Parents & Healthcare Providers Invited to Attend Children’s Literacy Conference
Written by admin, April 9, 2013
April 9, 2013 – “The Roots of Literacy: Play and Language” Features Child Language Expert Dr. Carol Westby, May 10, 2013
The Speech, Language and Hearing Association of Peterborough (SLHAP) invites local parents and healthcare providers who work with children to attend a one-day conference exploring the significant role of play in developing children’s literacy.
Entitled “The Roots of Literacy: Play and Language”, the conference features child language expert Dr. Carol Westby and will take place on Friday, May 10 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Showplace Peterborough. Participants will gain insights into the development and interrelationships of cognition, play, language, social/emotional skills, and literacy.
They will also learn many new skills, such as how to:
• evaluate a child’s play/language skills,
• engage children in conversations that promotes academic language skills, and
• use play to promote the cognitive, language, and social-emotional skills that underlie children’s effective social interactions and literacy comprehension.
“It is a wonderful opportunity for anyone working with young children in Peterborough, including interested parents, to listen to this internationally-recognized expert on the power of play and how we can use play to promote a child’s social, language, and cognitive development,” said Marion Habermehl, Infant Development Worker at Peterborough Public Health.
Dr. Carol Westby is a Fellow of the American Speech Language Hearing Association (ASHA) and holds Specialty Recognition in Child Language. Dr. Westby has published and presented internationally on play assessment and development, language-literacy relationships, narrative development and facilitation, assessment and facilitation of written language, and issues in assessment and intervention with culturally and linguistically diverse populations.
Early bird registrations received prior to April 15, 2013 are $65 for professionals and $35 for parents or students. To register, visit www.kidtalk.on.ca to download a registration form and mail it in with payment to SLHAP, P.O. Box 30043, RPO Chemong, Peterborough, ON K9H 7R4.
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For further information, please contact:
Marion Habermehl
Infant Development Worker
705-743-1000, ext. 312
Leisa Baker
Public Health Nurse,
Child Health Program
705-743-1000, ext. 216