August 5 & 6, 2025

WHEN

Dates: August 5 & 6, 2025
Time: 8:30 AM to 3:30 PM

WHERE

In-Person at Columbia Regional Inclusive Services

833 NE 74th Ave. Portland OR 97213

REGISTRATION

Pre-registration for the August 5 & 6, 2025 dates is being coordinated directly via special education directors and leadership in each school district in our service area; Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River, and Wasco counties. Contact Brad Hendershott if you have any questions at bhender1@pps.net.

ABOUT IKT

Many incoming kindergarten and early elementary students with autism and related needs arrive without the foundational skills needed to participate in classroom routines. They may not respond to their name, follow directions, or engage socially with peers. For kindergarten teachers and support staff, this presents real challenges—and often, limited preparation.

The Inclusive Kindergarten Training (IKT) summer institute is a two-day, hands-on professional development opportunity designed to equip educators with the tools, strategies, and confidence they need to support young learners with significant social, behavioral, and self-regulation challenges. The training focuses on inclusive, evidence-based practices aligned with Universal Design for Learning (UDL) to promote student engagement, reduce challenging behaviors, and improve outcomes for all learners.

This approach benefits not only students with autism or social-emotional needs, but also those who are culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) or entering school with little to no prior classroom experience. Each participant will receive an IKT Implementation Kit that includes practical materials, visuals, routines, and mini-curricula—along with direct modeling and coaching on how to use them effectively in the classroom.

Participants will learn about...

• The ways in which children on the autism spectrum perceive, process, and respond to the world in fundamentally different ways compared to neurotypical peers, the impact of these differences on learning, communication, and behavior in the classroom - and how to help!

• Utilizing environmental structure—such as physical layout, visual boundaries, clear routines, and consistent procedures—to promote independence, reduce challenging behavior, and support engagement for all learners.

• Embedding visual supports in daily instruction (e.g., interactive schedules, first-then boards, classroom/behavioral expectations) to promote successful participation and independence in classroom activities and routines.

• Implementing strategies to support students with engagement challenges by facilitating participation and structuring tasks to be clearer and more meaningful from the child’s perspective, using principles of Universal Design for Learning.

• Meeting children in their place of joy by drawing on the topics, items, and activities they enjoy to foster attention, engagement, and motivation to participate in classroom activities.

• Building rapport and connection to facilitate classroom participation and learning for children who struggle with engagement.

• Supporting functional communication for non-speaking students or those with limited speech, including how to use and support augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools.

• Preventing and responding to challenging behaviors using de-escalation techniques, knowledge of the crisis curve, and trauma-informed strategies.

• Explicitly teaching and reinforcing essential student skills, including: responding to teacher cues, attending to whole-group instruction, participating in classroom activities, and transitioning between preferred and less preferred tasks; as well as prosocial peer interaction skills such as gaining attention, sharing, making requests, relinquishing items, and using modeling, role-play, and consistent reinforcement in daily routines.

IKT TRAINERS

IKT is provided by our team of licensed autism specialists and BCBAs who emphasize the use of various evidence-based instructional approaches including antecedent-based interventions (ABIs), positive behavior supports (PBS), use of visual supports, structured teaching, peer mediated intervention, and many others. 

Attending as teams highly recommended: Feedback from previous IKT participants indicated that classroom outcomes are stronger and kindergarten teachers have a richer experience when they attend along with kindergarten teacher colleagues from the same elementary school. For these reasons, we strongly advise K teachers to attend in teams if possible (i.e., multiple kindergarten teachers from the same building). 

Special education staff: We are limiting this training to kindergarten and first grade teachers. However, if you are a special education service provider who works with one or more of the kindergarten teachers and are interested in learning more about IKT, email Darthea Park at dpark@pps.net. The content presenting in IKT is geared toward kindergarten teachers and we have found that seasoned special education service providers tend to already be familiar with much of the information.

Other Questions? Email Darthea Park at dpark@pps.net

IKT OUTCOMES

Educator feedback has been overwhelmingly positive. Teachers report feeling more prepared and confident, with improved outcomes for individual students as well as stronger classroom-wide routines and inclusion practices. We surveyed kindergarten teachers and asked the following question:

“Can you think of one or more specific children in your classroom who have been more successful as a result of your participation in IKT?"

Here are several responses:  

“Definitely! This is only my second year of teaching, so before this training I had never had experience teaching or working with students with autism. The training gave me tools, strategies, ideas, and confidence in jumping in and doing the best I can to best serve all of my students.”

“YES!!!!! Many. I am better organized. I view behaviors differently. I was more prepared for those I knew may be a challenge. One boy has a sibling that has not been successful in Gen Ed. I approached him with a different lens and started with a different relationship from the beginning and he is thriving. A few other students that have the potential to be out of control have done great with the routines, procedures and very clear expectations.”

“Yes. In general, creating a solid routine, with a classroom visual schedule, color coding of systems in the room, visuals for EVERYTHING has all helped my classroom run better, not just my students with Autism. Using a first/then board and language has been a lifesaver for a couple students.”

“Yes, the 'first, next, last' idea has helped one of my students in particular.”

“One child in my classroom is on the autism spectrum and the fidgets have helped his concentration and helps him keep his hands to himself.”

“Yes, all three of my students in special education with communication disorders benefitted, as well as other children who struggle with emotional outbursts and transitioning.”

“Yes, one student started the year kicking, biting, and pushing students during each transition. This student is now able to self-regulate and handle transitions.”

“All of my students have been impacted by my use of the 'We Thinkers' curriculum (provided via IKT).”

88.9% of IKT participants strongly agreed or agreed with the following statement,
"As a result of participating in IKT, I increased my skills and knowledge to successfully include children with autism and other social and emotional challenges.” 

There is no charge for this training. Registration is limited to kindergarten and first grade teachers in schools within Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River and Wasco counties (i.e. CRIS service area). 

Portland Public Schools and Columbia Regional Program is an equal opportunity educator and employer.  Persons with disabilities or who are in need of additional accommodations in order to attend or participate in an event or program at Columbia Regional Program should contact Darthea Park at 503-916-5570 ext. 78377, dpark@pps.net