Incidence Specialist Deborah Hammer, Therapeutic Recreation Supervisor April Rosenthal and the Therapeutic Recreation team will join us to discuss how they are working to target developmental social-emotional goals with different age groups both in and out of school.  They will dive into what has and has not worked for them and will generate ideas for how to work on social skills while staying socially distant.

Deborah Hammer has worked professionally for over two decades on behalf of individuals with disabilities and their families. As an Autism Specialist for APS, she provides training and support to school staff, parents, and students. She also frequently presents at national and international conferences, including Autism Society of America, Council for Exceptional Children, and the National Autism Conference. 

April Rosenthal supervises the Therapeutic Recreation Office in the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR). She is responsible for oversight and management of programs for individuals with disabilities, along with inclusion support in general recreation programs. April started as a TR Programmer in 2010, and has been the Unit Manager since March 2015.