Sibling Workshop

[Guest guest]

Sibling Workshop

Autism Society of America – Greater Georgia Chapter

will host

Sibshops

Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, 2008

Stonemill Church

855 Northbrook Parkway

Suwanee, Georgia 30024

www.stonemillchurch.org

Presented by Don Meyer, founder of Sibshops and Director of the

Sibling Support Project

Registration Fee: $40.00 per person

Advance Registration Required

Please visit www.asaga.com or call (770)904-4474 for more information

or to register.

There will be a demonstration Sibshop with 12 to 20 8-to-13 year old

local brothers and sisters.

If you are interested in having your child participate in the

demonstration Sibshop, please call the ASA-GGC office.

There will be no charge for sibling participants.

Schedule:

Friday

7:30am-8:00am

Check-in

8:00am-9:00am

Starting and Strengthening Local Support Groups,

presented by Dees, SPECTRUM

9:00am-11:30am

Brothers and Sisters of People with Special Needs:

Unique Concerns, Unique Opportunities, presented by Don Meyer

11:30am-12:30pm

Lunch – please bring your own

12:30pm-1:30pm

Panel of Adult Brothers and Sisters

1:30pm-2:45pm

Fathers and Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: too

important to ignore,

presented by Don Meyer

2:45pm-4:00pm

Sibshops: Getting Started

presented by Don Meyer

Saturday

8:30am-9:00am

Check-in

9:00am-10:00am

Preparation for Demonstration Sibshop

10:00am-2:00pm

Demonstration Sibshop (please bring your own lunch)

2:00pm-3:30pm

Debriefing and Planning for local Sibshop programs

Brothers and Sisters of People with Special Needs: Unique Concerns,

Unique Opportunities

This core workshop uses a lively large-group discussion format to

help participants learn about the concerns and opportunities

frequently experienced by brothers and sisters of people with special

needs. During this workshop, participants share what they have

observed in their families or the families they serve. Participants

also learn what researchers, clinicians, and siblings themselves say

about growing up with siblings who have special needs. Implications

for parents and service providers will be discussed throughout the

workshop.

A Panel of Brothers and Sisters

One of the best ways to learn about sibling issues is to listen to

the " real experts. " During this workshop, Don Meyer will moderate a

panel of local adult brothers and sisters who will discuss life with

siblings who have special needs. We'll cover it all: the good parts,

the not-so-good parts, and everything in-between. Along the way,

panelists will offer suggestions to parents and providers.

Fathers and Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: Too

important to ignore

During this workshop, we'll discuss fathers' and grandparents' unique

concerns. We'll also learn about two easy-to-implement models of

providing support for these all-too-often overlooked family members.

Sibshops: Getting Started

Sibshops are kid-friendly workshops as rewarding to run as they are

to attend. During this workshop, participants will learn the

logistics of planning and implementing a local Sibshop for school-age

brothers and sisters. We'll review considerations including:

collaborating with other agencies, defining the population you wish

to serve, identifying financial resources, characteristics of good

Sibshop facilitators, finding a place to hold your Sibshop, how

frequently to conduct your Sibshop, and getting the word out to

parents and providers. We'll also discuss Sibshop goals and the

recreational, discussion, and educational activities these goals

suggest. Finally, we'll sample an activity or two!

Demonstration Sibshop

Participating in this workshop is the very best way to learn about

what Sibshops are all about. During the Demonstration Sibshop,

participants will put on their jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers to join

Don Meyer as he conducts a Sibshop for 12 to 20 8-to-13 year old

local brothers and sisters. This workshop provides participants with

the materials and know-how they will need to start, plan, and conduct

the activities for their own first Sibshop. The Demonstration Sibshop

can also be the " kick-off " for an on-going program in the host

community. Following the Sibshop, trainees will debrief and finalize

plans for creating Sibshops in their own communities.

About Don Meyer

Don is the director of the Sibling Support Project. As the project's

director, he has conducted more than 300 workshops worldwide,

training over 8,000 parents and providers on sibling issues and the

Sibshop model. Don was a founder of the SEFAM (Supporting Extended

Family Members) program at the University of Washington, which

pioneered services for fathers, siblings, and grandparents of

children with special needs.

Don is the senior author of curricula including Sibshops: Workshops

for brothers and sisters of children with special needs; The Fathers

Program; Grandparent Workshops and the children's book Living with a

Brother or Sister with Special Needs: a Book for Sibs. He also edited

Uncommon Fathers: Reflections on Raising a Child with Special Needs,

a collection of 19 essays by fathers of children with various special

needs and Views from our Shoes, an illustrated collection of 46

essays by young brothers and sisters. His most recent book is The

Sibling Slam Book: What it is really like to have a brother or sister

with special needs which he wrote with the help of eighty-one 13-19

year-old brothers and sisters.

News organizations that have featured Don and his work with brothers

and sisters include the New York Times, The Washington Post, National

Public Radio, and ABC News' Nightline, World News Tonight, and 20/20.

Evaluations consistently attest to Don's energy, commitment, and

ability to motivate audiences to look at families in a new way.

For more information on Sibshops, please visit www.siblingsupport.org