On Saturday, January 27, Baylor College of Medicine will bring a community conference and resource fair to the El Paso area to provide an educational seminar and support materials for parents of children with special needs.
Provided jointly by Baylor and Texas Children’s Hospital, and in collaboration with the Texas Department of State Health Services and the El Paso Community College, the conference will address updates in genetics and care for children with developmental disorders, and explain how a genetic evaluation can help children with various disabilities.
Dr. Fernando Scaglia, professor of molecular and human genetics at Baylor, will lead the discussion. In addition, Laura Buckner, M.Ed., LPC with the University of Texas, Texas Center for Disability Studies will speak about person-centered practices.
“The scope of this seminar is to demystify genetics in the eyes of the community, showing that a proper genetic diagnosis can be a powerful tool for counseling individuals with intellectual disabilities and their families, reevaluating care, and providing appropriate therapies,” said Scaglia.
The resource fair will offer current information on care, education and research as they relate to developmental disorders and encourages networking within the community by connecting patients and their families with others in similar situations.
The program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. The seminar will be held at the El Paso Community College at 9050 Viscount Boulevard.
The resource fair begins at 9 am, and the conference will follow at 10 am. Refreshments will be provided.
