Completed Projects

Early Intervention – Pilot Training Project 2019

 

Pilot Early Intervention Training Project

Two AMU-DIEC/JNMCH Scholars participation in a 4-week Intensive Training on Early Intervention, including Child Development, Parenting, Infant Mental Health and Applied Behavior Analysis at Brooklyn College’s Early Childhood and Art Education Department

Summary

This Early Intervention Pilot project (09/24/19 to 10/25/19) is in continuation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (letter of Shared Interest) signed by Prof. Tariq Mansoor, Vice-Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) with President Michelle J. Anderson of Brooklyn College of City University of New York (CUNY) at the Federation of Aligarh Alumni Associations Annual Convention held at Newark, California on July 14 to 15, 2017.

 

The (MOU) (letter of Shared Interest) was finally executed on July 19, 2017, when an AMU delegation led by the Vice-Chancellor Professor Tariq Mansoor, met President Michelle J Anderson of Brooklyn College, CUNY on their campus in response to the college’s invitation. President Anderson signed the same MOU (Statement of Shared Interest) in the presence of Vice-Chancellor Prof. Tariq Mansoor.  One of the goals of the MOU is to have scholars and/or students from India come to Brooklyn College to learn more about best practices in Early Intervention in NYC.

In continuation with the signing of the MOU, Dr. Shaheen Usmani presented a proposal for a training program on Early Intervention at the office of the Pro-Vice-Chancellor, AMU and later on to JNMCH.

After a meeting in January 2019 and participation in a number of conference calls between Dr. Uzma Firdaus of AMU and ECAE department faculty of Brooklyn College, the Pilot EI Training Project was finalized.

 

Duration: September 27, 2019 to October 25, 2019

 

Key components of the Training provided as part of the Early Intervention Pilot Project:

  1. Attendance at Brooklyn College Early Childhood Graduate courses as well as engagement in workshops, seminars, video reviews, and conferences on Early Intervention, Parenting, Infant Mental Health, Play, Child Development, Assessment, and Applied Behavior Analysis and access to resources (links to modules, articles/books, developmental assessments and screeners, etc.).

 

  1. Early Childhood/Early Intervention Graduate courses:
    • Infant and Child Development in Family, Community and Educational Contexts: Typical and Atypical (ECAE 7101)
    • Play in Cross-Cultural Contexts (ECAE 7107)
    • Curriculum Modifications for Infants, Toddlers, and Young Children with Special Need (ECAE 7113)
    • Developmental and Educational Assessment of Infants and Young Children with Special Needs (ECAE 7678)
    • Supporting Diverse Families and Parent-Child Relationships (ECAE 7675)
    • Advanced Psychosocial Development II: Caregiver-Child Interactions and Reflective Supervision (ECAE 7886)

 

  1. All-day Conference on Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA)
  2. Autism Spectrum Disorder Webinar: What to do when children with ASD have anxiety
  3. Seminars on Infant Mental Health and video-review of parent-infant dyad case studies

 

  1. Observing typically developing infants, toddlers and young children up to 7 years of age, as well as children with special needs in inclusive classrooms, touring and observing high quality classroom environments and approaches to supporting families from low-income backgrounds in different settings.

 

  1. Brooklyn College’s Early Childhood Center is a high quality center that serves student-parents’ children 4 mos. to 4 years-old. The classrooms are Reggio Emilia-influenced.
  2. CDI Early Head Start/Head Start program is a high quality, two-generation program that serves infants, toddlers and young children up to 4 years of age and their families from low-income backgrounds in their homes and center.
  3. NYC Department of Education’s Universal Prekindergarten–Preschool Center (4-year-old children), which is a progressive Reggio Emilia-influenced center.
  4. NYC public elementary school serving children (prekindergarten to 5th grade), including program children with disabilities.
  5. Chances for Children, an intervention that enables and strengthens the relationship and bond between caregivers and young children using video-taped dyadic play interactions.
  6. Healthy Steps Program at Brookdale Hospital Pediatric Clinic, an interdisciplinary pediatric primary care program, that promotes positive parenting and healthy development for babies and families living in poverty during well-baby checkups.

 

  1. Touring Early Intervention programs serving infants, toddlers and young children with disabilities in home-based and center-based settings; observing various child development assessments, interventions, IFSP/IEP meetings; meeting with Early Interventionists, therapists, early childhood special educators, applied behavior analysts, and psychoanalysts and their approach to child assessment, family-centered support.
  2. Medical Centers/ Hospitals/ NICU – Observing assessments and studying the emotional environments.
  3. Infant Childhood Learning Center, an Early Intervention program – Observing children with disabilities from birth to three years, multidisciplinary assessments across disciplines (Early Interventionist/Early Childhood Special Educator, Speech Therapist, Occupational Therapist), attending IFSPs.
  4. Center for Early Childhood Development, an Early Intervention program – Observing infants from birth to three years with autism and approaches to support them and their families, observing assessments and ABA.
  5. Home-visits – Observing a Physical Therapist conduct family-centered evaluations and view the write ups.
  6. Eden II – Touring a program that supports people with autism throughout their lives
  7. Adaptive Design Association – Observing and engaging in a workshop of program that creates custom adaptations for children with disabilities using tri-wall cardboard and other sustainable materials to meet children’s equipment needs.

