Insider's Look: Pyramid's 2023 FUNctional Conference - Beyond the Basics

Join Pyramid US Clinical Director, Catherine Horton, MS, CCC-SLP, BCBA, as she shares an inside look at the Pyramid FUNctional Conference planning with a special sneak peek of the clinical topics that will be addressed!

As Pyramid Consultants, we have the unique opportunity of visiting classrooms and meeting with educators all around the globe. Through our collective experience, common questions and trends begin to emerge. As respected experts in the field of special education with an ongoing mission to continue our professional growth, we begin thorough research into these popular topics and share our findings with our Pyramid colleagues. And, now…you have the opportunity to join us in learning about the latest topics in the field!

The Pyramid FUNctional Conference will take place October 16 – 17, 2023. You can register for one or both training dates. Day one focuses on information related to refining your learner’s communication skills, with emphasis on expanding commenting and speech skills. Day two focuses on all things related to the examination of the conditions under which behaviour occurs, as well as creating effective learning environments. There will be a total of six presentations across the two conference days which will include either new or expanded Pyramid content – with the opportunity to interact with both Andy Bondy, PhD and Lori Frost, MS, CCC-SLP!

I’ve had an inside look at all the presentations and it’s impossible to pick my favourite! But, as with all our presentations at Pyramid, there’s a nice combination of theoretical information blended with practical recommendations that can immediately be implemented with your learners. For instance, during our commenting presentation on day one, you’ll hear about interesting lessons that our consultants have created with various learners in several different countries. Lili, the Clinical Director of Romania, will describe how one of her learners was being bullied at school. The learner often went home crying and no one could identify the underlying issues because this young girl had no way to express her feelings or advocate for herself on the playground. Lessons that focus on teaching the language of emotions require careful consideration. We’ll discuss some foundational concepts like the progression from first commenting on things in the outside world prior to commenting on the abstract feelings happening inside your skin. Then, we’ll discuss ethical considerations related to capturing versus creating opportunities to express feelings.

On day two, an entire presentation is devoted to a deep dive into prompting. Have you or your colleagues ever said, “I prompted, but it didn’t work?” We’ll explain how this statement is inaccurate because prompts, by definition, are effective. Selecting a prompt-type that is best for your individual learner within any given lesson is crucial for efficient and ethical teaching. So, we will also provide you with tools and examples to analyze your prompt-types.

Get ready to rethink your approaches to teaching! We are so excited to share two days of thought-provoking content with you! Register now by clicking here!