A one-day conference devoted to educating teachers, nurses, guidance counselors and other educators about the medical and educational issues that children with cancer face, particularly when returning to school, will take place on November 15 at Computer Associates in Islandia, N.Y., from 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.
At “Children with Cancer go back to School – Educating the Educators,” participants will acquire important information to help them be more informed and attuned to the special needs of children treated for cancer. Topics include an overview of common pediatric cancers, expected side effects of therapy, long-term cognitive effects of treatment and preparation for school re-entry.
Daniel Armstrong, Ph.D., Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Pediatrics, and Director of the Mailman Center for Child Development at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, is the guest speaker Dr. Armstrong’s work has led to the development of a model for understanding how childhood cancer can lead to long-term cognitive impairments. He will discuss how to use a neurodevelopmental model to treat and/or prevent such impairments in children.
Breakout discussion sessions and a panel presentation titled “From Hospital to Home to School” are also part of the conference, which is organized and run by the School Re-Entry Program at Stony Brook University Medical Center.
The School Re-Entry Program is the only one of its kind on Long Island and has received national media attention for its success. The program is a collaborative effort of Stony Brook physicians, nurses, child life specialists, and educational liaisons who work with school personnel to facilitate a child’s return to the classroom. The Stony Brook team prepares each child before he/she returns to school, coordinates tutoring services, establishes open communication with the child’s home school, and travels to the school to educate the child’s fellow classmates about cancer and how they can support their classmate.
For more information and to register for the conference, call Nicole Gutman at (631) 444-7521 or e-mail nicole.gutman@sunysb.edu.
