Curriculum

Growing Older with Lifelong Intellectual Disabilities: When Dementia is Suspected or Diagnosed
Spring 2023 Series

This Project ECHO series is a free, practical, case-based education program for health care and social service providers who want to enhance their knowledge, competence, and performance related to the care of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities affected by dementia. Each ECHO session will include a short presentation by a topic expert, followed by a case study submitted in advance by an ECHO participant site, and then open discussion to learn from one another.

ECHO sessions are held every other Monday from Noon – 1:15 p.m. ET

Register for the Spring 2023 Series

April 10, 2023
Key Dementia Differences
Matthew P. Janicki, PhD
University of Illinois at Chicago
Co-President, National Task Group on Intellectual Disabilities and Dementia Practices
Member, Federal Advisory Council on Alzheimer's Research, Care, and Services

April 24, 2023
Using the Sense for Improved Communication
Cheryl White, LMFT
Co-Executive Director, Cedars
and Yasmin Boroumand
Program Manager, Cedars Fine Art Studios & NTG Trainer

May 8, 2023
Mindfulness Interventions to Benefit You and Your Clients
Lawrence Force, PhD
Mount St. Mary College, Center on Aging and Disability Policy

May 22, 2023
Understanding Behaviors as Communication
Ley Linder, MA, MEd, BCBA
Intensive Behavior Interventionist
Executive Director, Crescent Behavioral Health Services, LLC

June 5, 2023
Interacting with Families
Marianne Barbera
Educator and passionate family advocate
Board Member: NTG, Charles Evans Center, Partners Health Plan

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Are we required to attend every session?
A: We recommend that you register a team from your site and encourage participation for every session. Even when the topic is one that your team has mastered, your site then is in a position to share knowledge and experiences with their ECHO peers.

Q: Is the information going to be relevant to my team?
A: While other spoke sites may not have the same needs as your site, the ECHO model’s “all teach - all learn” principle ensures you will have the opportunity to get information and feedback related to your specific needs. Unlike traditional webinars with a short Q&A at the end, ECHO sessions are designed to foster an interactive learning community.

Q: I have heard that there is an opportunity to share and participate in case study discussions during these sessions. How do you pick who gets to present?
A: Case study discussions are an integral part of the success of the ECHO model and provide an opportunity for us to learn from each other. The more people are willing to share their ideas and experiences, the more valuable the sessions are. Cases are not required to align with the presenter’s topic - other challenging cases are welcome. The ECHO planning team is happy to help sites develop their case presentation. A link to our case discussion guide will be included in your registration confirmation.

Case-based discussions are an important element of the Project ECHO® process, enabling the chance to learn from one another through the sharing of experiences and knowledge. We encourage you to share any challenges you are experiencing or have already overcome that we could discuss as a group of experienced interdisciplinary content experts and peers who may have experienced similar situations. Cases do not need to align directly with the current session topic, however, should be related to the overall series theme.

If you are interested in sharing a case to be discussed at one of our sessions, please fill out and submit our De-Identified Case Story form.