Sibling Workshop

Autism Society of America – Greater Georgia Chapter
will host
Sibshops
Friday and Saturday, September 19-20, 2008
Stonemill Church
855 Northbrook Parkway
Suwanee, Georgia 30024
www.stonemillchurch.org

Presented by Don Meyer, founder of Sibshops and Director of the
Sibling Support Project

Registration Fee: $40.00 per person
Advance Registration Required
Please visit www.asaga.com or call (770)904-4474 for more information
or to register.

There will be a demonstration Sibshop with 12 to 20 8-to-13 year old
local brothers and sisters.
If you are interested in having your child participate in the
demonstration Sibshop, please call the ASA-GGC office.
There will be no charge for sibling participants.

Schedule:
Friday
7:30am-8:00am
Check-in

8:00am-9:00am
Starting and Strengthening Local Support Groups,
presented by Claire Dees, SPECTRUM

9:00am-11:30am
Brothers and Sisters of People with Special Needs:
Unique Concerns, Unique Opportunities, presented by Don Meyer

11:30am-12:30pm
Lunch – please bring your own

12:30pm-1:30pm
Panel of Adult Brothers and Sisters

1:30pm-2:45pm
Fathers and Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: too
important to ignore,
presented by Don Meyer

2:45pm-4:00pm
Sibshops: Getting Started
presented by Don Meyer

Saturday

8:30am-9:00am
Check-in

9:00am-10:00am
Preparation for Demonstration Sibshop

10:00am-2:00pm
Demonstration Sibshop (please bring your own lunch)

2:00pm-3:30pm
Debriefing and Planning for local Sibshop programs


Brothers and Sisters of People with Special Needs: Unique Concerns,
Unique Opportunities
This core workshop uses a lively large-group discussion format to
help participants learn about the concerns and opportunities
frequently experienced by brothers and sisters of people with special
needs. During this workshop, participants share what they have
observed in their families or the families they serve. Participants
also learn what researchers, clinicians, and siblings themselves say
about growing up with siblings who have special needs. Implications
for parents and service providers will be discussed throughout the
workshop.


A Panel of Brothers and Sisters
One of the best ways to learn about sibling issues is to listen to
the "real experts." During this workshop, Don Meyer will moderate a
panel of local adult brothers and sisters who will discuss life with
siblings who have special needs. We'll cover it all: the good parts,
the not-so-good parts, and everything in-between. Along the way,
panelists will offer suggestions to parents and providers.


Fathers and Grandparents of Children with Special Needs: Too
important to ignore
During this workshop, we'll discuss fathers' and grandparents' unique
concerns. We'll also learn about two easy-to-implement models of
providing support for these all-too-often overlooked family members.


Sibshops: Getting Started
Sibshops are kid-friendly workshops as rewarding to run as they are
to attend. During this workshop, participants will learn the
logistics of planning and implementing a local Sibshop for school-age
brothers and sisters. We'll review considerations including:
collaborating with other agencies, defining the population you wish
to serve, identifying financial resources, characteristics of good
Sibshop facilitators, finding a place to hold your Sibshop, how
frequently to conduct your Sibshop, and getting the word out to
parents and providers. We'll also discuss Sibshop goals and the
recreational, discussion, and educational activities these goals
suggest. Finally, we'll sample an activity or two!


Demonstration Sibshop
Participating in this workshop is the very best way to learn about
what Sibshops are all about. During the Demonstration Sibshop,
participants will put on their jeans, T-shirts, and sneakers to join
Don Meyer as he conducts a Sibshop for 12 to 20 8-to-13 year old
local brothers and sisters. This workshop provides participants with
the materials and know-how they will need to start, plan, and conduct
the activities for their own first Sibshop. The Demonstration Sibshop
can also be the "kick-off" for an on-going program in the host
community. Following the Sibshop, trainees will debrief and finalize
plans for creating Sibshops in their own communities.

About Don Meyer
Don is the director of the Sibling Support Project. As the project's
director, he has conducted more than 300 workshops worldwide,
training over 8,000 parents and providers on sibling issues and the
Sibshop model. Don was a founder of the SEFAM (Supporting Extended
Family Members) program at the University of Washington, which
pioneered services for fathers, siblings, and grandparents of
children with special needs.

Don is the senior author of curricula including Sibshops: Workshops
for brothers and sisters of children with special needs; The Fathers
Program; Grandparent Workshops and the children's book Living with a
Brother or Sister with Special Needs: a Book for Sibs. He also edited
Uncommon Fathers: Reflections on Raising a Child with Special Needs,
a collection of 19 essays by fathers of children with various special
needs and Views from our Shoes, an illustrated collection of 46
essays by young brothers and sisters. His most recent book is The
Sibling Slam Book: What it is really like to have a brother or sister
with special needs which he wrote with the help of eighty-one 13-19
year-old brothers and sisters.

News organizations that have featured Don and his work with brothers
and sisters include the New York Times, The Washington Post, National
Public Radio, and ABC News' Nightline, World News Tonight, and 20/20.

Evaluations consistently attest to Don's energy, commitment, and
ability to motivate audiences to look at families in a new way.

For more information on Sibshops, please visit www.siblingsupport.org