 

  1. Scholars Presentation to BC ECAE Department faculty, Psychology Department faculty and BC ECC teachers and administrators
  2. Viewing modules; viewing videos; reviewing scholarship (articles, books, links to websites) from BC Library, ECAE Department and courses; receiving resources on developmental assessments (e.g., Ages and Stages developmental screener, MCHAT), family-centered care and infant mental health; preparing for the

 

Major Contributors:

Brooklyn College:

Dr. Jacqueline Shannon (Chair, Early Childhood Education and Art Education Department)

Dr. Mary DeBey (Early Childhood Faculty)

Dr. Shaheen Usmani (Director, Early Intervention- India)

Several EC Faculty Instructors and Fieldwork Partners/Colleagues

BC Early Childhood Center teachers and administrators

AMU, DEIC-COE/JNMCH:        Dr. Tabassum Shahab (Convener)

Dr. Uzma Firdaus (Nodal Officer)

Aligarh Alumni Association:

Atlanta –Asif Taufiq, Naved Tanzeem, Shoeb Ahmad, Rasheed Ahmad, and Hassan Kamal

New York – Tanvir Ahmad, Kauser Usmani

An Alumnus from Virginia:      Mr. Salim Shah

Participants

Aligarh Muslim University:     Dr. Firdos Jahan (Clinical Psychologist)

Mr. Mohammad Naushad (Special Educator)

Program Completion

At the completion of the program the two scholars Dr. Firdos Jahan and Mohammed Naushad shared their learning experiences with the Brooklyn College faculty and expressed their gratitude towards the Chair, Prof Jacqueline Shannon, all other faculty members and experts who were intensely engaged and supported the program in all ways. They hoped to bring the new knowledge to JNMC for the betterment of DIEC. The project in all earnestness is commendable in generating more awareness of the status of special needs children in India and how we can provide better services.

*Report compiled by Dr. Jacqueline Shannon and Dr. Shaheen Usmani (Brooklyn College, City University of New York)

 

Major Sponsors:

Two AMU Scholars’ Expenses to participate in the Early Intervention Pilot project, including their five-week stay in NYC
Category  Amount USD  Amount INR Paid or Waived/

In-Kind

Facilitator/Contributor
1

 

 

 

 

Fee for the Training

 

 

 

 

$   42,750.00

(25 Credits each for 2 Scholars @ $850/Credit)

30,35,250.00

 

 

 

 

Brooklyn College

 

 

 

Dr. Jacqueline Shannon, Dr. Shaheen Usmani,

Dr. DeBey, several ECAE faculty, BC ECC Center, and fieldwork partners/colleagues

2

 

Roundtrip Airfare to NYC $     1,850.00

 

₹    1,31,350.00

 

Atlanta Alumni Asif Taufiq, Shoeb Ahmad, Naved Tanzeem and Rasheed Ahmad
3

 

Room & Board in NYC $     2,800.00

 

₹    1,98,800.00

 

AAA New York Kauser and Shaheen Usmani
4

 

 

Local Travel in NYC, and Outside Lunches $     1,000.00

 

 

₹       71,000.00

 

 

Virginia Alumnus

 

Salim Shah

 

 

TOTAL $   49,400.00 ₹ 35,07,400.00

 

Kauser Usmani                                                                                   Salim Shah

Secretary FAAA                                                                            President FAAA

______________________________________________________________________

 

Projects Completed in 2007

The federation has provided 78 new books to the library.

There are three halls of residence for girls, Abdullah Hall, Sarojni Naidu Hall and Indira Gandhi Hall. These halls need immediate Internet access, particularly for students with professional courses like Engineering, Medicine, Law and Management etc. It is therefore important that the girls have Internet access in their halls or hostels. The Federation has installed five computers each in IG and SN Hall with internet service. This facility is available to all students of the respective halls free of cost.

Books Moulana Azad Library

The federation has provided 78 new books to the library.

Polio Eradication Project

Federation of Aligarh Alumni Associations has donated US $ 10, 960 (~443,600 rupees) to AMU based Polio eradication project, which is also supported by UNICEF and recipient of the Carter Center Recognition Award. Dr. Shadab Khurshid, director of this program will be able to organize 10 camps in UP for roughly Rs. 50,000 per camp. Most of the children who are receiving polio vaccination are from poor families