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Jim Thompson

Thompson to keynote international meeting on Supports Intensity Scale

(February 11, 2008) Jim Thompson, professor in the Department of Special Education, will be the keynote speaker for the Anffas Onlus Seminar, an international meeting on the Italian Standardization Version Supports Intensity Scale in Rome, Italy. The meeting, which takes place on February 22, 2008, is part of the Italian Supports Intensity Project and will include participants from Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium, and the United States.

Thompson is the lead author of the Supports Intensity Scale, an assessment instrument published by the American Association on Intellectual and Development Disabilities. Thompson explains of the invitation to present in the Italian seminar, "The Supports Intensity Scale has been translated into several languages. It has become a relatively popular tool in Europe for assessment and planning activities by organizations that serve persons with developmental disabilities. It has been gratifying to see the scale being used in so many countries. I was thrilled to be invited to participate in this meeting and to travel to Rome."

In addition to his keynote address, Thompson will participate in a panel presentation focusing on research findings related to the Supports Intensity Scale with academics from the University of Gent (Belgium), University of Udine (Italy), University of Parma (Italy), University of Maastricht (Netherlands), University of Blanquerna (Cataluña), and the University of Salamanca (Spain). According to Thompson, "It will be a fascinating discussion, because in addition to presenting our research findings, we are encouraged to ask one another questions about our work. I have had the opportunity to read the abstracts from the other presenters, and they have done some outstanding work. I'll learn a lot when I'm there, and I look forward to sharing my new knowledge with my colleagues and students at ISU when I return."