Report from the Federal Interagency Coordinating Council: The FICC meets quarterly in Washington, DC and held its most recent meeting on June 8. The FICC consists of 6 major committees: Executive, Integrated Services, Legislative, Family Empowerment, Finance, and Communications. At the full council meeting, the FICC web site was unveiled by Judy Heumann, Chair of the FICC and Assistant Secretary of OSERS. To check out the activities of the FICC, go to www.fed-icc.org.
Currently, 12 parents serve on the FICC—8 permanent and 4 alternates, each appointed to 3-year terms. Hedy Hansen (CA) serves as the new co-chair of the full council. Mark Smith (NE) serves as the Chair of the Family Empowerment Committee. The other permanent members are Jacky Bustos (MD), Dawn and Jamie Damato (SC), and Evelyn Klimpel (ND). Congratulations to three new parent representatives to the FICC, Mary Jo Chime (NY); Pedro Cruz (Puerto Rico) and Guy Leefe (LA). The four permanent alternates are Tonya Labbe (ME), Elaine Brooks (NV), Lee Ann Rinderer (GA), and Jennifer Prince (KS).
Special thank yous were extended to departing parent representatives on the council, Marybeth Zahorchak (PA) and Felecia Jordan daSilva (MI), who also served as the co-chair of the council.
The Family Empowerment Committee of the FICC is working on a set of benchmarks for family involvement, a guide to be used as a reference to guide policy and program development across the nation. Look for a conference call with FICC parent reps on this topic coming soon!
New Survey Data on Early Identification of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Last summer, the National Early Childhood Technical Assistance System (NECTAS) surveyed Part C and Section 619 Coordinators about early identification of children with ASD. Findings from the 24 states and jurisdictions which responded are represented in the summary. Check it out on the web at: http://www.nectas.unc.edu/eval/reports/EarlyIDnug.html
Let’s Support & Honor Fathers Raising Children! The National Fatherhood Initiative is an organization that encourages & empowers men to be responsible fathers. The NFI is organizing coalitions of national & local community leaders committed to building a culture that values & supports good fathers. The NFI offers a $35 membership which offers members a quarterly newsletter updating members on the work of the NFI, issues on family & legislation, political developments, & information on contributions made and how it promotes fatherhood all over the country. The NFI has an information media kit on fatherhood topics, videos, books, tapes & articles on fatherhood. Members get advanced notice on events & conferences. www.fatherhood.org
Effectiveness of Universal Newborn Hearing Screening. A May 19 alert www.ncemch.org/alert from the National Center for Education in Maternal and Child Health has summarized key findings related to universal hearing screening. Universal hearing screening for newborns detects more cases of congenital hearing loss than targeted screening for infants at risk, but it also costs more and produces more false-positive results, according to an article in the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. The article notes that whether the benefits of universal screening outweigh the costs is a controversial issue, and that the benefits of early detection should be weighed against the impact of false-positives (such as increased anxiety for the family) and higher screening costs.
Resources
Interested In Approaches To
Running Meetings? On Parliamentary Procedure, check out Parliamentary Procedures
Instructional Materials Center which is based on the Newly Revised Robert’s
Rules of Order. The web site provides information on materials that is
ideal for teaching high school to college students, training a team for
competition, enrichment & conducting meetings & self study.
The book Robert’s Rules of Order Newly Revised (1990 9th edition) is a learning guide on how to conduct meetings effectively. It is a basic handbook of rules for most organizations & other groups.
Also, check out Survival Tips on Parliamentary Procedure The site provides information on learning to run a meeting without victimizing the audience, but more importantly without being victimized by individuals who are armed with parliamentary procedure & a personal agenda. Topics included are: before the motion, during the motion, after the motion & educational links. http://www.calweb.com/~laredo/parlproc.htm
Also, check out the classic How to Make Meetings Work by Michael Doyle and David Straus. Available in paperback, this book touches on key issues related to making meetings go smoothly and is an especially useful foundation for folks interested in effective facilitation of meetings.
International Parent to Parent Conference Report: Thanks to the many "reporters" who reflected on their experience at the International Parent to Parent Conference held in Reno Nevada in early May. Congratulations to the parent leaders from Nevada for organizing, by all accounts, a superb meeting. Dan Dinnell from Nevada writes: "There were many wonderful presentations at the International Parent to Parent Conference this year on various aspects of parent leadership development. One of my favorites was ‘The Parent Portfolio Notebook for Leadership Development.’ It was probably one of the most valuable presentations I have ever seen for ‘green’ parent or family leaders and those who might be interested in becoming a ‘parent leader’. The 2 hour presentation introduced parents to (1) How to identify their abilities, skills, and knowledge; (2) How to initiate entries into a "Parent Portfolio Notebook", (3) How to record and organize talents, skills, educational training experiences, and (4) How to document life experiences. For more information: Parent Portfolio Project, c/o USCUAP, MS#53, P.O. Box 54700, Los Angeles, CA 90054-0700 or Phone: 323-669-2300 and Fax: 323-671-3842, or email Barbara Wheeler at bwheeler@hsc.usc.edu.
Conference Call!: Join in on our 1st conference call "Keeping It Together" What’s Happening in ICC’s?" Wednesday, June 21 2:30pm to 4:00pm eastern time. In order to join us please reserve your spot by calling 800-493-2338 ext.211. This call is a reschedule the original call on Wednesday May 31 was cancelled.