The 3rd Annual Autism Training Workshop was held from November 16th - 18th, 2016 at the University of Cape Coast School of Medical Sciences (UCCSMS) auditorium, University of Cape Coast, Ghana, West Africa. The topic for the workshop was "Communication: Skills and Strategies for the Special Needs Child". 

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Over 200 parents, teachers, practitioners, medical staff and students were provided with crucial information and techniques to identify and improve communication challenges for children with autism and other neurological disorders. Prior to the workshop, our facilitator had an inspiring morning class session with students of the first ever Speech and Learning Therapy (SLT) Master's program in Ghana. It was a wonderful and enlightening exchange, and very educative to both parties.

 

The workshop was facilitated by Cheryl Small Jackson MS, CCC-SLP, a Columbia University trained Speech and Language Pathologist and teacher of The Speech and Hearing Handicapped with over 30 years of clinical experience in the field of special education and speech and language pathology. She is also the founder of The Center for Small Jewels, Inc, providing home and facility based speech, language, feeding, allied health services to families in Westchester County, NY, USA. Ms. Small Jackson has been presenting seminars and training workshops for parents, speech and language pathologists and ABA therapists across different regions of Africa on topics such as PROMPT therapy, communication and feeding therapy since 2010. 

 

Attendance was from all over Ghana, as well as from Nigeria and Uganda. Participants at the workshop were very engaged and enthusiastic, and left with a wealth of practical and applicable material. Various local and national media houses provided coverage of the workshop. The overriding refrain was the need to reach as many people as possible in Cape Coast, in Ghana and in Africa as a whole - and for CHIP International to be back next year. With God and with your assistance, we will!