During the summer holidays my wife Shona, son Matthew ( Matt has Williams Syndrome), and Myself made the pilgrimage north to the Auckland and stayed at Kings College for the Williams Syndrome Camp 2015. The camp is mostly paid for by the Williams Syndrome Association with a small family contribution.
The major focus is on bringing families of children with Williams together and allowing the children to socialise with other people who face the exact same challenges as they do. I can tell you these lovely people love the camp and look forward to the next opportunity to come back together from the moment that camp is over.
One of the huge benefits to me as an educator is the opportunity to engage in world class professional development. At the previous camp which was held at Tea Pot Valley in Nelson in 2013 we were spoiled to have noted Williams Syndrome expert Dr Antonio Chasouris, author of Williams Syndrome, A Handbook for Parents and Professionals.
Dr. Chasouris is a delightful character and spoke to us at length about Williams Syndrome and its defining characteristics. He has a lot of knowledge and experience with people of all ages who have the syndrome around the world and shared strategies for addressing some of the challenging behaviours that these dear folk exhibit.
We were fortunate to attend a lecture by... "Lindsay Mawdsley, occupational therapist, who helped parents identify characteristics around developmental delays in adults with Williams Syndrome and explained therapies to improve coordination. She also provided play therapy experiences for the Williams Syndrome children and siblings." Ms Mawdsley spoke at the camp in 2013 and again this year in Auckland where she shared new findings from personal research on Williams Syndrome.
We also received a very interesting lecture from..."Dr Karen Levine a developmental psychologist from the US talked about
desensitising and dealing with phobias and anxiety that specifically
affect people with Williams Syndrome through her play role-based
diagnostic therapy.
BARK NZ promoted safety and happy dog experiences using the dogs and stories as a way to engage the children."
The quotations above (italics), are courtesy of IHC New Zealand and the link below will take you to the article on the event.
http://www.ihc.org.nz/news/williams-got-talent-williams-syndrome-conference-2015/
The major focus is on bringing families of children with Williams together and allowing the children to socialise with other people who face the exact same challenges as they do. I can tell you these lovely people love the camp and look forward to the next opportunity to come back together from the moment that camp is over.
Dr. Chasouris is a delightful character and spoke to us at length about Williams Syndrome and its defining characteristics. He has a lot of knowledge and experience with people of all ages who have the syndrome around the world and shared strategies for addressing some of the challenging behaviours that these dear folk exhibit.
We were fortunate to attend a lecture by... "Lindsay Mawdsley, occupational therapist, who helped parents identify characteristics around developmental delays in adults with Williams Syndrome and explained therapies to improve coordination. She also provided play therapy experiences for the Williams Syndrome children and siblings." Ms Mawdsley spoke at the camp in 2013 and again this year in Auckland where she shared new findings from personal research on Williams Syndrome.
BARK NZ promoted safety and happy dog experiences using the dogs and stories as a way to engage the children."
The quotations above (italics), are courtesy of IHC New Zealand and the link below will take you to the article on the event.
http://www.ihc.org.nz/news/williams-got-talent-williams-syndrome-conference-2015/
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